More on Lane Cove By ALEC SMART It's beautiful, scenic, wild and glorious - and it's definitely worth a visit. Lane Cove National Park is a 372-hectare national park situated about 10 kilometres north-west of Sydney CBD, which follows the Lane Cove River through Macquarie Park (west side) and West Lindfield (east side) north to Pennant Hills and Wahroonga, and south to Sugarloaf Point (at the mouth of Buffalo Creek). The park encompasses a multitude of scenic, forested walking tracks, many of them following the course of the river. These pass through several picnic areas with gas barbecues, furniture, toilets and vehicle parking. Wildlife seen regularly throughout the park include bandicoots, echidnas, swamp wallabies, goannas, squirrel gliders, legless lizards, Daniel’s pythons, black snakes, ringtail and brushtail possums. Birdlife includes boobooks, frogmouths, powerful owls, Azure kingfishers, honeyeaters, goshawks cuckoo doves, black cockatoos, and the ubiquitous brush turkeys. Lane Cove River is divided by a weir about ¾ of the way from its mouth near its source, effectively separating the fresh water running downstream from the tidal saltwater coming up from the Parramatta River. It was constructed in 1938 to create a safe fresh water swimming and boating lake in what was then (and for the next half century) a very popular picnic area. However, the weir, popular among congregating ducks and wide enough to walk and cycle over, can be slippery to cross during rainy weather, when occasionally it is submerged by surging stormwaters. The upper fresh water side, a catchment pool for drains flowing from new housing developments and industrial estates upstream, is now contaminated with run-off pollution. National Parks and Wildlife Service advise against swimming. Adjacent to the weir is a curious series of what at first appear to be small stepping stones. In fact it’s a fish ladder, installed after negotiations between local govt departments and catchment management committees. The weir is a dam that halts movement of native fish up and downstream, but a fish ladder circumvents this problem. According to Lee de Gail, former National Parks & Wildlife Service ranger, “The fishway provides the necessary link between salt and fresh water to enable native migratory fish to complete their lifecycle. It is a rock ramp structure that is built into the existing weir. It contains a number of small weirs that allow native fish to work their way back upstream around the existing weir on the river. “Unlike Northern Hemisphere fish such as salmon that can leap tall waterfalls with a single leap, our natives are rather lazy and prefer to flip-flop their way up creeks and streams. The Lane Cove River fishway is designed to allow for this type of behaviour, providing plenty of pools along the way so the fish can catch their breath. Now they only need to escape the watchful eye of the white faced heron that has installed himself in the fishway.” When this reporter visited the weir a clever white heron (aka a great egret) had indeed perched itself atop the ladder and was poised still and watchful as it awaited arrival of its dinner. For more information, visit: www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/visit-a-park/parks/lane-cove-national-park/visitor-info Friends of Lane Cove National Park: http://www.friendsoflanecovenationalpark.org.au A vehicle entrance fee is charged upon entry to the park.

More on Cronulla At 6.30 am every morning, septuagenarians Noelene Redmond and Carol Coady can be seen descending a set of stone stairs scuffed smooth over time as they make their way down from Cronulla Esplanade to the Oak Park sea pool. The pair, who have been swimming in the sea pool and braving the rain, swell and chill for the past 35 years or so, say they are addicted to the thrill of the sunrise swim and have attracted a group of like-minded individuals who share their enthusiasm for the morning ritual. “It’s magical this pool,” says Noelene. “I love how it can change so dramatically, each day, in everything from its depth and colour, from calm and glassy to huge waves crashing over the back of the pool. “One day, we even had a shark in the pool, which Carol’s daughter Mel rescued. She made the news all around the world!” Huff and puff along the well-trodden Cronulla Esplanade and you will see Noelene and Carol and a group of male and female swimmers sporting colourful caps and bobbing around in the sea pool at the southern end of the South Cronulla peninsula. They are the Jellybeans. And it’s those neon-bright swim caps that earned them the moniker “Jellybeans” after a bloke walking past saw them in the pool and yelled “You look like a bunch of jellybeans!” Making Friends by Swimming - Jellybean Minstrels The Jellybeans morphed into the Jellybean Minstrels when Noelene, who plays piano at the South Cronulla Bowlo, started singing in the pool about two decades or so ago. Every morning, the dynamic 78-year-old starts making gestures in the air in tempo to Oh what a Beautiful Morning as if she’s conducting the Sydney Philharmonic Orchestra. “We like to laugh and sing. It’s a beautiful way to start the day,” says Carol. “It’s a magic pool. It has healing powers. We even swim in winter and we come out feeling invigorated even on the coldest, most inclement days.” While the morning swimmers, whose numbers rise and fall like the tides, cherish their daily dips, it’s the companionship and friendships they’ve gained that brings them back each day. Oak Park Pool is one of a number of sea pools dotted along the NSW coastline which were built as part of a post-war employment scheme designed to protect swimmers from the swell and large surf. See visitSutherlandshire.com.au to read up about all the sea pools in the Shire where you can take the plunge. Carla Grossetti is an award-winning travel writer who lives in the Sutherland Shire. Follow Carla on Instagram @food.travel.stories

More on Marrickville By ALEC SMART The Marrickville music scene, theatre, breweries and eateries are slowly recovering from the coronavirus pandemic. 2204 magazine spoke to Heather and Richard, the dynamic duo behind the bands at Marrickville Bowling Club on the post-covid comeback. Generation Landslide. Photo: Alec Smart When it comes to live music, Marrickville is the beating heart of the inner west with a multitude of musical meccas. These range in size from the 800 capacity Factory Theatre to the more intimate Bush Music Club, which operates from a former WWI army barrack in the Addison Road Centre. Although the worldwide coronavirus pandemic adversely affected restaurants, pubs and theatres across the nation with a year of closed venues followed by seated shows, Marrickville’s live music venues are again filling their event calendars as concerts are advertised for the foreseeable future. Marrickville Bowling Club - the ‘Bowlo’ - is a mid-sized venue (capacity 400) that draws a loyal crowd and regularly features touring and overseas artists, with music ranging across a wide variety of genres. Turbobelco. Photo: Alec Smart Richard Ball, Marrickville Bowlo’s principal sound engineer, instigated the venue’s dynamic live music program eight years ago when the club was a small community bowling green with occasional acoustic acts. He told us, “I have a model that dates back to 1978: it should be friendly for the bands, friendly for the venue, and not too many middle-men..” In a celebrated coup, Midnight Oil played the first show of their 2017 Great Circle world tour here, a ‘secret’ reunion gig after a hiatus of 15 years. Despite the secrecy, the Oils attracted a massive turnout of fans queuing around the block, eagerly welcoming back the distinguished veterans prior to playing 77 shows in 16 countries. Richard mused on the Bowlo’s successful return to the forefront of Marrickville’s entertainment scene after the dearth of any live music during Sydney’s Covid-19 lockdown. “You have to be subconsciously ‘cool’ with people… It’s about fulfilling a brief. Firstly, we’re a quality rock ‘n’ roll venue, but, secondly, we’re community-based with audiences and bands that are predominantly local. Now we’ve returned to putting on regular gigs again, I’ve received so many hugs from people, many of whom I haven’t seen for a year.” Neptune Power Federation. Photo: Alec Smart “This year has been hard,” night manager Heather added, “because we have to get people to sit down and make sure they sign in properly along with all the [Covid-19] rules and regulations that every club and pub has been under… We had a lot of people asking us ‘when is the music coming back?’ And although we complied with the seated shows, the vibe was completely different, like the soul was missing.” “I don’t believe music is an intellectual process,” Richard considered. “I believe it’s an emotional process. It just feels good to be here, and it’s really that simple and that’s why so many people are pleased to be back and enjoying live music again!” However, we’re not yet free of the cursed Covid-19, as Melbourne’s latest contagion and city-wide lockdown reveals. Meantime, live music venues are gradually adjusting to the ‘new normal’ with the resumption of concerts and permission to dance and socialise without wearing masks (although we’re still obligated to check-in when entering venues). Midnight Oil played the first concert of their 2017 Great Circle world tour at Marrickville Bowlo. Photo: Alec Smart Other Marrickville venues that have returned to hosting live music include the following favourites: Bush Music Club, Camelot Lounge, Factory Theatre, Gasoline Pony, Lazybones Lounge, Mothership Studios, Red Rattler Theatre and Vic on the Park. In addition to these is Marrickville’s newest venue, The Great Club, which opened in Feb 2021. Bush Music Club Hut 44, 144 Addison Rd Marrickville. Ph: 0466 877 423 W: http://www.bushmusic.org.au/ Camelot Lounge 103 Marrickville Rd, Marrickville. Ph: 9550 3777 http://camelotlounge.com/ Factory Theatre 105 Victoria Rd, Marrickville. Ph: 9550 3666 W: https://www.factorytheatre.com.au/ Gasoline Pony 115 Marrickville Rd, Marrickville. Ph: 9569 2668 W: https://www.gasolinepony.com/ The Great Club 160-164 Livingstone Rd, Marrickville W: http://thegreatclubsydney.com/ Lazybones Lounge 294 Marrickville Rd, Marrickville. Ph: 0450 008 563 W: http://lazyboneslounge.com.au/ Marrickville Bowling Club 91 Sydenham Rd, Marrickville. Ph: 9557 1185 W: http://www.marrickvillebowlingclub.com.au/ Mothership Studios 18-22 Sydney St, Marrickville. Ph: 0403 916 984 W http://www.themothership.art/ Red Rattler Theatre 6 Faversham St, Marrickville. Ph: 9565 1044 W: https://redrattler.org/ Vic on the Park 2 Addison Rd, Marrickville. Ph: 9114 7348 W: https://merivale.com/venues/viconthepark/ =======================================

More on Surry Hills By Alec Smart Author Ruth Park, who endured a poverty-stricken childhood that prevented her accepting a high school scholarship, spent her first years of marriage in a Surry Hills’ slum before attaining writing success. Ruth Park, Award-Winning Writer Ruth Park, a prolific and multi-award-winning writer, was perhaps best known for her 1946 debut novel The Harp in the South, 1980 children’s time-travel novel Playing Beattie Bow, and children’s radio and book series Muddle Headed Wombat (1943-1982). She also won the 1977 Miles Franklin Award, Australia's most prestigious literature prize, for her novel Swords and Crowns and Rings. In 2006 The Bulletin included Ruth Park in their list of the 100 most influential Australians – although she was born in Auckland, New Zealand, in 1917 to a Scottish father and Swedish mother and lived there for 25 years prior to emigrating to Sydney in Jan 1942. This acclaim acknowledged the terrific trove of literature Park produced throughout her life, from nine adult novels, 23 children’s books (plus 15 books of the popular Muddle Headed Wombat series), six non-fiction books, over 5,000 radio scripts plus numerous magazine and newspaper articles, and three autobiographies, the first a collaboration with her husband, D’Arcy Niland (also an acclaimed author). Starting in Journalism Prior to coming to Australia, Park was due to emigrate to the USA to take up a journalist job on a Californian newspaper, the San Francisco Examiner – the editors were impressed by her internationally-published freelance writing - but the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbour on 7 Dec 1941, three days before she was due to set sail. This effectively scuppered her plans, because the USA then introduced new restrictions on immigrants that prohibited her taking up the job offer. Bored with her unchallenging job at the Auckland Star, from which she had been transferred from children's section editor to the newsroom as a reporter when WWII broke out, Park decided to relocate to Sydney where she had more promising opportunities. Having been corresponding with an Australian pen-pal for years, D’Arcy Niland, an aspiring writer of the same age, whom she met once on a holiday in Sydney, Park relocated to Australia. She accepted Niland’s marriage proposal, albeit reluctantly at first, because she feared being swallowed ''like a tide of mud'' in a marriage that may prevent her aspirations and curtail her writing ambitions. In fact the union proved the opposite. They were wed within three weeks of Park’s arrival in Australia in Jan 1942. Marriage After their nuptials, Niland - rejected for military service because of his heart condition (which limited his physicality and eventually killed him) - was conscripted to labour on the sheep shearing circuit for the war effort. For the next year Niland and Park travelled through rural NSW, he working as a shearer, she a cook. This experience later inspired the characters in Niland’s internationally-renowned debut novel, The Shiralee (published 1955), which told the tale of a wandering swagman and his daughter. (In 1957 The Shiralee was made into a film starring Peter Finch, and in 1987 a TV mini-series starring Bryan Brown.) In 1943 the couple returned to Sydney and moved into tiny rooms above a shop in Devonshire St, Surry Hills, along with Niland’s brother Beresford and Park’s sister Jocelyn, who, somewhat amusingly, married each other. Writing for Children - Radio & Books In 1942, Park was contracted by the ABC to write a radio series for Children's Session, to which she wrote the series The Wide-Awake Bunyip that aired from January 1943 until July 1951, when the lead actor, artist Albert Collins, died. Thereafter, Park created a new set of characters for The Muddle Headed Wombat, which featured a mouse, a neurotic tabby cat and a bicycle-riding wombat who spoke with nonsensical malapropisms and spoonerisms (muddling the meanings of words and swapping the first letters of other words around). The new series was immensely popular and continued through 3,129 episodes until Oct 1969, when ABC Radio’s Children’s Session was cut back from six days a week to Sundays only (and ceased altogether in 1972). From 1962 - 1982 Park also wrote a series of children's books about the Muddle Headed Wombat, keeping the character alive in a literary sense. Niland also wrote for the Children’s Session, and they both collaborated on a kids’ Xmas play, The Disappointed Dumpling. (Niland also won prizes for his writing, which included radio and television plays, hundreds of short stories and six novels.) Ruth Park's Writes Novels Park's career as a novelist was launched in 1946 when she won the inaugural Sydney Morning Herald literary competition for her then-unpublished first novel, The Harp in the South, a gritty, humane observation of gutsy characters enduring crushing poverty. As part of Park’s literary prize, Angus & Robertson published her distinguished debut novel in 1948, which was thereafter translated into 37 languages and has never been out of print. Park’s story centred on an Irish immigrant family in poverty-stricken Surry Hills, with characters and situations she observed while living with husband Niland in the rooms they rented in Devonshire St - part of the same slum terraces she fictionalised. (Now demolished, Park & Niland’s terrace was probably in the vicinity of Eddie Ward Park, Surry Hills). The novel’s protagonists, the fictional Darcy family, lived at 12 ½ Plymouth St, since identified as possibly 31 Tudor St, Surry Hills. Although the number 12 and a half may seem far-fetched, there is a house nearby today: 74 ½ Buckingham St, Surry Hills (coincidentally next door to the Communist Party of Australia’s national headquarters). The red-brick church that appears in the novel as St Brandan's Church, is St Peter's Catholic Church in Devonshire Street, which is still standing. Delie Stock’s character is loosely based on Kate Leigh, a notorious underworld criminal who rose to prominence as a brothel madam and illegal trader of alcohol and cocaine, who ran gambling syndicates from her terrace house home at 212 Devonshire Street – now a cafe. Leigh (March 1881 – February 1964) was also very active in Sydney’s notorious razor gang wars of the 1920s, feuding with fellow underworld madam Tilly Devine and her criminal enterprises. Getting to Grips With Poverty Park’s novel, which detailed food scarcity, economic hardship, domestic violence, adolescent sex, abortion, prostitution and murder, caused a scandal among sections of the book-reading public incapable of believing such slums existed in Australia. Yet before living in Surry Hills, Park understood poverty first hand. During her childhood in Depression-era New Zealand, Park’s father was a low-paid labourer building roads and bridges and cutting wood in a sawmill in the northernmost rural region of the North Island. At one stage the family were bankrupted, forcing them to lodge awhile with the families of her mother’s sisters. Eventually her father found steady work again as a government labourer in Auckland, and the family moved into state-controlled housing. The Harp in the South’s success also inadvertently changed 1940s Sydney, empowering campaigners to demand better living conditions, and ultimately led to the demolition of the very Victorian terraces Park and Niland previously dwelled in. Impoverished tenants were thereafter accommodated in high-rise housing commission flats, which Park herself later criticised as ineffectual and not a solution to poverty. After their Surry Hills’ slum experience, Park and Niland relocated to Collaroy on Sydney’s upper Northern Beaches, in a vain attempt to source sea breezes and beachfront living to sustain their creative imaginations. However, Collaroy was then, as now, not well serviced by public transport, so Niland was often forced to stay in the city overnight after days of freelance writing for assorted newspapers and ABC Radio, leaving Park alone with their newborn baby and lodgers the couple took on to help pay the rent. In her autobiography, Park described one occasion when an unwanted visitor crept along her Collaroy balcony, entered her house and pissed in the bath before exiting into the night. Meanwhile, Park stood behind a door clutching a “frying pan in my trembling hand, resolved to emulate my bold cousin Helga who had fractured a man’s skull with a similar weapon”. On another occasion, during an icy Autumn night in 1945, they were beset by an icy storm that raged for days, eventually bringing seawater into their home while they were lying in bed. “An appalling crash shook the house, followed by explosions, fizzes and spitting sparks as the electric power died. But before darkness covered us D’Arcy saw one of the most fearsome sights of his life – the light shining through the window into the depths of a huge green wave. The next moment the room was dark, the window blew in, and in poured a cascade of seawater. The waves broke on the roof, two, three, four, then with a hideous sucking sound withdrew. Although the £2000 winning prize money from The Harp in the South enabled the young couple to upgrade their living standards, things didn’t improve greatly. However, they went on to have five children together (the first born in June 1943), before Niland’s premature death in 1967, aged just 49. Park also wrote a 1949 sequel to The Harp in the South, titled Poor Man's Orange and in 1985 a prequel, Missus. In 1973 Park moved to Norfolk Island, returning in 1985 to live in Mosman, where she resided and continued writing until she passed away in Dec 2010. In 1987 she was made a member of the Order of Australia. Ruth Park website https://www.nla.gov.au/sites/default/files/ruth_park_a_celebration.pdf

More on Surry Hills When Trish Karr was 40 years old she had an epiphany: she’d been living a lie. Born and raised in the suppressive Jehovah’s Witness religion, Karr had to subvert her curiosity and affable nature and prepare each day for doom. Raised in the Jehovah’s Witness Religion “I’d believed my whole life that Armageddon was coming,” says Karr. “ As a kid growing up I’d run home from school thinking that Armageddon would come and I wouldn’t see my family…So I lived in fear.” Karr was effectively walled off from the rest of the world. Every Saturday and Sunday was spent knocking on doors, proselytising. She never celebrated Christmas or birthdays, and could not socialise with anyone who was not a Jehovah’s Witness. “We were told not to look on the internet…you can’t look up anything about the religion or look at apostate materials because that would poison your mind,” says Karr. As such, at 40, she was, as she admits, very naive. “I really didn’t know what a gay person looked like - not that they look like anything but I’m just saying, I never met a gay person in my life ’til after I was 40! How crazy is that?” Karr’s inquisitive impulse eventually got the better of her. She managed to sneakily search the internet where she discovered that none of the prophecies her religion had foretold had come true. Not only that, but there was a whole world of wonders that had been kept from her. “I just felt like I was being controlled so much and I got to the stage where I just thought: I’ve got to break free and see what else is out there.” Trish Karr on Leaving Jehovah’s Witness She quit the church and separated from her husband, whom she had been with since she was 16 and with whom she had four children. From there it was a crusade into the unknown. She signed up to a dating sight, met new people and tried new things. “It was just like a kid in a candy store, to be honest, not knowing what to have next or what to do next.” It was a trip she took to Ibiza that really opened her eyes to possibilities. “We stayed there 3 weeks, nearly came back in a box…we had fun, we partied, we had a great time for 3 weeks. And I saw how they partied over there and I thought: You know what? We need that kind of style over here.” Hot Kandi Parties That was how the famous - or infamous - Hot Kandi parties began. Karr held the first one in July 2009 at Slide on Oxford Street and it was a phenomenal success. From then on they were held once every three months. “I just knew I found my calling in life. I found my passion where I can bring people together for good times, and that’s when I discovered that, hey, I’m made for more than just staying at home and knocking on doors,” says Karr. That calling has persisted. On May 21 this year, Karr opened a new cocktail bar in Woolloomooloo. Trish Karr Opens Kandi Luxe “Kandi Luxe is something that’s been on my mind for a long time, since I created the parties,” explains Karr. “I wanted to start a new chapter…I think I’ve just got to put my name to a venue where I can still do what I love and bring people together.” It took a while to find the right place. Along the way Karr had a sour business venture with a man who ultimately swindled her out of $30k. She decided she was better off going it alone. When she found the bar in Woolloomooloo it was love at first sight. “I just knew it was the right one, you know. It’s not huge, it’s boutique, on the smallish side, but I just know it’s the right one for me to start in.” Karr’s side hustle is interior design and her exquisite taste is reflected in the French Provincial finishings, crimson velvet seating, gold-framed mirrors, and shimmering chandeliers inside Kandi Luxe. The bar serves extraordinary bespoke cocktails and Karr has hired a 5-star chef previously from Hubert’s French restaurant to curate the menu. Imbuing the new venue with elements from the Hot Kandi parties, Karr hires live burlesque performers (fire eaters, Brazilian dancers, aerialists, etc) and prestige DJs. “I want to give people the ‘wow factor’. I want to give people an experience that no other place would give them, you know. Sure there’s other places but they don’t get the vibe like I get.” Karr puts a lot of effort into making Kandi Luxe just so, and she’d like her guests to make a little effort too. No sloppy-joes or joggers please. “I want classy, sexy. I want exotic…Because I’m a bit extra - just a bit - I like people to feel like that too; just to feel a bit special and come out for a nice night,” she says. “Just look and feel good about yourself and I’ll welcome you with open arms.” W: Link 120 Bourke Street, Woolloomooloo

More on Surry Hills It’s no secret that plant-based food is having a resurgence right now. Not only are many people seeing the health and environmental benefits of eating less meat and dairy, but with restaurants like Yulli’s concocting incredible dishes featuring vegetables in ways you’ve never tried before, plants have never tasted so good! Yuli's Restaurant in Surry Hills Since 2008, Yulli's restaurant has been a favourite fixture in Surry Hills, serving delicious and innovative vegetarian dishes alongside tasty cocktails, local wines and housemade craft beer and cider from their brewery in Alexandria, Yulli's Brews. Now 100% vegan, the restaurant also offers many gluten-free options and caters for a number of different allergies and dietary requirements. With a fusion menu that’s designed to share, the dishes take inspiration from South-East Asian and Mediterranean cuisines and include scrumptious delights that even non-vegans will devour. Examples include: edamame and coconut money bags, crispy wasabi cauliflower, zucchini flowers with beetroot and truffle cream, tofu san choy bow, Korean fried broccolini, and, for dessert, sticky date pudding with butterscotch sauce and housemade coconut ice cream. Whether you’re dining on a banquet feast with a crowd of mates or relaxing with a cocktail or two, the laid-back warm atmosphere makes it the perfect spot for lunch or an evening get-together. A huge supporter of the arts, Yulli’s is also known for hosting live jazz nights and other events, so be sure to keep an eye out for what’s on and best book ahead to avoid disappointment. With restaurants like Yulli’s its obvious that plant-based food is not a fad, it’s delicious and here to stay. W: Link Instagram: @yullissurryhills

