Best Helen Goltz and Chris Adams Podcasts (2024)

1
The young letter writer 19:03

1+ y ago19:03

19:03

Dying young, Sylvia McArthur would make her mark, documenting in letters to a newspaper’s children’s page what life in rural Tasmania around the turn of the 20th century was like.By Helen Goltz and Chris Adams

1
The death of the Clarke brothers 18:44

1+ y ago18:44

18:44

Some bushrangers became folk heroes, others were opportunistic thieves, but the Clarke Brothers were murderous thugs who hanged on duel gallows.By Helen Goltz and Chris Adams

1
The grave with no bodies 14:09

1+ y ago14:09

14:09

Madam Weigel's patterns dressed the women of Australia for nine decades but in the large cemetery plot bought for three, there are no bodies.By Helen Goltz and Chris Adams

1
The Gravedigger of Dead Island 15:59

2y ago15:59

15:59

Mark Jeffrey lived with the 1100 or so deceased residents on the Isle of the Dead, tending his own plot. But how did he avoid being buried there?By Helen Goltz and Chris Adams

1
The Flynns of Tasmania 17:59

2y ago17:59

17:59

Little did Professor Theodore Flynn and his wife, Lily, of Sandy Bay, Tasmania, know that their son, Errol Flynn, would become Hollywood’s favourite son from the early to mid-20th century and die too soon at the age of 50. This is the story of the Flynns of Sandy Bay.By Helen Goltz and Chris Adams

1
The plane that flew into a cyclone 20:16

2y ago20:16

20:16

A story that has passed into folk law – how bushman Bernard O’Reilly put his mind to finding a missing aircraft with seven people on board when no-one else could.By Helen Goltz and Chris Adams

1
The Giantess and the Freak Show 17:11

3y ago17:11

17:11

In the days when ‘freak shows’ were entertainment, Mrs Augusta Rewald, a Queensland resident, was exhibited as the ‘biggest woman in the world’. But did she really want to be on show, or was she cruelly exploited by her husband?By Helen Goltz and Chris Adams

1
The man on the advertising poster 14:16

3y ago14:16

14:16

For more than a century, Sam Knott was one of the best-known faces on advertising billboards. But how did this unconventional man find himself fronting a beer poster?By Helen Goltz and Chris Adams

1
Murder in the Botanic Garden 14:07

3+ y ago14:07

14:07

On a beautiful summer’s eve, January 1924, in the Botanic Gardens, Melbourne, five people's lives were about to change. A gunman was on the loose. A true-crime story from the 'Grave Tales: Melbourne Vol.1' book.By Helen Goltz and Chris Adams

1
The Bradman of Billiards – Walter Lindrum 17:34

3+ y ago17:34

17:34

If it wasn’t for a persistent father, Walter Lindrum might never have risen to World Champion. He was nicknamed the ‘Don Bradman of billiards’ and they had to change the rules to beat him! This is Walter's story.By Helen Goltz and Chris Adams

1
The Murder of Chrissie Venn 19:32

3+ y ago19:32

19:32

On a Sunday afternoon in February 1921, 13-year-old Chrissie Venn left home to run an errand for her mother. Two days later Chrissie’s body was found in a hollowed-out stump 3.5 metres off the ground. No one was ever charged for her murder but did a killer walk free or was the wrong man prosecuted?By Helen Goltz and Chris Adams

1
Death on the beach – the Somerton Man 14:49

4y ago14:49

14:49

The man in a suit looked like he was resting in the sun on Somerton Beach, Adelaide, in 1948, until a couple of good Samaritans checking on him, discovered that he was dead. He had nothing on him that identified who he was but Police soon discovered a secret pocket in the man's trousers with a piece of paper rolled tightly, bearing two strange word…

1
Play on - Leo Rosner, the Jewish musician saved by Oscar Schindler 27:40

4y ago27:40

27:40

He was the Holocaust survivor saved by Oscar Schindler – this is the story of Leo Rosner, a talented Jewish musician who made a post-war life in Melbourne. We remember him and speak with his daughter Anna.By Helen Goltz and Chris Adams

1
The One Who Got to Live – George Witton 14:09

4y ago14:09

14:09

Many Australians know the story of the execution of Harry ‘Breaker’ Morant and Peter Handcock—but there were other Australians charged with them, and one of them wanted to be shot as well but was sentenced to life in prison. This is George Witton's story.By Helen Goltz and Chris Adams

