I belive as the following topic develops it will need its own thread, which started off in the latter pages detailed below.
viewtopic.php?f=45&t=3966&start=90
Detailed below are the results of two studies Ive been working on.
The first was listing all unsolved missing persons cases and unsolved deaths from rural,semi rural
or isolated areas along the entire eastern coast of Australia .
The second study involved listing all known yowie encounters (eastern coast) from the time of european settlement onwards.
The third stage was to overlay the results looking for clusters combining both.
At this stage only VIC , NSW and QLD overlayed data are compled,
I thought you might like a look at whats comming out of the work.
I note that David Paulides made a trip here, indicating the statistical case data must warrant further investigation. As I suspected, here are a lot of very strange cases within the grouping , very similar to many of the circumstances described in Paullides 411 works.
Even if there is no commonality between the two sets of figures, the pin map alone and what it relates, is still shocking in the extreme.
https://youtu.be/oozp6xTUrFo
Over time I will post details on each case as they are investigated, I have quite a few ready
to be reviewed, depending on the interest factor.
Cheers
Paul
Long Term Missing Person's, recovered Human remains & Yowies
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Simon M
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Re: Long Term Missing Person's, recovered Human remains & Yo
Bloody hell.
Great work. Although it's difficult to know whether the two things match up precisely you're right about it being shocking. It's hard not to draw some kind of comparison between the Yowie sightings and the deaths/disappearances.
I find it difficult, personally, to see it as coincidence. That video is genuinely jaw dropping.
Great work. Although it's difficult to know whether the two things match up precisely you're right about it being shocking. It's hard not to draw some kind of comparison between the Yowie sightings and the deaths/disappearances.
I find it difficult, personally, to see it as coincidence. That video is genuinely jaw dropping.
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Limehouse
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Re: Long Term Missing Person's, recovered Human remains & Yo
Great work Paul....incredible amount of data you have assembled.
From the data, can you ascertain, what are the instances of people going missing whilst walking their dog in areas of Yowie sightings... a theory I'm bouncing around my tiny brain.
Cheers DK
From the data, can you ascertain, what are the instances of people going missing whilst walking their dog in areas of Yowie sightings... a theory I'm bouncing around my tiny brain.
Cheers DK
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paulmcleod67
Re: Long Term Missing Person's, recovered Human remains & Yo
CASE OUTLINES PART ONE:
Human bones in bush: new clues
22 February 2008 - 5:00AM The Advertiser - Bendigo
COLD case police have released key photographs they hope will solve one of regional Victoria's great mysteries of human bones found in the Grampians by Bendigo schoolgirls.
New information on the human bones found in September, 2004, by a group of Girton Grammar schoolgirls on a school hike indicates they are not as old as first thought.
Stawell CIU's Senior-Detective John Bongiourno, who has led the investigation since the discovery, said the major breakthrough had been specialist information on the age of a pair of shoes discovered with the bones.
Sen-Det. Bongiourno said consultation between the Cold Case Taskforce and Adidas had established the shoes were manufactured in Australia in 1992, which eliminated the possibility of the most likely missing person, Melbourne photographer Rex Sutherland, who disappeared on Mt William in 1978.
"This answers some questions, but raises quite a few more," Sen-Det. Bongiourno said.
"One of the biggest problems was that the remains weren't in very good condition, so forensic scientists weren't confident about accurately estimating how long they had been there."
Sen-Det. Bongiourno said the bones were distributed over several hundred metres and possibly scattered by animals or by water flows in the rugged terrain.
He said to further complicate the mystery there were no unsolved missing person cases from the Grampians region from the period 1992 to 2004.
DNA testing of the brother of Ballarat bushwalker Peter White who disappeared in the 1980s has already ruled out another possible identity.
Police are now hoping pictures of the shoes and watch found with the body will help trigger memories of some knowledge of what they estimate to be a male Caucasian probably aged in his 20s or 30s.
He said the latest discovery came after the 2006 fires, when changes to vegetation and soil at the spot turned up another bone.
Unfortunately, repeated searches of the area have not yielded any teeth.
"The first thing we were hoping we would find were some teeth and go straight to dental records and make an identification that way," he said.
But Sen-Det. Bongiourno said the absence of the jawbone and lower part of the skull did not necessarily indicate anything suspicious, as the time the bones had been exposed and the disturbance of animals could have contributed to the condition.
Forensic scientists still have not been able to establish the cause of death.
"Everything has to be canvassed," Sen-Det. Bongiourno said.
"It could have been a body dumped there, it could have been somebody who had grown tired of life and decided to end it in a remote spot."
Girton Grammar schoolgirls made the grisly discovery while on a school hike on Mt William in September, 2004, after taking a wrong turn near the summit car park.
Editor's note - March 2008 - I requested a copy of the photographs of the clothing worn by the Grampians unidentified body, as mentioned in the article above. Victoria Police have refused my request.
I am well aware that the families of the missing visit my website every day, and check this page to see if they might possibly be able to idenify their missing loved one.
When both Victoria and NSW Police missing persons unit having recently been criticized by Coroners for failing to identify bodies and inform families, the decision not to allow me to publish a photograph of clothing that may be recognised by a family member is completely baffling to me. You will note in the second article this statement -
Police are now hoping pictures of the shoes and watch found with the body will help trigger memories of some knowledge of what they estimate to be a male Caucasian probably aged in his 20s or 30s.
Exactly how will these photographs trigger memories if no one is allowed to see them?!?!?!
MARGARET HARDY
In 1990 the remains of a woman who had been brutally raped, murdered and dumped in bush in the Blue Mountains 14 years before were confirmed as those of Margaret Rose Hardy.
She had never returned after leaving her St Mary's home on February 26, 1976, to go shopping.
While the badly decomposed body of the 18-year-old had long since been buried, the police had kept a print taken from a sliver of skin from one fingertip and fingernail which had been found near her body.
Not knowing which finger the sliver came from, police spent three years checking every finger of the 750,000 women on police files. That was 7.5 million fingers. Computerised comparisons, when they were introduced in 1985, also failed to find a match.
In March 1990, a photograph of a facial reconstruction of Hardy's skull, published over the years to no avail, was again printed in a newspaper. It was recognised by a relative.
Finally, with police able to gain access to Hardy's belongings, a fingerprint from the front of a single photo in her album matched the print from the skin fragment on record.
Her dental records also matched. The mystery now is her killer's identity.
Police investigate discovery of man's body - Mid North Coast
30 August 2007
NSW Police are conducting inquiries following the discovery of a man’s body at Nabiac, on the state’s mid north coast.
A local property owner was slashing grass on the western side of the Pacific Highway, near the Gloucester/Krambach overpass, when they discovered the decomposed body about 3.45pm yesterday (Wednesday 29 August).
Police from Manning/Great Lakes LAC were called to the scene and conducted inquiries. Forensic Services Group officers also examined the area.
The body was taken to Newcastle Morgue for post mortem examination in an attempt to identify the man and determine a cause of death.
The man’s been described as being about 50-years-old, with large to obese build and short cropped grey hair and beard. He was wearing a dark blue bomber style jacket, black T-shirt with red motif on the front, black tracksuit pants and brown King Gee work boots.
Anyone who knows the man’s identity or has any other information that might assist investigating officers is urged to contact Taree Police Station on (02) 6552 0399 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Police will prepare a report for the information of the NSW Coroner.
6:59pm September 30, 2016
Cassie Olczak: Mother raises questions about daughter’s ‘bizarre’ disappearance
The mother of the 16-year-old girl found on Sydney highway after going missing five days says she still doesn’t know what happened to her daughter.
Cassie Olczak was last seen at Waterfall Railway Station around 7pm on Sunday after visiting friends, a day after returning from a trip to visit her father in Abu Dhabi.
Just before 9am today a motorist spotted a person matching the girl's description on the Princes Highway at Waterfall and raised the alarm.
Acting Superintendent Gary Ford said staff from the Waterfall Railway Station then located her at the station and police met with her there.
He said it was believed Cassie had been in "rugged bushland" in the Royal National Park near the station.
Her mother Connie Olczak told reporters her daughter's disappearance was "extremely" out of character.
“Other than she bumped her head, that's it. I don't know anything else,” Mrs Olczak said during a press conference today.
"It’s very bizarre," she added.
The teenager's disappearance sparked a huge search of the Royal National Park involving helicopters, police on trail bikes, dog squad teams and dozens of volunteers about noon on Wednesday.
Mrs Olczak thanked the emergency services and the media for helping in the search.
"It's just a miracle and I don’t even know what to say, I'm just grateful they found her," she said, after thanking emergency services and the media.
"It's completely indescribable, I felt like I was living in a movie.
"I was astonished at how well she looked."
Cassie continues to recover from exposure at Sutherland Hospital.
Investigations into the teenager’s unexplained five-day disappearance continue.