More on St Ives By ELLIOT LINDSAY Very few Sydney-siders had heard of St. Ives in the 1910s when the district was covered with citrus orchards and cow paddocks. That all changed when the evening news across Australia reported a “shooting in St. Ives” that resulted in the murder of a police sergeant. To this day, mystery shrouds the events that transpired on the 1st of May, 1913. A landholder named Thomas Edwin Brown owed unpaid maintenance to his ex-wife and young daughter. Sergeant Hickey and Constable Barclay from Pymble Police Station were tasked with serving Brown with a warrant for arrest unless he paid them the outstanding sum. Sergeant Hickey had served at Pymble Police Station for twenty-five years and knew Brown very well. The versions of events to follow, however, differ drastically between the police and the Brown family. Police Sergeant Hickey Murdered Constable Barclay testified that he and Sergeant Hickey were invited into Brown’s home to discuss matters before being set upon by Brown and his sons. A brawl in the living room resulted in Brown shooting Hickey, point-blank, in the stomach during the struggle. Hickey hit the ground, then got up and staggered to the front gate. With Police Sergeant Hickey murdered, Brown fled the scene, on foot, to Pymble. Barclay then helped Hickey into a passing wagon that he ordered to be taken to a hospital. Sadly, the Sergeant bled to death in transit. Barclay returned to the station, obtained a motorcar, tracked down Brown. He was arrested on Gordon Rd (Pacific Highway), where the putt-putt golf park sits today. Brown then confessed to shooting Sergeant Hickey. Pymble Police Station The Brown Family Testifies The Brown family testified that the police entered the property illegally, attacked Brown, and pushed him into the bedroom. Sergeant Hickey then attempted to strangle Brown before obtaining a revolver, conveniently sitting on a chest of draws in the bedroom, with the intent to shoot him. However, the mightier Brown managed to overpower Hickey, and the revolver was discharged while in Hickey’s possession. They also allege Constable Barclay ran away scared after the first shot was fired. They claim not to have seen Hickey get shot because he got up and casually walked out after. Brown faced trial for murdering Sergeant Hickey on three separate occasions. The first trial resulted in a hung jury, and in the second trial was found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging. However, the sentence was commuted to life in prison, and then he was given the right to appeal the verdict. At the third trial, the jury could not be sure beyond a reasonable doubt who fired the shot that killed Hickey. Their verdict was not guilty of murder or manslaughter. The judge acquitted Brown, who walked out of court a free man. However, the police immediately arrested him on the charge of lunacy. He was declared insane by a court and interned in the Callan Park Asylum until he was released in 1916. Records show Brown to have been a violent and disturbed man. His wife divorced him on the grounds of violent abuse (he threatened to shoot her). He was required to pay maintenance but was arrested by Sergeant Hickey several times for not paying. In addition, he developed a complex about being persecuted by the government, filing litigations against dozens of government officials, judges, police, and the press between 1900 and 1913. He believed the government conspired against him. Brown even demanded the NSW Department of Justice protect him, or else he would be compelled to defend his family with lethal force. Having read many documents relating to the Coroner’s report and the three trials, it is of my opinion that Brown was indeed guilty of murdering Sergeant Hickey. However, as all the witnesses have long since passed away, unfortunately, the truth was taken to the grave with them. Sgt Edwin Hickey So, what became of Brown’s orchard? In 1920, various men in the district discovered that a cow paddock on Brown’s orchard was ideal for playing golf. So, they decided to purchase the land from the Brown family to develop into an exclusive golf club called Pymble Golf Club. According to the club, the first six holes lay on Brown’s Orchard, perhaps even on the spot where poor Sergeant Hickey was shot to death. Sergeant John Stuart Hickey today rests in the St Johns Anglican Church Cemetery on St Johns Road Gordon. He was the Sergeant of Pymble Police Station for 25 years. -------------------------- Elliot Lindsay hosts Murders Most Foul, Sydney’s True Crime Walking Tours. https://murdersmostfoul.com/ Insta: https://www.instagram.com/murdersmostfoul/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070235298375 ====================================================

More on Newtown By ALEC SMART 2042 magazine spoke with Bliss n Eso, the multi award-winning Sydney hip-hop music trio, to mark the release of their seventh studio album, The Sun. How Bliss n Eso Started Bliss n Eso, the multi award-winning Aussie rap trio, features three former school friends who bonded over a love of hip hop music and culture. American Jonathan Notley – aka MC Bliss - met Max MacKinnon – aka MC Eso – in 1992 at Glenaeon Rudolf Steiner School in Middle Cove on the lower North Shore, when they were 13. MacKinnon (MC Eso) later transferred to Mosman High School, where he met another hip hop lover, Tarik Ejjamai – aka DJ Izm – of Moroccan heritage, and soon the trio were composing rhymes together. The group initially performed under the name of Bliss n Esoterikizm, but the latter word proved difficult for fans to pronounce, so MacKinnon shortened it to ‘Eso’. In 2000 they released their first recording, an EP titled The Arrival, followed by a mixtape. Bliss n Eso won the Hip Hop category at the 2003 Music Oz Awards and the following year released their debut album, Flowers in the Pavement, on Obese Records. Since then, they’ve released another five full-length albums: Day of the Dog (2006), Flying Colours (2008), Running on Air (2010), Circus in the Sky (2013), and Off the Grid (2017) - the last album ARIA-certified gold status (500,000+ sales), the previous three platinum (million-selling). Interview of Bliss n Eso * Congratulations on the release of your 7th studio album, especially considering how the coronavirus pandemic has hindered musicians from performing, recording, creating and socialising. How has Covid-19 impacted you? On the creative side of things Covid hasn’t affected us too much, because like a lot of artists, we're already inside our studios pretty much locked away from the world anyway. Creating was never a problem, but when it comes to putting on a performance, Covid has definitely put a massive dent in things for all musicians. Artists want to be able to write the songs, record the albums and perform their music for the world - so, taking that live element away from the whole release process is a really hard thing. Covid has affected performances for every artist in the world and we’re all itching to get back on stage. We were supposed to be on tour right now! But we’ll see through the darkness and find the light. * How did the collaboration with Kasey Chambers come about on your Good People song? Bliss n Eso and Kasey Chambers have been friends for a very long time. One of our first experiences getting into a professional studio was actually with Kasey and her brother Nash Chambers. Ever since then we have continued to have a blossoming relationship. When we were writing this album we were only a few doors down from Kasey [in the studio]. Kasey would come past in the morning and drop off organic cookies and other treats for us to munch on! We were playing Kasey some of our new songs and she heard Good People and said to us “Wow what a great song! What a cool message - do you have any ideas of who you’re going to get to sing the chorus?” We knew exactly who it should be and it was the beautiful lady standing right in front of us! We asked Kasey if she wanted to be involved and she was all for it. We started recording that day. It came out absolutely awesome and I can’t imagine anyone else singing that hook. She is truly one of the good people. Kasey Chambers onstage with Bliss n Eso * It was wonderful that Kasey performed the song live with you at the Myer Music Bowl during the 2021 Music From the Home Front Festival. Was she also performing at the festival or made a special trip to appear onstage with you? Kasey is such a legend that she came down just to perform that song with us. It was a special moment because it was the first time we'd performed that song on stage ( it was also during a time where live events had only just started back up during that first year of Covid). To be able to perform live again and having Kasey with us was such a great way to return to the stage. * In the live video, DJ Bliss wears a number 42 on his yellow baseball jersey. Good People mentions “Like the 42 on Jackie Robinson and James Worthy's jerseys..” American baseballer Jackie Robinson wore a number 42 jersey during his 10 years playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers. What is the significance of people honouring him by wearing a number 42 sports top? Bliss n Eso are basketball fans and card collectors; in this instance we liked the play on words / rhyme scheme with 42 and fortitude. I guess that was our way of honouring legends of the game. * You’ve had several collaborations with vocalists with amazing singing voices, including Gavin James, Ceekay Jones, Jake Isaac, the Connections Zulu Choir and the aforementioned Kasey Chambers. Live on stage, unless these artists are performing with you, do you replicate their vocal contributions with a singing section or a pre-recorded vocal track? We always seize the opportunity to have any of those awesome guest vocalist perform with us on stage, but coinciding schedules is tricky, so it’s usually just our band on stage. For those shows we have our awesome vocalist, Kirsten Te Rito, from New Zealand. But the awesome thing about our Fanbase is they love our music so much that they sing and rap every single word. So, when it does come time for the hooks, the crowd is usually making more noise than what’s coming from stage! * Your music videos are getting more sophisticated with each album release – Moments is extraordinary and a well-deserved winner of ARIA’s Best Music Video Award 2017. So far, the music videos accompanying the singles from The Sun have been minimalist: the spaceman with wings for Good People and a lyric track for OGs. Are you working on a dynamic film clip to accompany the next single from the album, and which song is the next scheduled single (eg: On One with Dizzee Rascal?)