The Open Minded Skeptic

Enjoy our next Haunted Historical Brisbane podcasts today!

Historical Facts

This heritage-listed building of a Classical Revival design was opened officially in 1930 by Sir John Goodwin, the Queensland Governor at the time. It contains a 1500 plus seat auditorium with copper dome, a clock tower with a lift, the offices of the Lord Mayor of Brisbane and the recent addition in 2003 of the Museum of Brisbane. The Telegraph (1926; 1927) newspaper provided regular update pictorials during the construction phase of the Brisbane City Hall, which is now thought of as one of Brisbane's most beloved buildings.

The State Library of Queensland holds within its archive collections a variety of materials concerning the Brisbane City Hall from its inception to current times. Maxine Fisher, a Digital Content Coordinator based at the State Library of Queensland has written a well researched set of historical facts within an online blog concerning the Brisbane City Hall Clock Tower, check it out for yourself (Fisher 2013).

Haunting Folklore

Clock Tower Lift Attendant

The Brisbane City Hall is without a doubt one of the most haunted historical buildings in Brisbane. Only a year after its opening, its first Clock Tower Lift Attendant fell to his death from its peak, it is still unknown today if it happened by accident or by his own hand (Sim 2017). Since his death however there have been multiple sightings of a shadow man inside the lift, a cold and claustrophobic feeling reportedly attaching itself to particularly sensitive visitors.

The Possession of Room 302

The kids play area inside The Brisbane Museum on level 3 was once a group of four rooms said to have been possessed by a poltergeist since the 1940's. In fact, since the Caretaker of the building hung himself inside his office. Both staff and visitors have recounted a number of strange occurrences including flickering lights, doors opening and closing of their own accord, creepy footsteps without a physical body present as well as a cold and clammy feeling surrounding anyone in the vicinity of room 302. In the early 1980's the area was abandoned completely by the staff under the direction of the current Lord Mayor of Brisbane, Roy Harvey.

Haunted Pipe Organ

Even the beautiful pipe organ in the main auditorium has been known to start playing a hymn in the middle of the night, scaring the security guards on the night shift (Sim 2017).

Disappearance of Miss Marjorie Rose Norval

One of Brisbane's unsolved mysteries has also touched this beautiful building, the disappearance of Miss Marjorie Rose Norval. On the 11th November in 1938 Miss Norval, social secretary to the wife of Premier William Forgan-Smith disappeared, her last sighting being close to the Brisbane City Hall Clock Tower.

Lady of the Lobby

Another ghost that has been sighted on multiple occasions is the Lady of the Lobby. An elegant creature dressed in a fine evening dress circa 1930 who has been seen entering through the main doors of the hall and then making her way up the left staircase, and on reaching the top, turns and looks back down into the main lobby area. She has yet to be identified, but the security guards at the main entrance are happy to share their experiences with this well mannered apparition with all who ask!

WWII Red Cross Cafe Stabbing

And lastly, during WWII a basement refreshment room, called the Troops Welfare Club opened serving anyone service personnel or civilian,man or woman. Today the basement holds the Red Cross Cafe; in 1942 a fight allegedly broke out between an American soldier and a local man. The soldier was stabbed to death and his ghost is often heard moaning and moving around the cafe and basement area.

Enjoy our Haunted Historical Brisbane podcasts starting today!

Historical Facts

Built in 1828 with Convict labour, under the orders of Captain Patrick Logan (Commandant of Moreton Bay) the Old Windmill on Wickham Terrace in Spring Hill is the oldest surviving Australian windmill structure and is reputedly, the oldest example in
Queensland of European construction (Queensland Heritage Register 2020). Following its initial usage as a meal and flour mill, it ceased grinding maize and wheat in 1845 and later became a weather observatory, signal station, a fire tower, the Queensland
Museum, a radio experiment site, a pioneer television broadcasting tower, and in 1841 the temporary home of the Brisbane Gallows.

Haunting Folklore

The Old Windmill is Queensland's oldest haunted location (Sim 2017), and it is said to have three distinct types of hauntings manifesting within its structure and grounds.

Ghostly Green Glowing Beacon

The first type of haunting being an eerie green light or beacon that encases the Old Windmill at night, the stonework and structure literally glowing an emerald green (Sim 2017, p. 2).

The Hanging Convict Ghost

The second type of haunting, an apparition of a hanging man. He is a Convict wearing a white hood, both of his arms are bound close to his back, his body swinging like a pendulum in the centre of the structure from side to side, visible though a single window externally. Situated directly in front of the Old Windmill is the Tower Mill Hotel, Kathy O'Brien, a former receptionist at the hotel has recounted numerous guest sightings of the hanging man through the front-facing hotel room windows.

The Screaming Ghost

The final type of haunting being an odd encounter in the 1960's between a couple staying at the Tower Mill Hotel and a screaming apparition that was missing their lower torso. This didn't seem to impair the ghost however, as the couple stated that it chased them through Wickham Park to their parked car.