RAHMA EL-DENNAOUI
Rahma el-Dennaoui.
The $250,000 for information leading to a conviction in relation to the disappearance of Rahma is currently the largest reward offered in NSW for a missing person case.
The toddler vanished from her home in Lurnea in south-west Sydney on the night of November 10, 2005, after going to sleep in a bed she shared with two older sisters.
Police later found that a flyscreen above the bed had been slashed to create a hole big enough to lift a baby through.
One of Rahma’s older sisters, who had been sleeping in the same bed that night, later told her parents of a bad dream she had of a long-haired “monster”, which may have in fact been a memory of being woken by Rahma’s kidnapper.
Updated 10 Feb 2016, 2:42pm
A body believed to that of a man missing from the Mid North Coast since Christmas Day has been found in remote bushland between Port Macquarie and Walcha.
Forty-five-year-old John Shaw was last seen after having Christmas lunch with his family in Taree.
Police said he left to drive home later that afternoon.
His utility was found early the next morning on its roof, off the side of the Oxley Highway, near Mount Seaview west of Port Macquarie.
An extensive search found the clothes he was last seen wearing on New Years Day, 25 kilometres away from the crash site.
Police said the body had not yet been formally identified, but it was believed to be Mr Shaw.
The cause of death is not yet known, but police said a report was being prepared for the coroner.
Police on the New South Wales mid north coast are appealing to the public for help to locate a man who was last seen on Christmas Day.
John Shaw, 45, was last seen after a family Christmas lunch in Taree.
The next day police found a white utility on its roof on the Oxley Highway, east of Mount Seaview.
It is believed the car had been driven by Mr Shaw but a search of the area failed to locate him.
On New Year's Eve police found all the clothes Mr Shaw was last seen wearing, 25km west of the crash site.
Mr Shaw is described as being of Caucasian appearance, about 173cm tall, with a medium build and black hair.
Investigators are appealing for anyone who may have been travelling through the area and saw or assisted Mr Shaw, to contact Crime Stoppers.
Police say they have concerns for Mr Shaw's welfare because he suffers a medical condition and does not have his medication.
Posted 30 Jul 2012, 9:50am
Police in the region are using Missing Persons Week to re-invigorate their investigations in three local cases.
Jasmine Morris disappeared from Chapman Street South Grafton in October 2009 but had been seen soon after that in Coffs Harbour and Woody Head.
She is 155 cm tall, fair complexion, slim with brown hair and eyes and would be 21 years old.
Kylee Ann Schaffer was last seen at Willawarrin in 2004 as a 19 year old.
Rose Howell was last seen on the Pacific Highway at Repton in 2003.
It is thought she was hitch-hiking.
All three cases are still being investigated.
Police are calling for anyone with information to come forward.
Updated 18 Jun 2012, 5:00am
One woman is dead and a search is underway for two men missing from a New South Wales Central Coast beach.
Police say the body of an 18-year old Edgeworth woman was found washed up on Ghosties Beach on Sunday morning.
Fishing equipment and other personal items have been found on a rock shelf at nearby Moonee Beach within the Munmorah State Conservation Area.
Officers say the woman travelled to the area with two male friends - aged 18 and 20 - possibly to go surfing and fishing.
Police at the scene say the woman was not wearing a lifejacket and doubt her friends were either.
A major search of the area is underway, involving the Police Rescue Squad and Polair.
Officers have located a car belonging to the woman's family at Catherine Hill Bay while clothing belonging to all three were discovered on the beach.
Craig Roberts from the Westpac Lifesaver Helicopter says the woman's body washed up on nearby Ghosties Beach just before 9:30am.
"The full details of what caused the incident is unknown at this point in time. Police are still investigating the matter," he said.
A police sniffer dog is leading the search today for an elderly man who has been missing in rugged bushland, south-west of Grafton on the New South Wales north coast, since Monday.
Until now, the search for Walter Johnston, 72, has involved emergency service crews, police and the rescue helicopter.
Mr Johnston was last seen on his remote Buccarumbi property on Monday morning.
Grafton duty officer Inspector Murray Gillette says it is a difficult search in remote wilderness.
"The Buccarumbi area is quite remote and the weather's not the best today," he said.
"However, they are still continuing the search.
"Today is very much about allowing the dog to do what the dog is trained to do and then after that if we don't have any success we'll obviously ... reassess what we're going to do from today."
Mr Johnston is described as Caucasian, with an olive complexion, a lean build and about 185 centimetres tall.
When last seen, he was wearing a black jacket, black pants and gumboots.
Anyone who has seen him or knows where he is, is asked to contact police.
DNA links alpine park bones to missing mother
Posted 13 Oct 2011, 12:43pm
Bones found in Victoria's Alpine National Park have been identified as those of a mother missing for six years.
The remains were found by a group of bushwalkers near the New South Wales-Victoria border in December last year.
A second search of the area by police uncovered a shoe and jeans along with more bones, including parts of the vertebrae, ribs, arm and a number of teeth.
DNA testing has confirmed the remains are Kylie Sylvester, who was last seen in Kempsey on the NSW mid-north coast in November 2005.
Ms Silvester was 33 at the time and Victorian police say she had connections to the area where her remains were found.
NSW police says the circumstances surrounding her death are yet to be determined, and a report will be prepared for the coroner.
They are appealing for information from the public, particularly any possible more recent sightings of Ms Silvester.
Coronial inquiry finds police investigation 'hopeless and below standards'
A coronial inquest into the disappearance of a Bellingen woman more than 20 years ago has found an investigation into her presumed death was "hopeless and below standard".
In handing down his findings at the Coffs Harbour Coroner's Court, the deputy state coroner, Scott Mitchell, described the investigation into Susan Kiely's disappearance as "unsystematic and unscientific".
Ms Kiely was last seen on December 1 1989 after leaving a friend's house in Short Street in Bellingen.
Her body has never been found.
The Coroner said the reaction to her disappearance was "inadequate", as she was only reported missing a week later by her former husband Robert Smith.
The Coroner Mitchell said that by then the trail had "cooled off".
The court was told Ms Kiely had a history of "moderate domestic violence" and drug and alcohol abuse and she possibly died of a drug overdose.
But the coroner pointed out the failure to maintain proper records hindered the investigation, saying there was not enough evidence to come to a conclusion about her fate.
The court heard at around the time Susan Kiely disappeared, the local council had laid landfill near the house where she was last seen.
The Coroner told the court that could have been investigated to search for human remains, but pointed out that never happened.
'Cold-Case' probe resumes in Coffs today
Updated 8 Dec 2010, 10:55am
The disappearance of a Bellingen woman more than 20 years ago is the focus of a Coronial Inquiry due to resume in Coffs Harbour this morning.
Susan Kiely was last seen on December 1, 1989, in Bellingen.
She was 33 at the time of her disappearance and the mother of two young girls.
Her body has never been found.
She was unemployed and reportedly hitch-hiked frequently.
The Inquest into her disappearance started in July this year but was abruptly shut down part-heard by Deputy State Coroner Scott Mitchell.
The hearing in July heard from 12 witnesses, and is set down to run until the end of this week.
Final forest search for 73-year-old missing near Wauchope
Updated 21 Oct 2010, 9:05am
A police search in forest west of Port Macquarie for an elderly man missing for two weeks, will completely wind up today.
Edward Arnold was last seen on the Oxley highway at Wauchope near the Broken Bago State Forest on Wednesday evening October the 6th.
Police say it is feared the 73-year-old wandered into the forest.
Extensive searches of the bushland and surrounding areas have failed to find any trace of him.
A final search using a police dog will take place today.
Nambucca
Updated 14 Oct 2010, 8:06am
Detectives on the Mid North Coast are renewing an appeal for information about a man last seen in the Nambucca Heads area in the late 1980s.
Several investigations have been made into the disappearance of Ian Braund.
He was last seen on a farm at Thumb Creek, about 30 kilometres from Taylors Arm, in February 1987.
He was aged 21 at the time.
Police say there was heavy rain and flooding in the region for about 10 days after Mr Braund went missing, which hampered search efforts.
All of his possessions were left behind and his personal bank accounts were not accessed.
The officer in charge of the investigation, Detective Senior Constable Justin Welsh, says Mr Braund's family is still searching for answers.
Body found near Border Ranges National Park in northern NSW believed to be missing camper Judith Williams
Updated 20 Nov 2013, 9:37am
Police believe a body found on a property in northern New South Wales is that of a missing camper.
Judith Williams disappeared overnight on October 19 while she was camping at Sheepstation Creek, a site within the Border Ranges National Park just south of the NSW-Queensland border.
The 53-year-old woman from Coraki, south of Lismore, was camping with her husband and was last seen when she got up to use the campsite toilet about 3am.
Inspector Nicole Bruce says a body was found by a nearby landowner yesterday.