? Let’s not forget we had a cinematic film clip for So Happy, a monumental film clip for Lighthouse, and an awesome video for OG's ( not just a lyric video 😉)! Just trying to do our music video for Lighthouse took about five different attempts. We had crew from different states that got locked down and couldn’t travel across borders, so we had to reschedule multiple times and come up with new plans and ideas for the clip each time. We moved earth, fire wind and water - quite literally! - to make the Lighthouse clip. Our director was directing over FaceTime video from Queensland while we were shooting in New South Wales. It was probably one of the hardest film clips we had to do, because there were so many hurdles. It wasn’t like normal times where you could pick & choose locations. For instance, we wanted to shoot a water scene, but swimming pools were closed, so we ended up shooting over a dam at a friend’s apple orchard, suspended from a mate’s crane while water was being sprayed out from a fire hose. Meanwhile Bliss was doing the same in front of a bonfire lit in a friend’s paddock, while he was separated in Queensland! When it came time for the OG's clip, borders had closed again, the production crew were in Melbourne and we were in Sydney. We got some awesome young actors to play our parts so we could still have a music video for that track. * Two of Australia’s biggest hip hop stars, Bliss n Eso and Hilltop Hoods have never collaborated. I assume any rumours of ill feelings are in the past; any plans to work or tour together in the future? No ill feelings - it’s all peace love and unity. * What was it like working with Sydney rapper ChillinIt? Do you feel like he’s a big part of the future of Aussie hip hop? Working with Chillinit was just like working with one of the homies. We’ve been watching him come up and we know that his talent lies in his lyricism and his raps, we related to that instantly. Showing love to the new generation is something that we love to do and we love to see the future of Australian hip-hop. It’s explosive right now with the amount of music being made and artists coming up, and there’s room for everyone! The future of Australian hip-hop is sounding really bright. * You’ve done a lot of charity work, including the epic Make Poverty History tour of impoverished regions of South Africa in 2007; performing at the fundraiser for Victorian bushfire relief in 2008; the Brainbeats brain cancer awareness concert in 2016; and the 2020-21 Music From the Home Front festivals for Covid-19 crisis charity Support Act. Are there any causes you support that are particularly close to your hearts? They are all great causes and we always want to help where we can. We know from the messages we receive from fans that our music has helped a lot of people get through hard times. It’s nice knowing that our music has that positive effect and can work like its own kind of therapy. We all need some of that right now. * What is on the horizon for Bliss n Eso? THE SUN!!! The new album is about to drop… and after that... like all musicians across the globe, we can’t wait to be back on stage. I’m sure fans are just as hungry for live concerts again as musicians are to play them. Bliss N Eso website Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blissneso ======================================

More on Crows Nest In the dimly lit engineering workshop in Crows Nest, the lifeless body of Charles Louis le Gallien lay sprawled on the floor, a grim testimony to a brutal murder that would shake the North Shore of Sydney to its core. The sheer savagery of the attack was evident: the walls and desk splattered with blood, his left ear severed, and wounds that spoke of unchecked rage and violence. Detectives were tipped off by a call from Miss Edith Grace de Groen. Trembling with fear, relaying a cryptic message from the deceased. She had expected to share a meal with Charles that evening, in her apartment at 97 Bent Street, Neutral Bay, but the increasing number of calls from him, growing more urgent with each passing minute, hinted at a looming danger he couldn't escape from. She begged the police to race to Charles’ workshop at 319 Pacific Highway Crows Nest, but they were too late. As Superintendent James, Detective-Inspector Ramus, and a fleet of officers from the Scientific Bureau descended upon the crime scene, the powerful arc lights revealed the chilling details of the office interior and the body that lay within. The search for evidence uncovered traces of blood in a washbasin, suggesting the murderer had cleaned up before fleeing. But the office bore no signs of a struggle, leading investigators to believe that Charles was caught off guard, and brutally attacked from behind while he was on the phone. A postmortem revealed death by a three-inch blade wound to the heart at approximately 9 p.m. on September 30th, 1948. The investigation took detectives to the Le Gallien family home where the tapestry of Charles’ complex life began to unravel. Charles, a talented engineer and a titan in his field, led a life marred with contradictions. Despite the façade of a family man and a successful businessman, he led a double life – that of a playboy. The whispers of his secret dalliances, particularly with the mysterious Edith, brought to the forefront more questions than answers. Charles had left his family home at 75 Chelmsford Avenue, East Lindfield 10 months earlier to set up a love nest in an exclusive hotel in Kirribilli. Theories abounded. Some whispered of a jealous lover, scorned and enraged. Others suggested that the deceased had a secret harem of lovers. But the secretive man covered his tracks too well for detectives, for they struggled to identify any other than Miss de Groen. But as the hunt for Charles’ elusive lovers continued, an unexpected twist came into the light. Charles Ivan le Gallien, the 17-year-old son of the murdered man, found himself in the eye of the storm, ensnared by accusations and suspicions. As the threads of the investigation tugged at the frayed edges of the le Gallien family fabric, secrets threatened to emerge. On October 5th, Charles Ivan was formally charged with murdering his own father. The Inquest On October 20th, a Coroner's Inquest was held to examine the circumstances surrounding the alleged case of patricide. Charles Ivan Le Gallien, the accused, was brought to court amidst much public interest. The courtroom was packed, indicating the sensation the case had caused in the public sphere. He was represented by a noted barrister, Mr. James John Benedict Kinkead K.C. Key Testimonies Constable Klyne: Described a past altercation between Charles and his father, in which the father was intoxicated and Charles made threats against him. Reginald James Turk: A colleague of Charles, spoke about discussions on potential ways to kill Charles’ father, including hiring him to commit the crime. Under cross-examination, he revealed that the discussions were not always serious in nature, and were sometimes just banter among young men. Harold Mahony: Revealed an offer made by Charles to kill his father for £1000 and a car. Charles suggested poisoning his father’s schooner of beer at the Union Hotel, North Sydney, the deceased’s watering hole. It was to have happened on the night the murder took place. Under cross-examination, Mahony admitted that he thought Charles Ivan was deadly serious about the offer. Detective Inspector Ramus: Presented Charles' confession, in which Charles detailed a heated conversation with his father in the Crows Nest workshop that escalated to violence, resulting in the stabbing arising from a desire to defend himself out of fear for his own safety. He claims his father did not want medical treatment and told him to go home after. Following the testimonies and evidence, the defense counsel, Mr. Kinkead, advised Charles not to provide testimony. The coroner then made the decision to commit Charles Ivan Le Gallien for trial without bail. The Trial The autumn chill in Darlinghurst Court was tangible, but it was nothing compared to the cold weight of anticipation hanging in the air on Wednesday, November 24th. Whispers filled the room as curious spectators filled every available seat, eager to witness the trial of Charles Ivan le Gallien. Accused of murdering his father, Charles Louis le Gallien, the young man stood tall and pleaded ‘not guilty.’ On the first day, the Crown prosecutor, the imposing Mr. R. V. Rooney, K.C., presented his case. Charles had allegedly slain his father after a heated argument over money turned physical. But the plot thickened: witnesses would claim Charles had spoken of orchestrating his father's death to cash in on the insurance, offering staggering sums to anyone willing to do the deed. Edith Grace de Groen, aged 30, was the first to take the stand, her testimony scrutinised by Mr. Kinkead. Tensions mounted as de Groen was questioned about her relationship with the deceased, hinting at past indiscretions and an affair that had lasted since she was employed by Charles Louis as a typist when she was 16 and Charles was 35. Day two saw four young men — Carroll, McGill, Turk, and Mahoney — echoing their testimonies from the coronial inquest. By day three, the courtroom held its collective breath as Charles Ivan recounted the fateful night, painting a turbulent picture of a fractured family. Tales of domestic strife and betrayal set the backdrop: a father wanting to abandon his family for another woman, Betty de Groen. But it was the story of that night that gripped everyone — a brutal altercation, an act of self-defense, a penknife turned deadly weapon. And after? A young man trying to grapple with the horror of his actions, attempting to clean up and conceal the reality of what had happened. Mr. Rooney's cross-examination was relentless, highlighting discrepancies and confronting Charles with hard truths about his lifestyle. Was he the neglected son fighting for his family’s honor, or was he a privileged young man whose desires spiraled into tragedy? The courtroom watched, captivated and torn, as truths, half-truths, and possible fabrications wove together, each revelation shedding new light on that fateful night. With emotions running high and testimonies sending shockwaves through the gallery, the gavel finally fell. The court was adjourned until the following day. As the sun rose on the fourth day of the trial, the tension in the courtroom was palpable. The days leading up to this moment had been filled with shocking testimonies, and the atmosphere was thick with anticipation. Mrs. Le Gallien's testimony painted a vivid picture of a household marred by alcoholism, rash decisions, and violence. Her revelations about the night of the murder further implicated her son, Charles Ivan, in her husband's death. She confessed to knowing Charles had killed his father, and then lied to detectives about his whereabouts that night in order to protect him from the law. On the fifth day, Mr. Kinkead's comments regarding Miss de Groen provoked a mixture of amusement and shock from the public galleries. The implication was clear: there was something more to Miss de Groen's relationship with the deceased than met the eye. But Mr. Rooney's stern defense reminded the court to focus on the facts at hand, rather than indulge in salacious speculations. By the sixth day, the momentum seemed to favour the prosecution. Mr. Rooney’s address to the jury was forceful. He portrayed Charles Ivan le Gallien as a young man so desperate for his father’s death that he might have outsourced the murder. The Crown's suggestion of a quick and brutal attack, rather than a prolonged struggle, seemed to align more with the evidence presented. The references to Shakespeare's King Lear further emphasised the tragic and emotional gravity of a son's betrayal. Mr. Justice Herron's concluding remarks were an amalgamation of wisdom and sternness. The judge was clear in asserting that nothing that transpired within the tumultuous le Gallien household could justify murder. No marital betrayal, no household discord, no youthful impulse was an excuse for taking another's life. And then came the climax everyone had been waiting for - the jury’s decision. The courtroom held its breath as the foreman announced the verdict: guilty. Charles Ivan le Gallien, just 17 years old, was condemned to a lifetime in penal servitude. In Justice Herron’s eyes, this case was more than just one family's tragedy; it was symptomatic of a growing juvenile delinquency problem in the city that needed to be stamped out. Justice Herron received death threats after handing down this sentence and was forced to live under police protection, the bodyguard becoming his golfing partner. Charles Ivan le Gallien was sent to Long Bay prison until being transferred to Goulburn where in 1955, he completed his leaving certificate with a B in English. He played saxophone with the prison orchestra until he was released by the Minister of Justice on parole in 1960 due to a strong belief the man had been reformed.

More on Surry Hills Ziegfield’s Night Club in Central Sydney once had an unenviable reputation as the paramount venue for good times and not-so-good people. All manner of vice took place within its subterranean rooms, and several lives lost through misadventure or murder. By ELLIOT LINDSAY Chow Hayes (centre) entering court Murder at Ziegfeld's Night Club The whining of the jazz clarinet cut through the ambient sounds of a smoke-filled nightclub several hours past midnight. A late-night crowd filled the venue from wall-to-wall, drinking, clinking glasses, laughing and whistling out for the attention of waiters. On the stage, before the band, stood a glamorous performer in drag, belting out the latest cabaret hits from New York. Rowdy men in three-piece suits occupied the tables at the front row. Their features were intimidating, hardened with cauliflower ears and mutilated faces. Around them sat dolled-up women in evening dresses and gloves. Their cheap perfume cutting through the smell of stale beer and tobacco smoke. Ziegfeld's Night Club 1951 Behind them, a man with a stern face entered the venue with his wife and two others. The manager showed them to a table in the back row where they sat drinking schooners of beer. He seemed agitated yet calm at the same time. He kept his eyes locked on the men in the front row, and after 20 minutes, he put his glass down, rose to his feet and walked towards them. On the rowdy table sat a man with a crooked nose. He recognised the stern-faced man walking in his direction, and he called out to him. "You’ve got balls, showing your face here, Chow!” Chow, the stern-faced man now standing before him, replied, “Did you think you would get away with what you did, you cowardly dog?” Beneath Chow’s waistcoat was a handgun that he drew and aimed at the man seated before him. Even with the gun aimed at his face, the seated man smiled. “You wouldn’t do it here, with all the lights shining and people around.” He was wrong. A loud blast filled the room. Blood splashed across the faces and dresses of the women around him. Then five more rounds were unloaded into his stomach and chest. The gun was then turned on the remaining men and women seated at the table. “Who's bloody next?!" The crooked-nosed man lay on the ground twitching as blood pooled on the old ash-covered floors. The panic-stricken crowded scrambled for the exit as the gunman walked out calmly. USA servicemen at Ziegfeld's during WWII There were few places in Sydney during the 1940s and 50s as notorious as Ziegfeld's Night Club and Cabaret. The venue was established in the 1920s in the cellars of 88 King Street of Sydney's CBD. The club became known for hosting drag shows long before Kings Cross and Oxford Street were a thing. Deep in the age of sly-grog and razor gangs, Ziegfeld's was known as a place for late-night debauchery, violent crime and MURDER. Ziegfeld's Night Club History of Debasement In the 20s it was a haunt for thieves and 'razor gangs' where, one night in 1927, it was the scene of a particularly bloody razor brawl between rival gangs. Later that year a cop was beaten mercilessly. In the 1930s the drag shows were introduced. However, the decade was also plagued with regular armed hold-ups, robberies and police raids. One evening in 1938, a 41-year-old woman named Florence Thomas had been drinking heavily at Ziegfeld's with a 20-year-old sailor she had just met. Afterwards, they went to her place in Newtown, where the sailor spent a few hours in her company. It is then alleged she willingly accompanied him back to his ship, where the sailor says she tripped and fell into the harbour. Her lifeless water-logged body was dragged up a day later. No charges were pressed, the ship was allowed to sail on, and the truth around her suspicious death remains a mystery. 