William MacDonald “The Mutilator,” Sydney’s Most Disturbed Serial Killer.
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William MacDonald “The Mutilator,” Sydney’s Most Disturbed Serial Killer.

William MacDonald “The Mutilator,” Sydney’s Most Disturbed Serial Killer There was an eerie silence over the streets of Darlinghurst on the night of March 31, 1962. It was a Saturday night, almost 10 pm, and the intoxicated men stumbling home from the pub were nowhere to be seen. Even the dark shadowy figures sipping from…

The Battle of Market Street: The forgotten war between the NSW Military and Sydney’s most violent gang.
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The Battle of Market Street: The forgotten war between the NSW Military and Sydney’s most violent gang.

The Battle of Market Street – 1900 By ELLIOT LINDSAY The doors to the old Victoria Barracks on Oxford Street violently swung open, letting in the chilled air of a late Autumn night. In charged a soldier of the permanent artillery, dishevelled in appearance, his clothing stained with blood. “Those bastards from Engine Street attacked…

The Murder of Harry Foy – Sydney’s pioneer drag artist
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The Murder of Harry Foy – Sydney’s pioneer drag artist

By ELLIOT LINDSAY Harry Foy’s portrait, auctioned after his death More than one thousand elegantly dressed individuals clamoured around the arched stone entrance to the Paddington Town Hall. All were attempting to attend what some declared to be the most exciting soiree of the year. Already the venue had reached its maximum capacity with more…

Murder in Newtown: When the gold rush and the wild west came to Sydney
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Murder in Newtown: When the gold rush and the wild west came to Sydney

By Elliot Lindsay Murder in Newtown: When the gold rush and the wild west came to Sydney There is gold in Newtown!  Thursday, 4 November 1852, a local landholder, Mr D. Cooper, claimed to have found gold while panning in Johnstons Creek (today, the creek is buried under Bedford Street). Cooper took several nuggets into…

The Narrabeen Kidnapping – Australia’s first kidnapping for ransom.
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The Narrabeen Kidnapping – Australia’s first kidnapping for ransom.

By ELLIOT LINDSAY The Narrabeen Kidnapping – Australia’s first kidnapping for ransom. Ronald Powles lived with his wife and son in their home on Pacific Parade, DeeWhy. He was a projectionist at the Narrabeen Roxy Theatre at 15 Waterloo Street. His wife was pregnant with their second child and was due to give birth any…

Booze, Vice & Racial Segregation: When the Americans came to Sydney during WW2
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Booze, Vice & Racial Segregation: When the Americans came to Sydney during WW2

By ELLIOT LINDSAY Booze, Vice & Racial Segregation: When the Americans came to Sydney during WW2 During the Second World War, Sydney became the destination for tens of thousands of US servicemen on rest leave. These ‘yanks’, as Sydneysiders typically called them, came to Sydney with pockets of cash and looking for a good time….