"About 4pm yesterday a property owner was on his land mustering when he's come across what appeared to be the remains of a person," she said.
"This was about only 700 metres from Sheepstation Creek camping ground and we believe it may be the missing person that we've been looking for for several weeks."
An extensive search was carried out soon after the disappearance by police, State Emergency Service volunteers and National Parks and Wildlife Service officers.
"Apparently it's quite rugged terrain there and bushland and the property adjoining it is a large one," Inspector Bruce said.
Police have taken the remains for forensic examination and to formally confirm the identify of the body.
Foul play has not been ruled out.
"It's hard to determine with the weather we've had and we're still investigating," Inspector Bruce said.
At the time of her disappearance police said Mrs Williams needed regular medication for medical conditions including dementia and had difficulty walking.
Fears held for missing woman in Border Ranges National Park
Updated 21 Oct 2013, 7:51am
Police hold serious concerns for a woman who has gone missing in a national park in northern New South Wales.
A land and air search has resumed this morning for 53-year-old Judith Williams in the Border Ranges National Park.
She was camping with her husband, and was last seen in the early hours of Saturday morning when she went to use the toilet.
Inspector Douglas Conners from Lismore police says Mrs Williams suffers from the early stages of dementia and may have been disoriented.
"The distance between the caravan and the two toilet blocks in the camp sites is not a great distance," he said.
"The issue is that it's dark, the woman has early stages of dementia and epilepsy so it is quite feasible that she may well have become disoriented."
Inspector Conners says rescue crews are hoping for a good outcome.
"We'll be back on site from 7am and we are going to continue the search through out the course of today," he said.
"While there are some very serious risks to this woman's health she may be still alive if we can get to her today.
"It is baffling, I will say it is baffling but we're not going to give up the search."
MORE TO FOLLOW...
Human bones in bush: new clues
22 February 2008 - 5:00AM The Advertiser - Bendigo
COLD case police have released key photographs they hope will solve one of regional Victoria's great mysteries of human bones found in the Grampians by Bendigo schoolgirls.
New information on the human bones found in September, 2004, by a group of Girton Grammar schoolgirls on a school hike indicates they are not as old as first thought.
Stawell CIU's Senior-Detective John Bongiourno, who has led the investigation since the discovery, said the major breakthrough had been specialist information on the age of a pair of shoes discovered with the bones.
Sen-Det. Bongiourno said consultation between the Cold Case Taskforce and Adidas had established the shoes were manufactured in Australia in 1992, which eliminated the possibility of the most likely missing person, Melbourne photographer Rex Sutherland, who disappeared on Mt William in 1978.
"This answers some questions, but raises quite a few more," Sen-Det. Bongiourno said.
"One of the biggest problems was that the remains weren't in very good condition, so forensic scientists weren't confident about accurately estimating how long they had been there."
Sen-Det. Bongiourno said the bones were distributed over several hundred metres and possibly scattered by animals or by water flows in the rugged terrain.
He said to further complicate the mystery there were no unsolved missing person cases from the Grampians region from the period 1992 to 2004.
DNA testing of the brother of Ballarat bushwalker Peter White who disappeared in the 1980s has already ruled out another possible identity.
Police are now hoping pictures of the shoes and watch found with the body will help trigger memories of some knowledge of what they estimate to be a male Caucasian probably aged in his 20s or 30s.
He said the latest discovery came after the 2006 fires, when changes to vegetation and soil at the spot turned up another bone.
Unfortunately, repeated searches of the area have not yielded any teeth.
"The first thing we were hoping we would find were some teeth and go straight to dental records and make an identification that way," he said.
But Sen-Det. Bongiourno said the absence of the jawbone and lower part of the skull did not necessarily indicate anything suspicious, as the time the bones had been exposed and the disturbance of animals could have contributed to the condition.
Forensic scientists still have not been able to establish the cause of death.
"Everything has to be canvassed," Sen-Det. Bongiourno said.
"It could have been a body dumped there, it could have been somebody who had grown tired of life and decided to end it in a remote spot."
Girton Grammar schoolgirls made the grisly discovery while on a school hike on Mt William in September, 2004, after taking a wrong turn near the summit car park.
Editor's note - March 2008 - I requested a copy of the photographs of the clothing worn by the Grampians unidentified body, as mentioned in the article above. Victoria Police have refused my request.
I am well aware that the families of the missing visit my website every day, and check this page to see if they might possibly be able to idenify their missing loved one.
When both Victoria and NSW Police missing persons unit having recently been criticized by Coroners for failing to identify bodies and inform families, the decision not to allow me to publish a photograph of clothing that may be recognised by a family member is completely baffling to me. You will note in the second article this statement -
Police are now hoping pictures of the shoes and watch found with the body will help trigger memories of some knowledge of what they estimate to be a male Caucasian probably aged in his 20s or 30s.
Exactly how will these photographs trigger memories if no one is allowed to see them?!?!?!
MARGARET HARDY
In 1990 the remains of a woman who had been brutally raped, murdered and dumped in bush in the Blue Mountains 14 years before were confirmed as those of Margaret Rose Hardy.
She had never returned after leaving her St Mary's home on February 26, 1976, to go shopping.
While the badly decomposed body of the 18-year-old had long since been buried, the police had kept a print taken from a sliver of skin from one fingertip and fingernail which had been found near her body.
Not knowing which finger the sliver came from, police spent three years checking every finger of the 750,000 women on police files. That was 7.5 million fingers. Computerised comparisons, when they were introduced in 1985, also failed to find a match.
In March 1990, a photograph of a facial reconstruction of Hardy's skull, published over the years to no avail, was again printed in a newspaper. It was recognised by a relative.
Finally, with police able to gain access to Hardy's belongings, a fingerprint from the front of a single photo in her album matched the print from the skin fragment on record.
Her dental records also matched. The mystery now is her killer's identity.
Police investigate discovery of man's body - Mid North Coast
30 August 2007
NSW Police are conducting inquiries following the discovery of a man’s body at Nabiac, on the state’s mid north coast.
A local property owner was slashing grass on the western side of the Pacific Highway, near the Gloucester/Krambach overpass, when they discovered the decomposed body about 3.45pm yesterday (Wednesday 29 August).
Police from Manning/Great Lakes LAC were called to the scene and conducted inquiries. Forensic Services Group officers also examined the area.
The body was taken to Newcastle Morgue for post mortem examination in an attempt to identify the man and determine a cause of death.
The man’s been described as being about 50-years-old, with large to obese build and short cropped grey hair and beard. He was wearing a dark blue bomber style jacket, black T-shirt with red motif on the front, black tracksuit pants and brown King Gee work boots.
Anyone who knows the man’s identity or has any other information that might assist investigating officers is urged to contact Taree Police Station on (02) 6552 0399 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Police will prepare a report for the information of the NSW Coroner.
6:59pm September 30, 2016
Cassie Olczak: Mother raises questions about daughter’s ‘bizarre’ disappearance
The mother of the 16-year-old girl found on Sydney highway after going missing five days says she still doesn’t know what happened to her daughter.
Cassie Olczak was last seen at Waterfall Railway Station around 7pm on Sunday after visiting friends, a day after returning from a trip to visit her father in Abu Dhabi.
Just before 9am today a motorist spotted a person matching the girl's description on the Princes Highway at Waterfall and raised the alarm.
Acting Superintendent Gary Ford said staff from the Waterfall Railway Station then located her at the station and police met with her there.
He said it was believed Cassie had been in "rugged bushland" in the Royal National Park near the station.
Her mother Connie Olczak told reporters her daughter's disappearance was "extremely" out of character.
“Other than she bumped her head, that's it. I don't know anything else,” Mrs Olczak said during a press conference today.
"It’s very bizarre," she added.
The teenager's disappearance sparked a huge search of the Royal National Park involving helicopters, police on trail bikes, dog squad teams and dozens of volunteers about noon on Wednesday.
Mrs Olczak thanked the emergency services and the media for helping in the search.
"It's just a miracle and I don’t even know what to say, I'm just grateful they found her," she said, after thanking emergency services and the media.
"It's completely indescribable, I felt like I was living in a movie.
"I was astonished at how well she looked."
Cassie continues to recover from exposure at Sutherland Hospital.
Investigations into the teenager’s unexplained five-day disappearance continue.
RAHMA EL-DENNAOUI
Rahma el-Dennaoui.
The $250,000 for information leading to a conviction in relation to the disappearance of Rahma is currently the largest reward offered in NSW for a missing person case.
The toddler vanished from her home in Lurnea in south-west Sydney on the night of November 10, 2005, after going to sleep in a bed she shared with two older sisters.
Police later found that a flyscreen above the bed had been slashed to create a hole big enough to lift a baby through.
One of Rahma’s older sisters, who had been sleeping in the same bed that night, later told her parents of a bad dream she had of a long-haired “monster”, which may have in fact been a memory of being woken by Rahma’s kidnapper.