Joe Nickell (2016) a famous skeptic and hoax debunker investigated the various sightings at the Old Windmill, in particular the likelihood that a hanging had ever occurred within its stone walls. Historically, the Old Windmill had the gallows attached externally to the structure and no hangings from his research had uncovered any internal gallows setup. In respect to the green glowing light, Nickell investigated its probability by recreating a single light in the front-most window of the Old Windmill; his experiments resulted in a number of ways this could be achieved due to other lighting effects nearby the structure. Nickell (2016, p. 13) did not however disprove or recreate the entire structure glowing green; and failed to mention this in his article inside The Skeptical Inquirer archive.


For more information email our host at [email protected], or leave us a message on our contact page via tomspod.com!

On June 7th 2018 our Editor Sharon Ann Rowland hosted our sixth Spiritual Quandaries radio show on Revolution Radio (www.freedomslips.com). Our topic for this episode is Bullying, as usual we disagreed, argued, never cursed, but eventually resolved to keep our minds open to future scientific truths!

Our panel comprised Sheila Kennedy (Metaphysical Maven) and Mikayla Holmes (Inspirational Author).

Sheila is a healer, teacher and great-grandmother, a protagonist for social change: from the deep recesses of cellular memory to the vast expanses of the universe. A woman of Celtic and Spanish Gypsy ancestry, Sheila grew up in East Africa and the Australian outback. Sheila’s work, like her background, is an eclectic and innovative blend of indigenous and contemporary healing modalities. Sheila’s journey into holistic healing practices began 30 years ago, traversing a range of modalities including: Vibrational Kinesiology [The Dawson Program], Reiki/Seichem, Spiritual/Aura Healing, Chakra Balancing, Self-Empowerment and Regression Therapies, Holographic Kinetics, Hypnosis, The Children’s Learning Program and Vibrational Sound Therapy.

Mikayla helps people find their inner Calm, and to Conquer their Chaos. Drawing on 40 years of life experience that includes growing up in Hong Kong, travelling the world, continuous self development study and advanced management diploma, Mikayla finally cracked the code!

Enjoy our early 2018 interview with Kassi Gregory aka Tigiris.  Kassi is an Intuitive Artist, Spirit Walker and Teacher, and she is connected to the unseen world. Kassi has the ability to both talk and feel spirits and guides, these spirits and guides in turn allow her to act as a conduit between people and their spirit animal. She believes that art is the best source of expression. Her aims and objectives as a teacher are devout, she enables through collaboration to share spirits awareness, forgiveness, and to assist in releasing past wounds. She has obtained two Bachelor degrees (Fine Arts and an Animation and Story) and has studied basic philosophy to help her to understand why life is so different to how it is experienced.

You can contact Kassi via her website at https://www.tigirisillustrations.com/ or check out her amazing artworks on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/heartoftigiris.

For more information email our host at [email protected], or leave us a message on our contact page via tomspod.com!

In the December 2019 issue of the OeC Magazine we featured a four-part interview with Hypnotherapist Phillip J. Watt.  Phillip J. Watt is a clinical hypnotherapist, author and presenter who lives on the Mid North Coast of NSW, Australia. His first book, The Simulation, is a daring exposé of the human experience in the 21st Century. His other written and interview work deals with topics from spirituality to society, as well as self-development.

Before achieving his certification as a ‘Clinical Hypno-psychotherapist’ through the Institute of Clinical Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy (ICHP), Phillip helped countless people as a life coach, relationship mediator and writer. He has received hundreds of messages from individuals all over the world thanking him for how he has helped them to change their life, including a couple of instances where they decided against suicide after reading some of his inspiring work.

Since 2012 he has written well over 100 articles which have been shared across dozens of international platforms – such as Elephant Journal, The Mind Unleashed, Wake Up World and Waking Times – ultimately reaching into the millions of people. He has presented at mindfulness conferences such as the ‘The Illuminate Conference’, ‘Paradigm Shift Summit’ and ‘The Abundance Festival‘, and has been interviewed on many podcasts, such as ‘Rune Soup’‘ and ‘Skeptiko’.Please join us for part two of this engaging and enlightening banter!

Last part of a four part series.
 
For more information email our host at [email protected], or leave us a message on our contact page via tomspod.com!

In the December 2019 issue of the OeC Magazine we featured a four-part interview with Hypnotherapist Phillip J. Watt.  Phillip J. Watt is a clinical hypnotherapist, author and presenter who lives on the Mid North Coast of NSW, Australia. His first book, The Simulation, is a daring exposé of the human experience in the 21st Century. His other written and interview work deals with topics from spirituality to society, as well as self-development.

