In this episode, Josie tells Mel the chaotic story of Lennie Gwyther, a 9-year-old boy whose parents let him ride his pony Ginger Mick 1000km to Sydney to see the opening of the Harbour Bridge. Shoutout to Nik from the Zest Is History Facebook group for suggesting this yarn!

Hate any kind of zest? Skip straight to 20:20.

CREDITS:

SMH 2015 by Carolyn Webb

https://www.smh.com.au/national/the-nineyearold-who-rode-a-pony-1000km-to-sydney-20150121-12v3kq.html

Sydney Living Museums Article by Charlotte Roberts

https://sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/stories/lennie-gwyther

ABC Gippsland by Rachel Lucas

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-10-19/lennie-gwyther-leongatha-sydney-harbour-bridge/9064790 

The Weekly Times by Alexandra Laskie

https://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/country-living/lennie-gwythers-solo-ride-from-leongatha-to-sydney-remembered/news-story/c763ea2cc3bb500ab8209e9959a85b41 

ABC Conversations with Sarah Kanowski - interview with Peter Lalor

https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/conversations/peter-lalor-rpt/10426046

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Mel tells Josie all about the infamous B&S ball - once called Bachelor and Spinster Balls, now often called "Beer & Sex Balls". In the ye olde days, these events were about matchmaking - now, they're kinda a huge debaucherous festival.

As always, love us please:

Join The Zest Is History Podcast group on FB by searching for "The Zest Is History Podcast" on Facebook.

Send us mail! The Zest Is History, PO Box 453, Rose Bay NSW 2029.

Follow us on Instagram @thezestishistory and Twitter @ZestHistory.

Follow Mel on Instagram @melissamason_ and Josie on Instagram @josieroze

Hooroo!

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CRIKEY, WE'RE BACK! Josie tells Mel the story of one her most favourite people: conservationist, larrikin and family man Steve Irwin. Can she get through it without crying? Probably not!

For a bonus video of Josie answering Steve-related questions, head over to our Patreon!

To skip the zest, head straight to 20:45.

CREDITS:

1992 Who Magazine article by Peter Castro: https://web.archive.org/web/20070930160513/http://www.who.com/who/scoop/article/0,19971,1531530,00.html

ABC’s Australian Story episode called The Irwin Encounters, from May 2015:

https://www.abc.net.au/austory/the-irwin-encounters/6476540 

ABC Australian Story episode from 2003:

https://www.facebook.com/ABCAustralianStory/videos/928626374297178

ABC’s Enough Rope, October 2003:

https://web.archive.org/web/20060710050845/http://www.abc.net.au/tv/enoughrope/transcripts/s960998.htm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuV_6U-z-og 

SMH Feb 2005 no byline:

https://www.smh.com.au/national/steve-irwin-baby-concerns-prompt-law-change-20050225-gdksoj.html

Studio 10 interview with Justin Lyons:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeydzMjP4Oo 

The Guardian 2014 by Peter Walker:

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2014/mar/10/steve-irwin-could-not-be-saved-stringray-justin-lyons 

Vox article 2019 by Brian Resnick:

https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2019/2/22/18234978/steve-irwin-57-birthday-google-doodle-crocodile-hunter 

Mental Floss 2019 by Jennifer M Wood:

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/503993/13-facts-about-steve-irwin-and-crocodile-hunter 

Crocodile Hunter website:

http://www.crocodilehunter.com.au/crocodile_hunter/croc_hunter_series/main.html

Australia Zoo website:

https://www.australiazoo.com.au/about-us/history/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Josie tells Mel all about the time in 1971 when a mysterious man called Mr Brown called QANTAS HQ and told them there was a bomb on a plane. That was already in the sky. And the bomb would detonate if the plane dropped below 20,000 feet...

Wanna skip the zest? Head straight to 27:58.