Updated 10 Feb 2016, 2:42pm
A body believed to that of a man missing from the Mid North Coast since Christmas Day has been found in remote bushland between Port Macquarie and Walcha.
Forty-five-year-old John Shaw was last seen after having Christmas lunch with his family in Taree.
Police said he left to drive home later that afternoon.
His utility was found early the next morning on its roof, off the side of the Oxley Highway, near Mount Seaview west of Port Macquarie.
An extensive search found the clothes he was last seen wearing on New Years Day, 25 kilometres away from the crash site.
Police said the body had not yet been formally identified, but it was believed to be Mr Shaw.
The cause of death is not yet known, but police said a report was being prepared for the coroner.
Police on the New South Wales mid north coast are appealing to the public for help to locate a man who was last seen on Christmas Day.
John Shaw, 45, was last seen after a family Christmas lunch in Taree.
The next day police found a white utility on its roof on the Oxley Highway, east of Mount Seaview.
It is believed the car had been driven by Mr Shaw but a search of the area failed to locate him.
On New Year's Eve police found all the clothes Mr Shaw was last seen wearing, 25km west of the crash site.
Mr Shaw is described as being of Caucasian appearance, about 173cm tall, with a medium build and black hair.
Investigators are appealing for anyone who may have been travelling through the area and saw or assisted Mr Shaw, to contact Crime Stoppers.
Police say they have concerns for Mr Shaw's welfare because he suffers a medical condition and does not have his medication.
Posted 30 Jul 2012, 9:50am
Police in the region are using Missing Persons Week to re-invigorate their investigations in three local cases.
Jasmine Morris disappeared from Chapman Street South Grafton in October 2009 but had been seen soon after that in Coffs Harbour and Woody Head.
She is 155 cm tall, fair complexion, slim with brown hair and eyes and would be 21 years old.
Kylee Ann Schaffer was last seen at Willawarrin in 2004 as a 19 year old.
Rose Howell was last seen on the Pacific Highway at Repton in 2003.
It is thought she was hitch-hiking.
All three cases are still being investigated.
Police are calling for anyone with information to come forward.
Updated 18 Jun 2012, 5:00am
One woman is dead and a search is underway for two men missing from a New South Wales Central Coast beach.
Police say the body of an 18-year old Edgeworth woman was found washed up on Ghosties Beach on Sunday morning.
Fishing equipment and other personal items have been found on a rock shelf at nearby Moonee Beach within the Munmorah State Conservation Area.
Officers say the woman travelled to the area with two male friends - aged 18 and 20 - possibly to go surfing and fishing.
Police at the scene say the woman was not wearing a lifejacket and doubt her friends were either.
A major search of the area is underway, involving the Police Rescue Squad and Polair.
Officers have located a car belonging to the woman's family at Catherine Hill Bay while clothing belonging to all three were discovered on the beach.
Craig Roberts from the Westpac Lifesaver Helicopter says the woman's body washed up on nearby Ghosties Beach just before 9:30am.
"The full details of what caused the incident is unknown at this point in time. Police are still investigating the matter," he said.
A police sniffer dog is leading the search today for an elderly man who has been missing in rugged bushland, south-west of Grafton on the New South Wales north coast, since Monday.
Until now, the search for Walter Johnston, 72, has involved emergency service crews, police and the rescue helicopter.
Mr Johnston was last seen on his remote Buccarumbi property on Monday morning.
Grafton duty officer Inspector Murray Gillette says it is a difficult search in remote wilderness.
"The Buccarumbi area is quite remote and the weather's not the best today," he said.
"However, they are still continuing the search.
"Today is very much about allowing the dog to do what the dog is trained to do and then after that if we don't have any success we'll obviously ... reassess what we're going to do from today."
Mr Johnston is described as Caucasian, with an olive complexion, a lean build and about 185 centimetres tall.
When last seen, he was wearing a black jacket, black pants and gumboots.
Anyone who has seen him or knows where he is, is asked to contact police.
DNA links alpine park bones to missing mother
Posted 13 Oct 2011, 12:43pm
Bones found in Victoria's Alpine National Park have been identified as those of a mother missing for six years.
The remains were found by a group of bushwalkers near the New South Wales-Victoria border in December last year.
A second search of the area by police uncovered a shoe and jeans along with more bones, including parts of the vertebrae, ribs, arm and a number of teeth.
DNA testing has confirmed the remains are Kylie Sylvester, who was last seen in Kempsey on the NSW mid-north coast in November 2005.
Ms Silvester was 33 at the time and Victorian police say she had connections to the area where her remains were found.
NSW police says the circumstances surrounding her death are yet to be determined, and a report will be prepared for the coroner.
They are appealing for information from the public, particularly any possible more recent sightings of Ms Silvester.
Coronial inquiry finds police investigation 'hopeless and below standards'
A coronial inquest into the disappearance of a Bellingen woman more than 20 years ago has found an investigation into her presumed death was "hopeless and below standard".
In handing down his findings at the Coffs Harbour Coroner's Court, the deputy state coroner, Scott Mitchell, described the investigation into Susan Kiely's disappearance as "unsystematic and unscientific".
Ms Kiely was last seen on December 1 1989 after leaving a friend's house in Short Street in Bellingen.
Her body has never been found.
The Coroner said the reaction to her disappearance was "inadequate", as she was only reported missing a week later by her former husband Robert Smith.
The Coroner Mitchell said that by then the trail had "cooled off".
The court was told Ms Kiely had a history of "moderate domestic violence" and drug and alcohol abuse and she possibly died of a drug overdose.
But the coroner pointed out the failure to maintain proper records hindered the investigation, saying there was not enough evidence to come to a conclusion about her fate.
The court heard at around the time Susan Kiely disappeared, the local council had laid landfill near the house where she was last seen.
The Coroner told the court that could have been investigated to search for human remains, but pointed out that never happened.
'Cold-Case' probe resumes in Coffs today
Updated 8 Dec 2010, 10:55am
The disappearance of a Bellingen woman more than 20 years ago is the focus of a Coronial Inquiry due to resume in Coffs Harbour this morning.
Susan Kiely was last seen on December 1, 1989, in Bellingen.
She was 33 at the time of her disappearance and the mother of two young girls.
Her body has never been found.
She was unemployed and reportedly hitch-hiked frequently.
The Inquest into her disappearance started in July this year but was abruptly shut down part-heard by Deputy State Coroner Scott Mitchell.
The hearing in July heard from 12 witnesses, and is set down to run until the end of this week.
Final forest search for 73-year-old missing near Wauchope
Updated 21 Oct 2010, 9:05am
A police search in forest west of Port Macquarie for an elderly man missing for two weeks, will completely wind up today.
Edward Arnold was last seen on the Oxley highway at Wauchope near the Broken Bago State Forest on Wednesday evening October the 6th.
Police say it is feared the 73-year-old wandered into the forest.
Extensive searches of the bushland and surrounding areas have failed to find any trace of him.
A final search using a police dog will take place today.
Nambucca
Updated 14 Oct 2010, 8:06am
Detectives on the Mid North Coast are renewing an appeal for information about a man last seen in the Nambucca Heads area in the late 1980s.
Several investigations have been made into the disappearance of Ian Braund.
He was last seen on a farm at Thumb Creek, about 30 kilometres from Taylors Arm, in February 1987.
He was aged 21 at the time.
Police say there was heavy rain and flooding in the region for about 10 days after Mr Braund went missing, which hampered search efforts.
All of his possessions were left behind and his personal bank accounts were not accessed.
The officer in charge of the investigation, Detective Senior Constable Justin Welsh, says Mr Braund's family is still searching for answers.
Body found near Border Ranges National Park in northern NSW believed to be missing camper Judith Williams
Updated 20 Nov 2013, 9:37am
Police believe a body found on a property in northern New South Wales is that of a missing camper.
Judith Williams disappeared overnight on October 19 while she was camping at Sheepstation Creek, a site within the Border Ranges National Park just south of the NSW-Queensland border.
The 53-year-old woman from Coraki, south of Lismore, was camping with her husband and was last seen when she got up to use the campsite toilet about 3am.
Inspector Nicole Bruce says a body was found by a nearby landowner yesterday.
"About 4pm yesterday a property owner was on his land mustering when he's come across what appeared to be the remains of a person," she said.
"This was about only 700 metres from Sheepstation Creek camping ground and we believe it may be the missing person that we've been looking for for several weeks."
An extensive search was carried out soon after the disappearance by police, State Emergency Service volunteers and National Parks and Wildlife Service officers.
"Apparently it's quite rugged terrain there and bushland and the property adjoining it is a large one," Inspector Bruce said.
Police have taken the remains for forensic examination and to formally confirm the identify of the body.
Foul play has not been ruled out.
"It's hard to determine with the weather we've had and we're still investigating," Inspector Bruce said.
