In 1936, Ernest Montague was described in thenewspapers as a ‘callous bigamist’ who had four aliases – Ernest James Kendrick, Graeme Monte Winston Chisholm, Kenneth Raymond Kelsey and John Montague.

Pretty Dulcie was one of the many names the press coined Dulcie May Markham .

She was attracted to, and associated with, many majorcriminals of the 1930s, 1940's and 1950s. She closely involved with Sydney’s razor gang in an era of organised crime.

During her criminal career, she had amassed 100 convictionsin New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia for prostitution, vagrancy, consorting, assaulting police and the public, keeping a brothel, drunkenness, and drunk driving, and was sent to prison on numerousoccasions.

The McCaughey brothers were prominent pastoralists who emigrated to Australia from Ireland. They were the sons of Francis McCaughey, farmer and merchant, and his wifeEliza Wilson.

Joining me in this episode is the most prolific true crime author in Australian history (Herald Sun & ABC Radio) Roy Maloy. A proud Wadawurrung man, and Melbourne based crime writer who has published a volume series of true crime books called “The Dawn of Crime”, including the bestselling biography of Squizzy Taylor. He has over 18 true crime biographies published, with his focus being on criminals from 1890-1930 who he describes as “criminal outsiders” - those in the minority. In 2024 he released his first cinema piece with a true crime short film that screened in cinemas, and will be releasing two new feature length Australian true crime movies over the next 12 months. Roy has his own podcast that covers some of those criminals that feature in his books. He also has walking tours in Melbourne and a live true crime show called 'Criminal Outsider'.

https://lockedupwithhistory.com.au/dawn-of-crime-with-roy-maloy/

https://www.facebook.com/roymaloy

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-dawn-of-crime-by-roy-maloy/id1525098475

https://www.lulu.com/search?contributor=Roy+Maloy&adult_audience_rating=00&page=1&pageSize=10

The Countess of Belmore was born Gloria Anthea Harker in 1915 in Perth WA. She was the daughter of Herbert Bryant Harker, a merchant clerk who was born in England, and Lilian Morris. Gloria married Major Galbraith Armar Lowry-Corry in 1939 in India and in 1949 Galbraith became the 7th Earl of Belmore.

Montague Charles Burney was born in Hampshire England in September 1852, but his birthdate changed with every charge he had in Australia! He was born into a respectable English family, but after a charge of forgery in England in 1872, he came to Australia, assumed many aliases and continued with his misdemeanors, being charged with forgery, false representation and larceny across three colonies.

In 1926, Nell Stead and her sister boarded a ship from Melbourne to Ceylon (today’s Sri Lanka). Their father organized the trip after Nell and Erin had been nursing their ill mother in the final two years of her life and felt they needed a trip. On this trip Nell had a chance encounter with a handsome young naval officer by the hotel swimming pool in Colombo and this changed everything. This mystery man was more than a naval officer – he was Alexander George Francis Drogo Montagu, known as Mandy, the eldest son of the 9th Duke of Manchester, an heir to a nearly 500 year old dynasty.

An article featured in the Illustrated Australian News in November 1867, titled “A LADY SWINDLER”:

"It appears that for a length of time the lady has been in the habit of visiting lodging houses and inquiring for apartments. Having agreed to take the lodgings she proceeds to pay a deposit, when on feeling in her pocket, she cries, ‘I’ve lost my purse; they have stolen my purse,’ and forthwith commences to lament and bemoan her loss, exclaiming, ‘What shall I do; what will my husband say’. The lady is always accompanied by a little boy, dressed in Highland costume, whose tears mingled with sobs of his mother, are the secret of the facility with which she accomplishes her schemes."

The lady swindler was Mrs Alexandrina Askew. She didn’t ask for money, loans were offered in her time of crisis. As she collected more funds, her clothes became more ladylike.

An article featured in the Illustrated Australian News in November 1867, titled “A LADY SWINDLER”:

"It appears that for a length of time the lady has been in the habit of visiting lodging houses and inquiring for apartments. Having agreed to take the lodgings she proceeds to pay a deposit, when on feeling in her pocket, she cries, ‘I’ve lost my purse; they have stolen my purse,’ and forthwith commences to lament and bemoan her loss, exclaiming, ‘What shall I do; what will my husband say’. The lady is always accompanied by a little boy, dressed in Highland costume, whose tears mingled with sobs of his mother, are the secret of the facility with which she accomplishes her schemes."
The lady swindler was Mrs Alexandrina Askew. She didn’t ask for money, loans were offered in her time of crisis. As she collected more funds, her clothes became more ladylike.

Christopher Ballerstedt and his son Theodore started building the house known as Fortuna Villa in Bendigo in the mid-1850’s. The estate is actually located atop of the rich New Chum reef. Fortuna Villa is an outstanding demonstration of the wealth and prosperity of Bendigo and Victoria during the gold rush period.

The property was then sold to George Lansell who made marked improvements to the home.

It can be definitely said that gold built Fortuna Villa!