CREDITS:

ABC News by Bridget Judd

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-23/qantas-bomb-hoax-1971-the-great-plane-robbery-australia/10807510 

7 News by Duncan McNab

https://7news.com.au/original-fyi/crime-story-investigator/planes-bombs-and-murder-the-curious-case-of-the-peter-macari-qantas-hoax-c-365924

Nine News by Richard Wood

https://www.9news.com.au/national/qantas-bomb-hoax-1971-how-bomber-duped-qantas-police-with-threat-to-blow-up-jet/8bdb71d8-4c7c-46c4-be16-4f15864c4ab1

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Mel tells Josie about Toots Holzheimer, Australia's first female truck driver who traversed the chaotic terrain of Far North Queensland (oh, and had like 400 babies while doing so).

CREDITS:

Toots: Woman in a Man's World by Donna Vawdrey

Hooroo!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Part 2 of our second Sydney live show, Mel schools Josie on the most fearsome creature to never exist, the drop bear.

You can find the pics for this episode in our Facebook group or on our Instagram page, details below!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, it's the first part of our second Sydney live show! In which Josie tells Mel all about Jessie Hickman, a female bushranger who kicked a supreme amount of ass.

You can find the pics for this episode in our Facebook group or on our Instagram page, details below!

CREDITS:

Blog post by Di Moore

https://www.openwriting.com/archives/2009/05/elizabeth_jessi_1.php

ABC by Margaret Burin

https://www.abc.net.au/local/photos/2014/12/03/4141124.htm

Vice by Emma Nobel

https://www.vice.com/en/article/nejbjw/the-lady-bushranger-remembering-australias-forgotten-female-outlaw

A Guide to Australian Bushranging

https://aguidetoaustralianbushranging.com/2018/03/07/bushranging-a-mans-world/ 

Newcastle Herald by Mike Scanlon

https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/2614913/the-hunters-lady-bushranger/ 

Mudgee Guardian by Jason Roberts

https://www.mudgeeguardian.com.au/story/6460196/pink-horses-in-louee-street/ 

Most pics from The Lady Bushranger Facebook page either taken by or acquired by Jennifer Gerardi

https://www.facebook.com/theladybushranger/photos 

Queensland Times by Melissa Gulbin

https://www.qt.com.au/news/she-was-the-wollemi-bushranger/2520800/

Young Witness no byline

https://www.youngwitness.com.au/story/2526928/australias-last-lady-bushrangers-story/ 

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's the second part of our first Sydney live show! This week, Josie tells Mel the whole, painfully '00s story of Princess Mary - just a gal from Tassie who ended up at a Sydney pub and happened to hook up with the Crown Prince of Denmark, leading to marriage and some really cute babies.

You can find the pics for this episode in our Facebook group or on our Instagram page, details below!

CREDITS:

Daily Mail by Laura House https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3153065/From-party-girl-future-Queen-Denmark-Old-footage-Crown-Princess-Mary-reveals-life-Frederik-trying-luck-modelling-world-learning-walk-like-royalty.html 

Woman’s Day

https://www.newidea.com.au/princess-mary-prince-frederik-history 

Nine Honey by Natalie Oliveri

https://honey.nine.com.au/royals/mary-donaldsons-royal-transformation-to-become-denmarks-crown-princess-mary/c17d5686-98cc-447c-8ade-c59da54cdedb

SMH no byline

https://www.smh.com.au/world/quite-contrary-about-princess-mary-20030308-gdge3i.html 

Mamamia by Charlotte Begg

https://www.mamamia.com.au/princess-mary-children/

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, it's a live recording of our first Sydney show! Mel tells Josie about Beth Maynard, a feisty old-timey gal who had 1,000 husbands and traipsed all over Australia, only to meet an untimely death in Silverton, NSW... was she killed? Or did she die of a broken heart?

CREDITS:

Odd History, Annie O'Reilly

http://www.oddhistory.com.au/outback-south-australia-new-south-wales-queensland-and-the-northern-territory/silverton-and-the-remarkable-love-life-of-beth-maynard/

Wikipedia, Silverton NSW

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silverton,_New_South_Wales

Barrier Miner, 1892

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/44046762

 

 

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MERRY XMAS EVERYONE! As a special holiday treat, Josie tells Mel all about a creepy Icelandic Xmas tradition, the Yule Cat. If you want to see the video of the episode, join our Facebook group by searching The Zest Is History Podcast on FB.

CREDITS:

https://www.zmescience.com/other/feature-post/christmas-myths-yule-cat/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.