At the time of her disappearance police said Mrs Williams needed regular medication for medical conditions including dementia and had difficulty walking.
Fears held for missing woman in Border Ranges National Park
Updated 21 Oct 2013, 7:51am
Police hold serious concerns for a woman who has gone missing in a national park in northern New South Wales.
A land and air search has resumed this morning for 53-year-old Judith Williams in the Border Ranges National Park.
She was camping with her husband, and was last seen in the early hours of Saturday morning when she went to use the toilet.
Inspector Douglas Conners from Lismore police says Mrs Williams suffers from the early stages of dementia and may have been disoriented.
"The distance between the caravan and the two toilet blocks in the camp sites is not a great distance," he said.
"The issue is that it's dark, the woman has early stages of dementia and epilepsy so it is quite feasible that she may well have become disoriented."
Inspector Conners says rescue crews are hoping for a good outcome.
"We'll be back on site from 7am and we are going to continue the search through out the course of today," he said.
"While there are some very serious risks to this woman's health she may be still alive if we can get to her today.
"It is baffling, I will say it is baffling but we're not going to give up the search."
MORE TO FOLLOW...
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paulmcleod67
Re: Long Term Missing Person's, recovered Human remains & Yo
Craig Ewen Taylor 1993
Circumstances:
Craig Taylor was last seen on 3 September 1993 at his grandparents shack in Coningham, a southern suburb of Hobart.
Prior to his disappearance, Craig lived with his family in Launceston and had two older sisters, Susan aged 14 years and Margaret aged 12 years. The Taylor family often spent school holidays at a shack belonging to Mrs Taylor’s parents located in Coningham. The family had visited on numerous occasions and Craig would have known the local beach, main road and local area well.
Mrs Taylor and the children arrived at the shack on Thursday 2 September 1993 intending to stay until 9 September. At about 9.30am the next day Craig spoke to his mother, made her toast and had his own breakfast. Later Mrs Taylor asked him to get dressed as she intended to take him with her while she travelled to Kingston to do some shopping.
However, when she was preparing to leave she found that he was not in the house and calls for him in the close vicinity were unsuccessful. Mrs Taylor went to Kingston at about 11.30am leaving her daughters at the shack. She returned about 1pm, and Craig had still not returned. Craig has not been seen since
Record of Investigation Into Death (Without Inquest)
Corners Act 1995
Coroners Rules 2006
Rule 11
I, Stephen Raymond Carey, Coroner, have investigated the death of Craig Ewen Taylor
Find That:
(a) Craig Ewen Taylor (“Craig”) died on or about 3 September 1993 at or in the vicinity of Coningham in Tasmania.
(b) Craig was born in Edinburgh on 1 April 1984 and was aged 9 years at the time of his death.
(c) Craig was a student, attending Grade 3 at East Launceston Primary School.
(d) I am unable to determine the precise cause of death but in all probability believe that his death was as a result of drowning in the waters off Coningham.
(e) At the time of Craig’s death he was not being treated by a medical practitioner.
Circumstances Surrounding the Death:
Craig’s natural mother, Veronica Dunbar, had issues with the abuse of alcohol as a result of which Craig was taken firstly into temporary care, but later into permanent care when Craig was approximately 6 months old. At this time Craig’s uncle, Roger Taylor and his wife Sandra, took steps to adopt Craig. After approximately 16 months they were successful in this regard and Craig arrived in Launceston in August 1986, aged 2 years and 4 months. Due to the initial neglect in his infancy, Craig suffered low muscle tone which initially affected his speech and motor skills and he required regular physiotherapy in the early years. However by age 4 years he was assessed as having reached satisfactory development, although his coordination skills and overall strength remained affected and he had a permanent tremble in his left hand (his dominant hand). He also had a low attention span and the advice was that this would remain with him permanently and was believed to have been a result of the effects upon him in utero due to his mother drinking alcohol during pregnancy.
Craig lived with his family in Launceston with two elder sisters, Susan aged 14 years and Margaret aged 12 years, at the time of his disappearance.
The Taylor family often spent school holidays at a shack belonging to Mrs Taylor’s parents located at 159 Conningham Road, Coningham. The family had been to this shack on numerous occasions and Craig would have known the local beach, main road and area about the shack well.
Mrs Taylor and the children arrived at the shack at around 4.00pm on Thursday 2 September 1993 intending to stay there until 9 September. Craig appeared happy and helped to unload the car before playing in his room. At about 9.30am the next day Craig spoke to his mother, made her toast and had his own breakfast. Later Mrs Taylor asked him to get dressed as she intended to take him with her while she travelled to Kingston to do some shopping. However, when she was preparing to leave she found that he was not in the house and calls for him in the close vicinity were unsuccessful. Mrs Taylor went to Kingston at about 11.30am leaving her daughters at the shack. She had checked the general area of the house, a vacant block nearby and the beach before she left and she also checked the area about Margate upon her travels. She returned about 1.00pm, and Craig had still not returned. At about 4.00pm Mrs Taylor drove to Kingston to inform police. She then returned to Coningham via Snug and the beach and continued to search for him in the local area. Police then attended and a search was commenced.
Police were given a history that in the month prior to his disappearance at Coningham, Craig had 2 other unexplained absences from home:
⦁ On Sunday 15 August 1993 his parents returned to their home at approximately 3.30pm having left Craig with his sisters. Upon their arrival they noted Craig was missing. Mrs Taylor and her husband drove around the area for about 3 hours searching for him and then notified police at about 6.30pm that he was missing. At about 8.15pm police located Craig on a street approximately 5 minutes away from his home, and he appeared at that time to be returning home. Craig offered three different explanations as to why he had left home, however he was upset when he did return home and promised that he would not leave home unexplained again.
⦁ On Monday 23 August 1993 Mrs Taylor left home at about 5.40pm to take Margaret to the doctor leaving Craig at home with Susan and expecting Mr Taylor to arrive home shortly after she left. Mr Taylor in fact arrived home within 5 to 10 minutes and noted that Craig was once again absent. Again his parents searched for him without success and notified police of his absence at about 10.00pm only to be informed by police that a child, who turned out to be Craig, had been located knocking on the door of a residence approximately 3 to 4 kilometres away from his home.
On 6 September 1993, Ms Donna Ritchie provided police with a summary of the counselling session she had had with Craig on 25 August 1993 following the second instance of him running away from home. On that occasion Craig told her that he had run away because it was boring, he said “when I’m alone I just jump the fence and go for a walk”.
Upon being notified of his disappearance, police considered the most probable scenarios being that he had become lost or injured in the area. A preliminary search of the area was conducted and mobile patrols were maintained throughout the night. A full scale search of the area was commenced at first light involving SES, horse riders, Water Police, Police Search & Rescue (including volunteer bush walking groups), trail bikes and local volunteers. The search focussed on the coast line and the entire area of the Coningham State Reserve and was suspended at nightfall without success. Investigators also examined numerous alleged sightings of a boy matching Craig’s description during the day, however this task was made more difficult by having to eliminate sightings of a large number of non-local children who were holidaying in the area due to it being a school holiday period.
On Sunday 5 September the search resumed with a further 60 searchers participating and the search comprising the same elements as the previous day. Additionally the police diving team were employed and searched water holes in the immediate vicinity of the holiday home where Craig was staying, as well as off shore on Coningham beach where a witness had reported sighting an object under water about 50 metres off shore at about 3.45pm on Friday 3 September. All dives had negative results. By night fall on Sunday 5 September it was concluded that the area had been comprehensively searched and the police command centre was relocated to the Kingston Police Station.
On Monday 6 September a police line search of the residential area of Coningham was undertaken and the waters from Snug through to Oyster Cove were again searched by the Water Police.
Whilst these searches were being undertaken extensive media coverage resulted in dozens of calls from the public in relation to possible sightings of Craig. Each aspect of public information was analysed and where appropriate statements were obtained. Door knocks were conducted of the entire Coningham area, Old Station Road, Davies Road and large sections of the Channel Highway from Kettering through to Kingston.
On Saturday 4 September, Stewart and Leonie Ims of 46 (now renumbered 79) Old Station Road, Coningham reported the theft of a kayak from their front yard. The kayak was 14 foot long and was of fibreglass construction. The paddle for the kayak was still on their front veranda. The kayak had last been seen in their yard at approximately 3.30pm on Friday 3 September. From where the kayak had been positioned in the front yard there was a distance of about 15 metres across a gravel road to the top of a track that runs down to the water’s edge. At approximately 11.45am on Saturday 4 September the kayak was located by Christopher James Campbell and his friend, Rodney Pless at Howden. They were walking along the beach south of the Howden fire station when they observed the kayak upside down with the front quarter section still in the water.
