Esther Abrahams and George Johnston - First Fleet lovers

Henry Lawson - the soul of the nation

If you are over sixty, Henry Lawson will need no introduction (your mum probably loved him). But if you are younger, you may be saying, 'Henry who?' He was a poet and short story writer who was called, ‘The soul of the nation’. Born in a tent on the goldfields in 1867, Henry Lawson ended his life in and out of jails and mental asylums. Drink and depression ruined him. But when he died he was given a state funeral and the whole country mourned. And if, while you’re listening, you’re walking down the middle road in Waverley Cemetery heading towards that glittering blue ocean, you might notice an unusual sign on your left. It looks like a rusty old oil can beaten flat and roughly painted on it you’ll see, ‘Henry Lawson’s Grave, this aisle’. Nothing flash… As the stone angel who narrates this podcast says, “I think he would have liked it." Script and production by Nicole Steinke Sound engineering and additional sound design by Judy Rapley The Angel was read by Ainslie McGlynn Excerpts from Henry Lawson's The Bush Undertaker, Andy's Gone with Cattle and The Drover's Wife were read by Jeremy Waters Music and SFX from Epidemic Sound

'It's not ladylike!' Fanny Durack - our first female Olympic gold medallist in swimming

Did you know that in 1911 Australian men couldn’t control themselves around women, so women had to cover up? That’s what a lot of people claimed. Fanny Durack, Australia’s first female Olympic gold medal winner in swimming, had to fight that belief in order to be allowed to swim in the 1912 Olympic Games. It seemed like everyone was against Fanny and her good friend and rival, Mina Wylie going to the Games – the Australian Olympic selectors who said that they had enough competitors already and couldn’t afford to send more (a shame they were all men), even the New South Wales Ladies Amateur Swimming Association who were in a lather about male onlookers getting overexcited and behaving badly. But the people of Australia wanted Fanny to go and crowdfunded her trip to Stockholm. Lucky they did! Fanny won gold and Mina took silver. They were world champions. Script and production by Nicole Steinke Sound engineering and additional sound design by Judy Rapley Fanny Durack read by Ainslie McGlynn Male characters read by Jeremy Waters Archival research by Neil Arber Music and SFX from Epidemic Sound

Archie of the Bulletin - stirrer and opinion shaper

Meet J.F. Archibald, provocateur, fosterer of local literary talent, and in his time, one of the most influential people in the country. In 1880 he co-founded the immensely popular and notoriously racist Bulletin magazine. On its masthead was, 'Australia for the White Man'. Yet Archibald reinvented himself as a Frenchman with a Jewish mother. No longer 'John Feltham Archibald' - now he wanted to be called 'Jules Francois'! Archie was a workaholic, a stirrer and a republican who introduced this new nation to writers like Banjo Patterson and Henry Lawson, the voices of ‘the Bushman’s Bible’. In his will he established the Archibald Prize for portraiture so that Australians could see images of themselves. Enough of pining for Britain, he said, ‘Australia for Australians!’ Script and production by Nicole Steinke Sound engineering by Judy Rapley The Angel read by Ainslie McGlynn J.F. Archibald read by Jeremy Waters Music and SFX from Epidemic Sound

Nosey Bob - the longest serving hangman in NSW (and how to tie a good noose)

Robert Howard, aka ‘Nosey Bob’, was the longest serving hangman in the colony of New South Wales. But Bob wasn’t always a hangman. In the mid-nineteenth century he was a hansom cab driver, making a good living on the streets of Sydney. But a kick from a horse removed his nose and destroyed his face. Nobody would ride in his cab anymore. With a family to feed, it was time for a career change – and being the least popular man in the colony of New South Wales paid surprisingly well. In his episode, Bob shares tips for a good, clean hanging and his thoughts about the abuse that he received in the press and in the pubs. Bob loved his garden and his family, and he trained his horse to go to the pub for him. You’ll hear about his life. Script and production by Nicole Steinke Sound engineering by Judy Rapley Nosey Bob read by Jeremy Waters The Angel read by Ainslie McGlynn Archival research by Neil Arber Music and SFX from Epidemic Sound

Esther Abrahams and George Johnston - First Fleet lovers

They were part of the First Fleet coming to establish British colonial rule in Gadigal land. Esther Abrahams was a Jewish convict with a baby in her arms, George Johnston an officer in the Marines who led the Rum Rebellion that overthrew Governor Bligh. They met on the long, miserable voyage to Sydney Cove and remained together the rest of their lives. The ex-convict Esther is sometimes compared to Elizabeth Macarthur. While George was away in Britain for four years, being court martialled for the coup that he says he had to stage or there would be rioting in the colony, Esther ran their extensive properties. George was thrown out of the military and when he returned to Sydney they finally married. After his death one of their sons had Esther declared mad and seized control of her property. She ended her life in an attic room but their tomb is one of the most impressive in Waverley Cemetery. Script and production by Nicole Steinke Sound engineering by Judy Rapley Esther Abrahams and the Angel read by Ainslie McGlynn George Johnston read by Jeremy Waters Music and SFX from Epidemic Sound