1
Ladies of the Lighthouse 16:39

4y ago16:39

16:39

Years of isolation, deprivation and often the loss of children, even a case of madness; who were the stoic ladies who accompanied their husbands at the Cape Otway Lighthouse Station?By Helen Goltz and Chris Adams

1
The plague comes to Australia 19:41

4y ago19:41

19:41

Sudden deaths from a plague caused panic in Sydney involving quarantining, demolitions and disinfecting. The year was 1900 and the nervousness will feel very familiar today.By Helen Goltz and Chris Adams

1
Girl Torque - the untimely death of Alice Anderson 15:47

4y ago15:47

15:47

Alice Anderson was one of Australia’s first female mechanics and her ideas and inventions were ahead of her time. But Alice’s life came to an untimely end on a Friday evening in the back of her garage, with a gunshot to the head. Was it an accident or suicide? We speak with Loretta Smith, author of ‘A Spanner in the Works: The extraordinary story o…

1
Death comes to Gracie's store 22:45

4y ago22:45

22:45

An unspeakable crime – two women murdered, a third left for dead, and a young killer on drugs on the loose. In Autumn 1964, the community of Coorparoo, Brisbane, lost their innocence. We speak with those who were there and remember to this day.By Helen Goltz and Chris Adams

1
The Box Flat mine disaster 15:59

4y ago15:59

15:59

On Monday 31 July 1972, the residents of Ipswich in Queensland were awoken by a blast that destroyed the Box Flat Colliery and killed 17 miners. But what happened to the men of the mine who remained entombed on the site?By Helen Goltz and Chris Adams

1
Bohemian Bea - from the asylum to the streets 19:20

4y ago19:20

19:20

What’s the real story of the bohemian who broke out of an asylum and was known for her ability to quote any passage from Shakespeare for money?By Helen Goltz and Chris Adams

1
Once upon a wonder horse 11:43

4+ y ago11:43

11:43

Three men went into a pub … no it is not the start of an Irish joke, but it was the start of a syndicate that would turn racing on its head. This is the story of ‘three bushies’ and a publican who bought a bargain basement priced horse that turned out to be a champion. You may know the grey mare as Gunsynd.…

1
Life at the asylum 14:28

4+ y ago14:28

14:28

Mental asylums were often regarded as feared places of suffering – but for one young girl and her family who lived at the asylum, the inmates provided a fascinating glimpse into the other world of the people who were sent there.By Helen Goltz and Chris Adams

1
Back from the dead: the man who claimed to be Dan Kelly 14:08

4+ y ago14:08

14:08

Dan Kelly, brother of Ned, died in the 1880 Glenrowan shoot-out with police. So, who was the man living in Ipswich who claimed in 1933 that he was Dan Kelly?By Helen Goltz and Chris Adams

1
The noose and the hands that shaped it 20:19

4+ y ago20:19

20:19

It was school holidays, December 1921 and 12-year-old Alma Tirtschke left home to run an errand in the heart of Melbourne. She was found the next day murdered. The man accused of her murder, Colin Ross, was hanged after witnesses, who pocketed rewards, lined up to add their testimonies. Eighty-six years later, in 2008, DNA results would find a diff…

1
The eccentric dreamer - Ben Lexcen 17:22

4+ y ago17:22

17:22

The winged keel wonder – Australia II and the eccentric mind behind it – Ben Lexcen was the man who engineered the only win over the USA at their own game in 132 years.By Helen Goltz and Chris Adams

1
Murder of the Murphy siblings_cold case 22:28

4+ y ago22:28

22:28

Queensland’s oldest cold case – three Murphy siblings from Gatton were slain late on Boxing Day, their bodies left for all to see. The investigation was hampered by the public destruction of clues, mishandling of evidence and the numerous suspects.By Helen Goltz and Chris Adams

1
The Land of Lost Children 17:48

4+ y ago17:48

17:48

The drowning of two little girls who were attracted by water lilies in a pond at Walloon, near Ipswich, inspired Henry Lawson to write his classic 1891 poem, The Babies of Walloon. With so much of our art, music and literature sharing the stories of missing youngsters, this story asks the question is Australia the land of lost children?…

1
The Stretcher Bearer's Bluff 15:31

4+ y ago15:31

15:31

How did an unarmed stretcher bearer manage to capture 18 armed German soliders in the trenches of France in World War One? You won't believe it!By Helen Goltz and Chris Adams