They pulled the kayak to shore and it was noted that the kayak had significant scratch marks on the bottom. When the kayak was later positively identified by Mrs Ims she confirmed that the bottom had a lot more scratching on it than before it had been stolen. Howden is located directly across North West Bay from Coningham.
Craig had little or no ability to swim, he had never had swimming lessons. He had never to his family’s knowledge ever used a kayak.
Of the many reported possible sightings of Craig there were 5 in particular which were deemed by investigators to probably have been of Craig. All concerned sighting him at various times during the day in or about the Coningham area. The last sighting was that by Dianne Donaghy who was at her address at 50 Old Station Road, Coningham, which is located on a sharp corner of Old Station Road near the jetty and next door to where the kayak went missing.
At around 4.00pm/4.30pm on Friday 3 September Ms Donaghy saw a young boy standing behind or beside the arrow sign on Old Station Road looking around as though to see if anyone was looking for him. She watched him for a couple of minutes and thought it looked as though he was playing hide and seek although she did not see any other children in the area. After seeing a photo of Craig she thought the person she saw could well have been him. Numerous other sightings in areas adjacent to Coningham and even other locations throughout Tasmania were investigated but none were thought likely to have been Craig.
One potential sighting was extensively investigated, having been reported by Sheralee May Direen of Deep Bay. Ms Direen reported that at about 5.00pm on Friday 3 September she was travelling south on Channel Highway towards Snug. As she approached the Coningham turn off she noticed a young boy standing on the side of the road apparently hitchhiking towards Hobart.
She didn’t take much notice of the boy except noting that he had short brown hair and dark clothing (this was consistent with Craig). As she went past him she noticed a white 1991 Holden Commodore station wagon coming towards her. She particularly noticed the vehicle had yellow number plates and roof racks identical to one owned by a friend of hers and she was preparing to wave to her friend when she realised it wasn’t him. When she passed the vehicle she looked in her rear vision mirror and saw the vehicle pull up next to the boy. She did not see whether or not the boy got into the car.
Police were impressed by the genuineness of this report and this was confirmed when Ms Direen underwent hypnotherapy conducted by Dr Guy Grant in Devonport. Whilst under hypnosis she gave a genuine and detailed account of her observations but was unable to give any further description of the boy except to say that he was about the same age as her son (10 years), he was standing in the shadow of some trees and he was of small build.
As a result of this report there was further media saturation, including a re-enactment of her observations and release of a photo fit of the driver. Despite dozens of calls suggesting the possible identity of the vehicle and driver all enquiries proved negative. Of particular note however is that no person came forward to say they were driving a similar vehicle in the area that afternoon in order to give some explanation for Ms Direen’s observations. Subsequently further searching took place.
On 10 September, Water Police conducted searches of the water from Snug to Oyster Cove and another search of Coningham Bay was conducted on 16 September without result. On 21 September 14 SES staff conducted a search of the entire foreshore from Howden to Coningham and a further search of that area was conducted by police recruits on 8 November. A number of items of clothing were located during these searches however they were all positively excluded as items belonging to Craig by his mother Sandra Taylor when placed before her on 10 November. Finally on 21 September police divers conducted further searches in the Howden area where the kayak had been recovered, as well as around all vessels moored in North West Bay. All dives were unsuccessful in locating evidence relating to Craig.
Craig has not been located and there have been no indications as to his whereabouts since his disappearance on 3 September 1993. I am satisfied that detailed searches were conducted and that the most probable explanation for his disappearance is that he took the kayak from the Ims’ property dragging it across the roadway and entered the water in the kayak. He had no experience in the use of a kayak and had little or no ability to swim. I am satisfied that it is probable that this kayak overturned throwing Craig into the water and that he subsequently perished by drowning or hyperthermia.
Given the identification of an incident given by Ms Direen has not been satisfactorily excluded the possibility that Craig entered that motor vehicle and subsequently came to harm cannot be excluded and this alternate possibility remains open.
I am satisfied however given the lack of any information as to Craig’s location subsequent to his disappearance and the unlikelihood that he was able to run away and establish himself somewhere else that he in fact died on or about the day of his disappearance. His cause of death cannot be positively determined.
Comments:
I have decided not to hold a public inquest hearing into his death because my investigations have sufficiently disclosed the identity of the deceased person, the time, place, cause of death, relevant circumstances concerning how the death occurred and the particulars needed to register the death under the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act 1999. I do not consider that the holding of a public inquest hearing would elicit any information further to that disclosed by the investigations conducted by me.
Before I conclude this matter, I wish to convey my sincere condolences to Craig’s family.
This matter is now concluded.
DATED: 4 August 2014 at Hobart in the state of Tasmania.
Stephen Raymond Carey
CORONER
Circumstances:
Craig Taylor was last seen on 3 September 1993 at his grandparents shack in Coningham, a southern suburb of Hobart.
Prior to his disappearance, Craig lived with his family in Launceston and had two older sisters, Susan aged 14 years and Margaret aged 12 years. The Taylor family often spent school holidays at a shack belonging to Mrs Taylor’s parents located in Coningham. The family had visited on numerous occasions and Craig would have known the local beach, main road and local area well.
Mrs Taylor and the children arrived at the shack on Thursday 2 September 1993 intending to stay until 9 September. At about 9.30am the next day Craig spoke to his mother, made her toast and had his own breakfast. Later Mrs Taylor asked him to get dressed as she intended to take him with her while she travelled to Kingston to do some shopping.
However, when she was preparing to leave she found that he was not in the house and calls for him in the close vicinity were unsuccessful. Mrs Taylor went to Kingston at about 11.30am leaving her daughters at the shack. She returned about 1pm, and Craig had still not returned. Craig has not been seen since
Record of Investigation Into Death (Without Inquest)
Corners Act 1995
Coroners Rules 2006
Rule 11
I, Stephen Raymond Carey, Coroner, have investigated the death of Craig Ewen Taylor
Find That:
(a) Craig Ewen Taylor (“Craig”) died on or about 3 September 1993 at or in the vicinity of Coningham in Tasmania.
(b) Craig was born in Edinburgh on 1 April 1984 and was aged 9 years at the time of his death.
(c) Craig was a student, attending Grade 3 at East Launceston Primary School.
(d) I am unable to determine the precise cause of death but in all probability believe that his death was as a result of drowning in the waters off Coningham.
(e) At the time of Craig’s death he was not being treated by a medical practitioner.
Circumstances Surrounding the Death:
Craig’s natural mother, Veronica Dunbar, had issues with the abuse of alcohol as a result of which Craig was taken firstly into temporary care, but later into permanent care when Craig was approximately 6 months old. At this time Craig’s uncle, Roger Taylor and his wife Sandra, took steps to adopt Craig. After approximately 16 months they were successful in this regard and Craig arrived in Launceston in August 1986, aged 2 years and 4 months. Due to the initial neglect in his infancy, Craig suffered low muscle tone which initially affected his speech and motor skills and he required regular physiotherapy in the early years. However by age 4 years he was assessed as having reached satisfactory development, although his coordination skills and overall strength remained affected and he had a permanent tremble in his left hand (his dominant hand). He also had a low attention span and the advice was that this would remain with him permanently and was believed to have been a result of the effects upon him in utero due to his mother drinking alcohol during pregnancy.
Craig lived with his family in Launceston with two elder sisters, Susan aged 14 years and Margaret aged 12 years, at the time of his disappearance.
The Taylor family often spent school holidays at a shack belonging to Mrs Taylor’s parents located at 159 Conningham Road, Coningham. The family had been to this shack on numerous occasions and Craig would have known the local beach, main road and area about the shack well.
Mrs Taylor and the children arrived at the shack at around 4.00pm on Thursday 2 September 1993 intending to stay there until 9 September. Craig appeared happy and helped to unload the car before playing in his room. At about 9.30am the next day Craig spoke to his mother, made her toast and had his own breakfast. Later Mrs Taylor asked him to get dressed as she intended to take him with her while she travelled to Kingston to do some shopping. However, when she was preparing to leave she found that he was not in the house and calls for him in the close vicinity were unsuccessful. Mrs Taylor went to Kingston at about 11.30am leaving her daughters at the shack. She had checked the general area of the house, a vacant block nearby and the beach before she left and she also checked the area about Margate upon her travels. She returned about 1.00pm, and Craig had still not returned. At about 4.00pm Mrs Taylor drove to Kingston to inform police. She then returned to Coningham via Snug and the beach and continued to search for him in the local area. Police then attended and a search was commenced.
Police were given a history that in the month prior to his disappearance at Coningham, Craig had 2 other unexplained absences from home:
⦁ On Sunday 15 August 1993 his parents returned to their home at approximately 3.30pm having left Craig with his sisters. Upon their arrival they noted Craig was missing. Mrs Taylor and her husband drove around the area for about 3 hours searching for him and then notified police at about 6.30pm that he was missing. At about 8.15pm police located Craig on a street approximately 5 minutes away from his home, and he appeared at that time to be returning home. Craig offered three different explanations as to why he had left home, however he was upset when he did return home and promised that he would not leave home unexplained again.