Before achieving his certification as a ‘Clinical Hypno-psychotherapist’ through the Institute of Clinical Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy (ICHP), Phillip helped countless people as a life coach, relationship mediator and writer. He has received hundreds of messages from individuals all over the world thanking him for how he has helped them to change their life, including a couple of instances where they decided against suicide after reading some of his inspiring work.

Since 2012 he has written well over 100 articles which have been shared across dozens of international platforms – such as Elephant Journal, The Mind Unleashed, Wake Up World and Waking Times – ultimately reaching into the millions of people. He has presented at mindfulness conferences such as the ‘The Illuminate Conference’, ‘Paradigm Shift Summit’ and ‘The Abundance Festival‘, and has been interviewed on many podcasts, such as ‘Rune Soup’‘ and ‘Skeptiko’.Please join us for part two of this engaging and enlightening banter!

Part three of a four part series.
 
For more information email our host at [email protected], or leave us a message on our contact page via tomspod.com!

In the December 2019 issue of the OeC Magazine we featured a four-part interview with Hypnotherapist Phillip J. Watt.  Phillip J. Watt is a clinical hypnotherapist, author and presenter who lives on the Mid North Coast of NSW, Australia. His first book, The Simulation, is a daring exposé of the human experience in the 21st Century. His other written and interview work deals with topics from spirituality to society, as well as self-development.

Before achieving his certification as a ‘Clinical Hypno-psychotherapist’ through the Institute of Clinical Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy (ICHP), Phillip helped countless people as a life coach, relationship mediator and writer. He has received hundreds of messages from individuals all over the world thanking him for how he has helped them to change their life, including a couple of instances where they decided against suicide after reading some of his inspiring work.

Since 2012 he has written well over 100 articles which have been shared across dozens of international platforms – such as Elephant Journal, The Mind Unleashed, Wake Up World and Waking Times – ultimately reaching into the millions of people. He has presented at mindfulness conferences such as the ‘The Illuminate Conference’, ‘Paradigm Shift Summit’ and ‘The Abundance Festival‘, and has been interviewed on many podcasts, such as ‘Rune Soup’‘ and ‘Skeptiko’.Please join us for part two of this engaging and enlightening banter!

Part two of a four part series.
 
For more information email our host at [email protected], or leave us a message on our contact page via tomspod.com!

In the December 2019 issue of the OeC Magazine we featured a two-part interview with Hypnotherapist Phillip J. Watt.  Phillip is a clinical hypnotherapist, author and presenter who lives on the Mid North Coast of NSW, Australia. His first book, The Simulation, is a daring exposé of the human experience in the 21st Century. His other written and interview work deals with topics from spirituality to society, as well as self-development. 

Before achieving his certification as a ‘Clinical Hypno-psychotherapist’ through the Institute of Clinical Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy (ICHP), Phillip helped countless people as a life coach, relationship mediator and writer. He has received hundreds of messages from individuals all over the world thanking him for how he has helped them to change their life, including a couple of instances where they decided against suicide after reading some of his inspiring work.

Since 2012 he has written well over 100 articles which have been shared across dozens of international platforms – such as Elephant Journal, The Mind Unleashed, Wake Up World and Waking Times – ultimately reaching into the millions of people. He has presented at mindfulness conferences such as the ‘The Illuminate Conference’, ‘Paradigm Shift Summit’ and ‘The Abundance Festival‘, and has been interviewed on many podcasts, such as ‘Rune Soup’‘ and ‘Skeptiko’.Please join us for part two of this engaging and enlightening banter!

Enjoy part 4 of our Happiness Ninja interview with Sharon Ann Rowland and her co-host Sheila Kennedy.  Jamie Rose Brown aka The Happiness Ninja became the 47th person in the world to complete the world’s only government accredited Diploma of Positive Psychology and Wellbeing, and is currently half way through a Bachelor of Psychological Sciences.

After suffering from suicidal thoughts at the age of 12 and having a total of 17 years of anxiety and clinical depression under her belt, Jamie turned her life around when she discovered the world of Positive Psychology (a new area of study in the larger Psychology family) – simply put, Jamie has re-trained the neural pathways in her own brain, let’s find out all about it!

Last part of a four part series.
 
For more information email our host at [email protected], or leave us a message on our contact page via tomspod.com!

Enjoy part 3 of our Happiness Ninja interview with Sharon Ann Rowland and her co-host Sheila Kennedy.  Jamie Rose Brown aka The Happiness Ninja became the 47th person in the world to complete the world’s only government accredited Diploma of Positive Psychology and Wellbeing, and is currently half way through a Bachelor of Psychological Sciences.

After suffering from suicidal thoughts at the age of 12 and having a total of 17 years of anxiety and clinical depression under her belt, Jamie turned her life around when she discovered the world of Positive Psychology (a new area of study in the larger Psychology family) – simply put, Jamie has re-trained the neural pathways in her own brain, let’s find out all about it!

Last three of a four part series.
 
For more information email our host at [email protected], or leave us a message on our contact page via tomspod.com!