1
The Great Bookie Robbery and the carnage that followed 22:29

4+ y ago22:29

22:29

A $15 million prize was hijacked in what was the nation’s most brazen and probably biggest cash robbery ever. And despite the ruthless criminals involved, no-one was killed in the heist. But when the robbing was over the killing began.By Helen Goltz and Chris Adams

1
The Ladies' Man: murderer Frederick Deeming 21:30

4+ y ago21:30

21:30

The woman who escaped him was called the ‘uncemented bride’. But those who loved him called him the gentlest of lovers. Several of them were buried under the hearthstone...By Helen Goltz and Chris Adams

1
Mr Eternity - the man, his chalk, his message 16:32

4+ y ago16:32

16:32

This is the story of the down-and-outer from a rough childhood who found redemption and why he spent his life writing the word ‘Eternity’ on Sydney streets.By Helen Goltz and Chris Adams

1
Lost to the sea - Jack and the wreck of La Bella 17:00

5y ago17:00

17:00

It was only his second sea journey, and a sailor's life is meant to be an exciting one on the ocean’s waves – adventure, mateship and the mysteries of far off places… but not for Jack.By Helen Goltz and Chris Adams

1
The Pyjama Girl 18:51

5y ago18:51

18:51

Who really lies in a humble grave marked with a white cross in a Melbourne cemetery? Is it the woman they call the ‘Pyjama Girl’, Linda Agostini… or does the evidence suggest it’s not her at all?By Helen Goltz and Chris Adams

1
Death by sister or a mister? The Schippan Sisters 15:44

5y ago15:44

15:44

The newspaper declared ‘startling disclosures’ would be revealed at the trial of Martha, 24, charged with killing her sister, Bertha, 14. Was it a jealous rage, or was a male intruder responsible?By Helen Goltz and Chris Adams

1
The ute that went to church 11:26

5y ago11:26

11:26

A farmer’s wife inspired the design of the Australian ute, and its designer, Lewis Bandt, would take his last breath in it.By Helen Goltz and Chris Adams

1
The Brownout Strangler: the soldier who wanted women's voices 17:32

5y ago17:32

17:32

Overpaid, oversexed and over here – US soldiers during World War II. This is the story of one GI who killed innocent Australian women to possess their voices.By Helen Goltz and Chris Adams

1
Serial killer confesses to the hangman 13:53

5y ago13:53

13:53

Was Robert Francis Burns our first serial killer? Using the solitude of the bush, Burns hid his victims’ bodies, but when found guilty of one murder, he told the hangman about some more!By Helen Goltz and Chris Adams

1
Tea and sympathy: poisoner, Martha Needle 19:02

5y ago19:02

19:02

The inexplicable story of a mother who murdered her husband, her three young girls and her new fiancé’s brother with poison… and how one final cup of tea would seal her fate.By Helen Goltz and Chris Adams

1
Death comes to Gracie's store 12:57

5+ y ago12:57

12:57

The three ladies, Grace, Rose and Meta, retired for the night on 22 March 1964 in the residence at the back of their little shop. After midnight, the residents of Coorparoo, Brisbane, were woken by the sounds of emergency vehicles heading to the Wood’s premises. But the fire brigade found much more than they bargained for – this was not a house fir…

1
Almost not famous: Charles Brownlow 12:57

5+ y ago12:57

12:57

By Helen Goltz and Chris Adams

1
The Black Death comes to town 11:19

5+ y ago11:19

11:19

By Helen Goltz and Chris Adams

1
The Mystery of Mollie 14:49

5+ y ago14:49

14:49

By Helen Goltz and Chris Adams

1
Missing person Juanita Nielsen 15:15

5+ y ago15:15

15:15

By Helen Goltz and Chris Adams

1
Grace and Harry's death on the Pearl Ferry 12:21

5+ y ago12:21

12:21

By Helen Goltz and Chris Adams

1
Is the role model for Miss Havisham buried in a Sydney Cemetery? 13:45

6y ago13:45

13:45

By Helen Goltz and Chris Adams

1
Is Jack the Ripper buried in a Brisbane cemetery? 29:38

6y ago29:38

29:38

By Helen Goltz and Chris Adams

1
A shipwreck love story - Eva and Tom 13:33

6y ago13:33

13:33

A love that was meant to be? It was a maritime tragedy when the Loch Ard was shipwrecked near Port Campbell in 1878 with 54 passengers onboard. Only one young man and one young woman survived. Everyone hoped they would get together…By Helen Goltz and Chris Adams