⦁ On Monday 23 August 1993 Mrs Taylor left home at about 5.40pm to take Margaret to the doctor leaving Craig at home with Susan and expecting Mr Taylor to arrive home shortly after she left. Mr Taylor in fact arrived home within 5 to 10 minutes and noted that Craig was once again absent. Again his parents searched for him without success and notified police of his absence at about 10.00pm only to be informed by police that a child, who turned out to be Craig, had been located knocking on the door of a residence approximately 3 to 4 kilometres away from his home.
On 6 September 1993, Ms Donna Ritchie provided police with a summary of the counselling session she had had with Craig on 25 August 1993 following the second instance of him running away from home. On that occasion Craig told her that he had run away because it was boring, he said “when I’m alone I just jump the fence and go for a walk”.
Upon being notified of his disappearance, police considered the most probable scenarios being that he had become lost or injured in the area. A preliminary search of the area was conducted and mobile patrols were maintained throughout the night. A full scale search of the area was commenced at first light involving SES, horse riders, Water Police, Police Search & Rescue (including volunteer bush walking groups), trail bikes and local volunteers. The search focussed on the coast line and the entire area of the Coningham State Reserve and was suspended at nightfall without success. Investigators also examined numerous alleged sightings of a boy matching Craig’s description during the day, however this task was made more difficult by having to eliminate sightings of a large number of non-local children who were holidaying in the area due to it being a school holiday period.
On Sunday 5 September the search resumed with a further 60 searchers participating and the search comprising the same elements as the previous day. Additionally the police diving team were employed and searched water holes in the immediate vicinity of the holiday home where Craig was staying, as well as off shore on Coningham beach where a witness had reported sighting an object under water about 50 metres off shore at about 3.45pm on Friday 3 September. All dives had negative results. By night fall on Sunday 5 September it was concluded that the area had been comprehensively searched and the police command centre was relocated to the Kingston Police Station.
On Monday 6 September a police line search of the residential area of Coningham was undertaken and the waters from Snug through to Oyster Cove were again searched by the Water Police.
Whilst these searches were being undertaken extensive media coverage resulted in dozens of calls from the public in relation to possible sightings of Craig. Each aspect of public information was analysed and where appropriate statements were obtained. Door knocks were conducted of the entire Coningham area, Old Station Road, Davies Road and large sections of the Channel Highway from Kettering through to Kingston.
On Saturday 4 September, Stewart and Leonie Ims of 46 (now renumbered 79) Old Station Road, Coningham reported the theft of a kayak from their front yard. The kayak was 14 foot long and was of fibreglass construction. The paddle for the kayak was still on their front veranda. The kayak had last been seen in their yard at approximately 3.30pm on Friday 3 September. From where the kayak had been positioned in the front yard there was a distance of about 15 metres across a gravel road to the top of a track that runs down to the water’s edge. At approximately 11.45am on Saturday 4 September the kayak was located by Christopher James Campbell and his friend, Rodney Pless at Howden. They were walking along the beach south of the Howden fire station when they observed the kayak upside down with the front quarter section still in the water.
They pulled the kayak to shore and it was noted that the kayak had significant scratch marks on the bottom. When the kayak was later positively identified by Mrs Ims she confirmed that the bottom had a lot more scratching on it than before it had been stolen. Howden is located directly across North West Bay from Coningham.
Craig had little or no ability to swim, he had never had swimming lessons. He had never to his family’s knowledge ever used a kayak.
Of the many reported possible sightings of Craig there were 5 in particular which were deemed by investigators to probably have been of Craig. All concerned sighting him at various times during the day in or about the Coningham area. The last sighting was that by Dianne Donaghy who was at her address at 50 Old Station Road, Coningham, which is located on a sharp corner of Old Station Road near the jetty and next door to where the kayak went missing.
At around 4.00pm/4.30pm on Friday 3 September Ms Donaghy saw a young boy standing behind or beside the arrow sign on Old Station Road looking around as though to see if anyone was looking for him. She watched him for a couple of minutes and thought it looked as though he was playing hide and seek although she did not see any other children in the area. After seeing a photo of Craig she thought the person she saw could well have been him. Numerous other sightings in areas adjacent to Coningham and even other locations throughout Tasmania were investigated but none were thought likely to have been Craig.
One potential sighting was extensively investigated, having been reported by Sheralee May Direen of Deep Bay. Ms Direen reported that at about 5.00pm on Friday 3 September she was travelling south on Channel Highway towards Snug. As she approached the Coningham turn off she noticed a young boy standing on the side of the road apparently hitchhiking towards Hobart.
She didn’t take much notice of the boy except noting that he had short brown hair and dark clothing (this was consistent with Craig). As she went past him she noticed a white 1991 Holden Commodore station wagon coming towards her. She particularly noticed the vehicle had yellow number plates and roof racks identical to one owned by a friend of hers and she was preparing to wave to her friend when she realised it wasn’t him. When she passed the vehicle she looked in her rear vision mirror and saw the vehicle pull up next to the boy. She did not see whether or not the boy got into the car.
Police were impressed by the genuineness of this report and this was confirmed when Ms Direen underwent hypnotherapy conducted by Dr Guy Grant in Devonport. Whilst under hypnosis she gave a genuine and detailed account of her observations but was unable to give any further description of the boy except to say that he was about the same age as her son (10 years), he was standing in the shadow of some trees and he was of small build.
As a result of this report there was further media saturation, including a re-enactment of her observations and release of a photo fit of the driver. Despite dozens of calls suggesting the possible identity of the vehicle and driver all enquiries proved negative. Of particular note however is that no person came forward to say they were driving a similar vehicle in the area that afternoon in order to give some explanation for Ms Direen’s observations. Subsequently further searching took place.
On 10 September, Water Police conducted searches of the water from Snug to Oyster Cove and another search of Coningham Bay was conducted on 16 September without result. On 21 September 14 SES staff conducted a search of the entire foreshore from Howden to Coningham and a further search of that area was conducted by police recruits on 8 November. A number of items of clothing were located during these searches however they were all positively excluded as items belonging to Craig by his mother Sandra Taylor when placed before her on 10 November. Finally on 21 September police divers conducted further searches in the Howden area where the kayak had been recovered, as well as around all vessels moored in North West Bay. All dives were unsuccessful in locating evidence relating to Craig.
Craig has not been located and there have been no indications as to his whereabouts since his disappearance on 3 September 1993. I am satisfied that detailed searches were conducted and that the most probable explanation for his disappearance is that he took the kayak from the Ims’ property dragging it across the roadway and entered the water in the kayak. He had no experience in the use of a kayak and had little or no ability to swim. I am satisfied that it is probable that this kayak overturned throwing Craig into the water and that he subsequently perished by drowning or hyperthermia.
Given the identification of an incident given by Ms Direen has not been satisfactorily excluded the possibility that Craig entered that motor vehicle and subsequently came to harm cannot be excluded and this alternate possibility remains open.
I am satisfied however given the lack of any information as to Craig’s location subsequent to his disappearance and the unlikelihood that he was able to run away and establish himself somewhere else that he in fact died on or about the day of his disappearance. His cause of death cannot be positively determined.
Comments:
I have decided not to hold a public inquest hearing into his death because my investigations have sufficiently disclosed the identity of the deceased person, the time, place, cause of death, relevant circumstances concerning how the death occurred and the particulars needed to register the death under the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act 1999. I do not consider that the holding of a public inquest hearing would elicit any information further to that disclosed by the investigations conducted by me.
Before I conclude this matter, I wish to convey my sincere condolences to Craig’s family.
This matter is now concluded.
DATED: 4 August 2014 at Hobart in the state of Tasmania.
Stephen Raymond Carey
CORONER
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paulmcleod67
Re: Long Term Missing Person's, recovered Human remains & Yo
Patrick Hildebrand 9
Young Paddy had gone on ahead about ten minutes into the walk before every parent’s worst nightmare unfolded. The scene: a mother, calling out for her son to wait. No reply. Louder calls. Running, shouting, rising panic, retracing steps to the car park, and finally a sprint to the nearby ranger station. A massive search was assembled. A hat believed to belong to Paddy was found, as well as a bed of ferns, but after a week of combing the area Christine Hildebrand drove away without her son. No trace of Paddy Hildebrand was ever found. He had vanished into the woods.
There’s a place in the Victorian bush called Lilly Pilly Gully. It sounds like something from a fairytale, but it’s also the place where nine-year-old Patrick Hildebrand disappeared. It was the end of June in 1987, and Paddy was walking ahead of his family on a bush walking track. Considered mildly autistic (although not officially diagnosed) Paddy loved to bushwalk. He ran ahead of his family, and was never seen again. His disappearance prompted an enormous search of the area that saw those involved come back over the years and search some more, unbelieving that Paddy could have gone unnoticed with so many people looking for him. A mystery, and a tragedy.