1938 advertisement for drag show at Ziegfeld's In 1942, during the Second World War, 150,000 US servicemen were stationed in Australia, and many came to Sydney for rest and recuperation seeking exotic entertainment, booze, gambling, drugs and women. Ziegfeld's offered it all and became a mecca for the ‘yanks’. While performing a Christmas cabaret, popular drag queen, Harry Sidney Foy, attempted to kiss several US and Australian servicemen. Most laughed it off, as it was considered part of his act. Unfortunately, one US serviceman took offence to what he termed as "queer" and "filthy behaviour." When Foy came in with a kiss, the American punched the entertainer so hard he went flying back into the band and hit his head. Several hours later, Foy was dead. The American was to be tried for manslaughter, but a government official intervened, and the charge was dropped. In an act of victim-blaming, it was implied that Foy's death was brought on by his own degenerate behaviour, and the servicemen would not be held responsible. Justice was never served. In 1943 an underage prostitution racket that catered to the US servicemen was busted by the vice squad. It operated in Ziegfeld's, where the men met the girls and were then taxied to a house in Bondi. It was shut down, and those involved were gaoled. Boxer Bobby Lee Ziegfeld's golden age ended with the war. However, its reputation remained, and locals still enjoyed its late-night entertainment and sly-grog. By the end of the 1940s, Ziegfeld's was being raided by the NSW Vice Squad so frequently that most couples didn't even stop dancing while the raids took place. Gangster John Frederick "Chow" Hayes In 1951, Ziegfeld's was immortalised in Australian true crime history. John Frederick "Chow" Hayes was one of the most dangerous gangsters in Australia during the 1930s and 40s. Word got around that rival gangster and former boxer, John "Bobby" Lee, was gunning for him. It turned out to be correct. Lee and his associates, including a 31-year-old Lennie McPherson who would become 'Mr Big' in Kings Cross during the 70s and 80s, organised a plan to whack Chow Hayes. But, by mistake, they killed Chow's nephew instead. An enraged Chow sought retribution and on 29 May 1951 he found Bobby Lee inside Ziegfeld's nightclub and shot him dead in front of more than fifty patrons. Chow's reputation put fear in the witnesses and of the dozens interviewed, not a single one would testify that they saw who pulled the trigger. John 'Chow' Hayes (left) arrested by Detective Ray 'Gunner' Kelly Finally, infamous Police Detective Ray 'Gunner' Kelly arrested Chow. The old school detective knew the only way to convict him for the murder was to lie that Chow confessed when he hadn’t. In court, Chow pleaded innocent and claimed that Detective Kelly said to him, "Now look, Chow. You know that I know you killed Lee, and I will tell as many lies as I can to convict you, and you will tell as many lies as you can to beat it. Is that fair enough?" Chow was ultimately found guilty of the murder and sentenced to death by hanging but was then commuted to life in prison. The Government had had enough of Ziegfeld's by this point and decided to shut it down. However, its demise was likely inevitable as Sydney's vice and night scene drifted to King Cross, and the old King Street club scene died off. Blood-stained floor of Ziegfeld's after Chow Hayes shot Bobby Lee 88 King Street was demolished in the 70s to make way for the building known as 175 Pitt Street, and the luxury watch store, Panerai, now occupies the site where once stood the notorious Ziegfeld's Night Club and Cabaret. -------------------------- Elliot Lindsay hosts Murders Most Foul, Sydney’s True Crime Walking Tours. Insta: https://www.instagram.com/murdersmostfoul/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070235298375 ====================================================

More on Marrickville Esther Vaughan operated the confectionary store that once occupied 522 Marrickville Road, Dulwich Hill. She sold confectionary and fruit to the local children for over 17 years and had watched the neighbourhood boys and girls grow into men and women. The Story of the Masked Killer of Marrickville Esther kept the store open later on Saturday nights; locals returning home from the theatres and dances would stop in for snacks. However, this particular Saturday night, 30 June 1928, was cold and quieter than usual. With her sister, Sarah Falvey, visiting, she decided to close up a bit earlier and prepare a simple supper for them both. Then, at approximately 10:15 pm, the door creaked open. Cold air rushed into the warm store as the little bell above the door jingled, alerting the ladies to a late customer. “Sorry, sir, we just closed for the day, but perhaps we can sell you something quickly, if you know what you are after.” A tall young man entered and closed the door behind him. “I’m not here for chocolate,” he said as he drew a pistol from his pocket. Across the road, sitting in his dining room, Alexander Ross was near finishing dinner when interrupted by two loud blasts fired within seconds of each other, immediately followed by blood-curdling screams. Alarmed, he leapt from his chair and ran to his front door to investigate. An artist's impression of the 522 Marrickville Rd confectionary store shootings The lights were still on in the confectionery store across the road, however, the front door was closed. Fortuitously, his position allowed him a clear view inside the store. He observed what appeared to be a woman reclining over a chair and slowly sliding onto the floor. Suddenly, the door opened, and a tall, well-dressed man in a fedora, wearing a black mask and holding a pistol, came out. He placed the gun in his right hip pocket before peeling the mask from his face and throwing it onto the street. He very calmly walked up Marrickville road and turned at Durham street. Identikit file illustration of the masked assailant Alexander followed the man, from a distance, on the other side of the road. He saw the man pull his overcoat collar up around his neck before jumping onto a Harley Davidson motorcycle with a sidecar attached. Within moments he had sped away and was far out of sight. The Body of Sarah Falvey is Discovered Constance Campbell lived next door in a unit above 524 Marrickville road. She heard the shots fired and also listened to a man yell, “Open the door!” She was the first person at the crime scene after the man had left. Inside, Constance found Sarah Falvey half sitting in a chair. Constance asked her what had happened; Sarah simply pointed towards her sister lying on the floor in a pool of blood and replied, “she is shot.” When asked who did it, she replied, “a burglar.” Constance saw the blood pooling under Sarah’s chair and then realised she was harbouring a bullet wound to the breast. Minutes later, Sarah was dead. Esther, too, had been shot in the breast and was, miraculously, still alive. However, after she was taken to Marrickville Hospital Esther also tragically died, just minutes after arriving. The Dulwich Hill Murder took the nation by storm. The murderer wearing a black bandit’s mask made it all seem like a pulp fiction crime thriller. The press exploited this and seized the public's imagination with sensational and colourful investigation coverage, racing to see which paper could come up with the most attention-grabbing headlines and updates. Detectives initially suspected the killings had resulted from a botched burglary. After all, what motive could there possibly be to kill two women in their fifties and sixties, if not theft? However, cracks began to show in this theory. The cash register remained untouched, and police even found several gold sovereigns hidden in various places around the store. With theft ruled out, the motive was unclear. Theories About The Murder Newspapers started publishing articles claiming to have ‘exclusive access to police evidence’ or ‘secret police theories.’ One such theory that headlined the front page of the popular Truth newspaper went, ‘IS A WOMAN THE MASKED TERROR?’ Today we call this ‘clickbait’ as the article quickly dismissed its theory a few paragraphs in with reasons such as women don’t know how to ride motorcycles, and a woman would not have possessed the ability to aim the gun properly. That the star witness identified the unmasked suspect as a man seemed not to matter. Another theory was that the killer owed Esther money and wanted to ensure he did not have to pay it back. Esther’s family confirmed that she did lend money to people in need. Police questioned several suspected lendees, but all had legitimate alibis. Some newspapers even commissioned authors to write fictionalised short stories recreating the murder, with speculated motives. Meanwhile, the New South Wales Government offered a £500 ($40,000 in today’s money) reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the murderer. A Suspect Killer of Marrickville Arrested On 24 August, police arrested a credible suspect. An eighteen-year-old man named John Patrick Reynolds pretended to be a police officer to defraud businesses in the region. He targeted confectionary stores. When police arrested him, they noticed he matched the description given of the Dulwich Hill murderer. From the night of the murder, Alexander Ross, the eyewitness who lived opposite, was called to observe a line-up of eleven men, including Reynolds. He identified Reynolds as the man he saw walking out of the store that night, and Reynolds was charged with the murder of Esther Vaughan and Sarah Falvey. Daily Telegraph front page covering the murders, 28 Aug 1928 The Coronial Inquest for the Marrickville Road Murder Reynolds was brought before a coronial inquest to determine if he was the probable killer. The coroner cross-examined the witnesses and reviewed the evidence. One witness