New Members’ Evening: Scandals From Our Past
Wednesday, 11 October, 6.00 – 7.30 pm, online via Zoom
Join us for a New Members’ Evening with a difference.
We will present a series of short, light-hearted talks on scandals from our past. Prepare to chuckle as we explore the quirky and amusing side of history.
The Curious Case of the Amorous Dentist: A Victorian Style Melodrama
Judith Dunn will present an exciting story, full of melodrama and unbelievable twists and turns. The dentist was a duellist, avowed ladies’ man, mesmerist and would-be axe murderer with a story ranging from Sydney to Parramatta, New Zealand to America and ending up in England – the gaol and lunatic asylum were also put to good use. With conflicting newspaper reports, did the dentist act alone? Was justice completely served?
Eliza Ashton’s ‘Radical’ Views on Marriage
Christine Yeats will discuss the ‘scandalous’ address by the journalist and feminist Eliza Ashton to the Womanhood Suffrage League on 12 November 1891. Eliza’s ‘radical’ thoughts on marriage enraged opponents of women’s rights and other conservatives. Lady Jersey, vice-regal consort in New South Wales, performing ‘the role of the colony’s social and moral arbiter’, took action and intervened. Eliza was no longer to be received at Government House. Discover more about this ripple in colonial society.
Counterfeit Fivers: World War I
During WWI, high-quality counterfeit five-pound notes began circulating in Sydney. Sue Tracey will examine the role and life of Noel Lambert, a skilled draftsman, recruited from Melbourne to produce the fake note artwork in an isolated house near the cliffs in Maroubra. The notes, which were still showing up during the 1920s, were believed to be the work of the Wobblies, the radical International Workers of the World movement, which has led to ongoing interest.
RSVP by emailing hi*****@ra**.au by Tuesday, 10 October, OR reserve a ticket here. All welcome!
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