claimed that Reynolds had boarded in her house, and she saw a revolver in his possession. She also stated that Reynolds told her to leave her husband and run away with him. When she said her husband would not allow that to happen, Reynolds said he would shoot the husband. Reynolds claimed he was in Albury when the murder occurred and did not own a gun or even know how to ride a motorcycle. However, another witness contradicted the last statement. But the shocking moment came when the star witness, Alexander Ross, was asked if Reynolds was the man he saw walking out of the confectionary store moments after the murder occurred. Ross asked Reynolds to turn around, which he did. Ross then said he could not be confident it was the same man. This admission was a significant blow to the prosecution’s case, and as a result, the Coroner announced that he could take the case no further. Reynolds was formally discharged and no longer a suspect. The investigation continued for a decade, resulting in several men handing themselves to police custody, confessing to being the murderer. Each confession was discovered to be a hoax. By the end of the 1930s, with no credible suspects, police archived the case, and over ninety years later, the Masked Killer of Marrickville crime remains unsolved. Some historians suspect Reynolds was the killer, but with all the witnesses long dead, it seems we will never learn the truth. -------------------------- By ELLIOT LINDSAY Elliot Lindsay hosts Murders Most Foul, Sydney’s True Crime Walking Tours. Insta: https://www.instagram.com/murdersmostfoul/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070235298375 ====================================================

More on Newtown, more on Surry Hills By ALEC SMART Peter Dovgan is a Sydney photographer, based in the inner-city. When he’s not in the photo pit at music concerts, he’s frequently covering major sporting events around the world, a quiet achiever among the documentary crew on the sidelines. Wolf Alice at Laneway Festival 2018. Photo: Peter Dovgan Interview of Pete Dovgan Photographer If you enjoy live music and major sporting tournaments, chances are you’ve seen one of Pete Dovgan’s images online or in print. Pete’s one of those talented image-makers with an uncanny ability to take iconic photos. Chuck him into a challenging situation – rainy festivals, dimly-lit venues, crowded dancefloors, fast-moving subjects - the odds are he’ll emerge with stunning images. World no.1 women's tennis champion, Ashleigh Barty, competes in the Australian Open tournament in Melbourne, 2020. Photo: Peter Dovgan How old was he when he started taking photos, and at what stage in his development did he realise it was a viable career option? “Photography was a passion of my father,” he revealed, “so you could say it’s always been around me. I got my first camera for Xmas when I was 12. It was a Kodak Instamatic and it was heaps of fun! He encouraged us to play with his camera collection and let me take his Canon T70 when I went backpacking around the world. It was a great camera to cut my teeth on. “Several decades later, I was looking for a creative outlet outside of work and purchased my first digital camera, which was a Canon 1000D. It was a good camera but I quickly realised I needed better equipment to shoot live music. From there I bought a Canon 5D and lots of lenses. I kept shooting live music, met professional photographers and they recommended me for paid events. It was at that point I realised a career change wasn’t far away.” Roger Federer, Australian Open, Melbourne, Jan 2020. Photo: Peter Dovgan Was live music one of the first forms of documentary photography he pursued? “Yes, absolutely!” he declared. “My first love has always been the alternative live music scene both here and overseas. Living in London, I got to see lots of bands and put the T70 to good use. I would just take photos from the crowd. My most memorable gigs would be The Cramps at the Hammersmith Odeon, The Cocteau Twins at the Town and Country Club and The Fleshtones in New York.” When did he first start shooting live concerts? “Back in 2011 when I purchased my Canon 1000D, I would sneak it into festivals like Laneway Festival and All Tomorrow’s Parties,” he recalled. “I quickly became addicted and my friends would often tell me I should do it for a living. I started researching how to get photo passes to gigs and came across blogs with lots of tips and tricks. “I used my festival images to approach publications and got my first opportunity with Faster Louder and the AU Review. They published my images and I kinda built my CV from there. It was amazing to get access to the photo pits and before I knew it I had access to all the major festivals, Big Day Out, Soundwave, Byron Bay Bluesfest and Splendour In The Grass, plus major artists from around the world and my favourite local bands. Paul McCartney, Sydney 2017. Photo: Peter Dovgan What are some of the most memorable concerts he has covered? “Oh that’s a hard one, it’s like choosing your favourite record, which is almost impossible!” he said. “I’ve been really lucky in being able to photograph some of my all-time favourite bands and rock and roll icons. Shooting Paul McCartney in Sydney 2017 was amazing, brought back a lot of childhood memories. Iggy Pop at Bluesfest 2019; Johnny Marr at Splendour in The Grass 2015; Radiohead at the Sydney Entertainment Centre 2012; and my current favourite band Wolf Alice at Laneway Festival 2018. “But the gig that really stands out for me was shooting Foals at the Enmore Theatre 2013. Usually the rule is: first 3 songs and then you leave the pit, but instead they let us shoot the last four songs. I got to watch the whole gig but it was obvious something was going to happen at the end of the concert. Sure enough, the lead singer Yannis jumped into the crowd and went to the lounge upstairs, climbed onto the balcony and dived back into the crowd. Incredible, and I got the shot!” Foals at Enmore Theatre 2013 - singer Yannis leaps into the crowd. Photo: Peter Dovgan How did he get into sport photography? “Long story short, through contacts from my old career in advertising I scored a photo pass to the Arsenal v Sydney FC game in 2017,” he revealed. “I’m a huge Arsenal fan and felt like the luckiest guy in Sydney. I also scored a photo pass for the Liverpool v Sydney FC game and used the photos to approach European photo agencies as I knew I had no chance to crack the local Australian photo agencies without any sports photo experience. “Working as a Sydney-based stringer for them, I quickly started getting access to premier events like the Commonwealth Games, Rugby League World Cup, Ashes cricket and FIFA World Cup qualifiers. I think it helps that I’m also a massive sports fan, so it wasn’t hard for me to connect passion to career.” What are some of the most memorable sporting events he has covered? “Hard to choose,” he considered, “but I would say the FIFA World Cup in Russia in 2018 was definitely a highlight. I travelled to eight cities over six weeks culminating in the World Cup final in Moscow. I was shooting for an English agency at the time, so as their team progressed to the semi-final, I followed them, also shooting Socceroos in all their group matches. French centre Paul Pogba celebrates after France won the 2018 FIFA soccer world cup. Photo: Peter Dovgan “Working alongside the best sports photographers in the world was humbling. Then I went to the Olympics in Tokyo in 2021. Even though it looked like it would never happen, I couldn’t believe I got there in the end. “Professionally, it was a completely different environment for me - lots of different sports to cover with all the COVID restrictions. It was by far my career highlight to date. Also I’m a big tennis fan and covering the Australian Open in 2020 was amazing.” What equipment does he use when shooting sports? Does he need several cameras to avoid changing lenses? “I use Canon equipment and always carry three bodies, but mostly use two. My main body is 1DX Mk3 back up 1DX Mk2 and lenses 400mm prime and the trusty 70-200mm. “A monopod is a must for use of the 400mm. For cricket I borrow from Canon 600mm and use extenders. At major sporting events like Olympics, FIFA World Cup and Australian Tennis Open the big camera manufacturer’s like Canon, Nikon and Sony set up shop on site so we can borrow the latest in camera gear to try out and they supply support for any camera issues.” Womens Beach Volleyball, Aust-v-USA, Tokyo Olympics 2020. Photo: Peter Dovgan In which direction does he see his photography career heading? “Right now I’m doing everything I want to do in my career. I’ve got my eye on the World Cup in Qatar later this year. I’m really looking forward to shooting the Australian World Cup qualifiers and I’ll be applying to shoot the Paris Olympics in 2024. “In between, I’ll continue to shoot live music as Sydney emerges from COVID and also focus on my corporate event work.” Peter Dovgan Website Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/petedov/ Live music albums: https://www.flickr.com/photos/petedov/albums Iggy Pop, Bluesfest 2019. Photo: Peter Dovgan =======================