‘He must be there,’ says Shane Cunningham* a senior volunteer searcher with over 25 years experience. ‘We searched so hard and for so long. People put so much effort into it. We were loaded into helicopters, winched down onto the top of the ridge, marched down and then getting winched back up into the helicopter to do it all again. The vegetation was incredibly thick, but by the fifth day the entire area was completely trampled. We didn’t know what more we could do.’ Some couldn’t accept that the search was unsuccessful. ‘One of the senior sergeants at the time had a son about the same age as Paddy, and used to go down there for years after the search finished and just tramp around in his own time. He had a bit of a breakdown because he couldn’t believe that with all those resources Paddy couldn’t be found.’ A mother broken, searchers disbelieving, and a scenario played out all too often in the Australian outdoors.
Patrick Hildebrand 9
Born 1978
Missing Lilly Pilly Gully 1350 saturday 4th June in 1987
Located in Victoria’s remote Wilson’s Promontory,
Considered mildly autistic (although not officially diagnosed)
Had seizures and needed medication for.epilepsy
He ran ahead of his family, and was never seen again
A little yellow plastic rain hat believed to belong to Paddy was found, as well as a bed of ferns.
Young Paddy had gone on ahead about ten minutes into the walk before every parent’s worst nightmare unfolded. The scene: a mother, calling out for her son to wait. No reply. Louder calls. Running, shouting, rising panic, retracing steps to the car park, and finally a sprint to the nearby ranger station. A massive search was assembled. A hat believed to belong to Paddy was found, as well as a bed of ferns, but after a week of combing the area Christine Hildebrand drove away without her son. No trace of Paddy Hildebrand was ever found. He had vanished into the woods.
There’s a place in the Victorian bush called Lilly Pilly Gully. It sounds like something from a fairytale, but it’s also the place where nine-year-old Patrick Hildebrand disappeared. It was the end of June in 1987, and Paddy was walking ahead of his family on a bush walking track. Considered mildly autistic (although not officially diagnosed) Paddy loved to bushwalk. He ran ahead of his family, and was never seen again. His disappearance prompted an enormous search of the area that saw those involved come back over the years and search some more, unbelieving that Paddy could have gone unnoticed with so many people looking for him. A mystery, and a tragedy.
‘He must be there,’ says Shane Cunningham* a senior volunteer searcher with over 25 years experience. ‘We searched so hard and for so long. People put so much effort into it. We were loaded into helicopters, winched down onto the top of the ridge, marched down and then getting winched back up into the helicopter to do it all again. The vegetation was incredibly thick, but by the fifth day the entire area was completely trampled. We didn’t know what more we could do.’ Some couldn’t accept that the search was unsuccessful. ‘One of the senior sergeants at the time had a son about the same age as Paddy, and used to go down there for years after the search finished and just tramp around in his own time. He had a bit of a breakdown because he couldn’t believe that with all those resources Paddy couldn’t be found.’ A mother broken, searchers disbelieving, and a scenario played out all too often in the Australian outdoors.
Patrick Hildebrand 9
Born 1978
Missing Lilly Pilly Gully 1350 saturday 4th June in 1987
Located in Victoria’s remote Wilson’s Promontory,
Considered mildly autistic (although not officially diagnosed)
Had seizures and needed medication for.epilepsy
He ran ahead of his family, and was never seen again
A little yellow plastic rain hat believed to belong to Paddy was found, as well as a bed of ferns.
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paulmcleod67
Re: Long Term Missing Person's, recovered Human remains & Yo
I will add more cases, once these few (above) have had time to be read through by members and visitors of the board.
Cheers
Cheers
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ronstar1
- Bronze Status
- Posts: 73
- Joined: Wed Aug 04, 2010 6:23 pm
Re: Long Term Missing Person's, recovered Human remains & Yo
Hi Paul I came across an interesting story at dairyville near coffs harbour a few years ago about a camper whos bottom half of body was found in a creek.If you go to google and type in dairyville remains the story will come up. The most interesting parts were 1. campsite wrecked 2. rest of body never found 3. DNA found at campsite unknown. This was in by memory 2009 and on the sightings database there was a sighting of a yowie in the same area and year. You may already have this info, anyway it is up here for other forum members to have a look at.
By the way great work Paul.
By the way great work Paul.
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paulmcleod67
Re: Long Term Missing Person's, recovered Human remains & Yo
ronstar1 wrote:Hi Paul I came across an interesting story at dairyville near coffs harbour a few years ago about a camper whos bottom half of body was found in a creek.If you go to google and type in dairyville remains the story will come up. The most interesting parts were 1. campsite wrecked 2. rest of body never found 3. DNA found at campsite unknown. This was in by memory 2009 and on the sightings database there was a sighting of a yowie in the same area and year. You may already have this info, anyway it is up here for other forum members to have a look at.
By the way great work Paul.
Yes that's an interesting case, I have a fair bit of detail on it already, including notes from the recovery of the body parts. Ill post it today hopefully. Scary stuff as there have been a few people found in this condition.
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paulmcleod67
Re: Long Term Missing Person's, recovered Human remains & Yo
HISTORICAL ACCOUNTS AND A DEATH?
The unnerving experience of young Pat Wring, a shepherd, was recounted. While boiling his billy, young Pat’s dogs began barking from down an inaccessible cliff. When Pat went to investigate, expecting to find his dogs having cornered a kangaroo, he saw something completely unexpected.
The 1878 newspaper report of the encounter stated: “Pat’s surprise may easily be imagined when his eyes looked down on a hairy monster. Standing upright, a body apparently as round as a horse, arms as round as a man’s thigh, three claws on each foot it stood, to the best of his belief, about 4 feet high. The head resembled a pig’s, but turned upwards.”
Only one of Pat’s dogs, accustomed to hunting and bringing down kangaroos, was brave, or foolish, enough to go near the creature. The short, hairy monster picked up the attacking dog and threw it into the air. The dog landed on the rocks about 30 yards away. The dog sprang at the creature again, and again, it was thrown into the air.
From atop the cliff, Pat threw a 14 pound stone at the strange animal, fearing that his dog would be killed. The stone hit its mark, but it had no effect. The creature sprang up and began to climb monkey-fashion up the cliff.
“Pat saw no more, as he thought it was time to run for his life; he never looked back. His heart beat so audibly that he fancied it was the quick stamping of the strange thing behind him.”
While Pat escaped unscathed, unfortunately, his brave dog died shortly after its violent
Stockmen stalked throughout the night
A creature fitting the description of a Yowie, stalked four stockmen out camping one evening in 1892. The creature began by throwing stones at the four men while they were fishing in the early evening. The men fled back to their camp, where they again came under attack from a volley of stones. Again, they packed up and fled their camp on their horses. What followed was a terrifying night-time flight through the bush as the unknown stone-thrower continued to stalk them in the darkness.
“Just as daylight was approaching, [the stockmen] thought they were at last in safety, and were preparing for three to sleep, while one kept watch, when presently one of the men distinctly saw the form of a large creature, resembling a man, being about the same height, but much larger in the body, standing about 50 yards above them, on the spur they had been going up, and was directly in front of them, preventing them from going any farther.
“He stood for a moment in a clear place between the trees, and could be distinctly seen against the sky, in the pale light of coming day. He stood only for an instant, and then moved slowly and silently down the hill. All this time the horses were very fidgety, and snorting as if they smelt something they were afraid of…
“Presently they could see the animal sneaking quietly up the hill towards them, and this time on one side. They galloped off again down the spur. There were no stones thrown till they were in motion, when several flew swiftly past them, and they narrowly escaped being hit by some. The animal followed them for a short distance, and then, after throwing one more stone, made off up a very steep spur, a place no horse could possibly climb, and they saw no more of him.”
Forty years later came another account of men on horseback being attacked by a large unknown creature.
Shaggy beast like a gorilla attacks three
Adelaide’s Mail on 27 February 1932 carried the following sensational headline: Armed Men Hunt Strange Monster. Shaggy Beast Like Huge Gorilla Prowls Mountains: People Terrified. Attacks Three.
The report began: “Armed bushmen are hunting for a mysterious beast, shaggy and powerful, that has attacked three men in the mountainous region between Blight and Yackandandah. The people are terrified.
“Its footprints have been found, but opinions vary as to the identity of the animal. Some say it is 7 feet high and is hairy-headed, and looks like a clumsy deer, and that it has razor-like claws and four white tusks. Those who have seen the beast were too terrified to know exactly what they saw. They say variously that it is an old-man kangaroo, grizzly bear, and a mad gorilla. It is the pivot of a dozen different theories, but the countryside is unanimous that the strange animal lurks in the shadows and leaps on passing horsemen.”
The article continued with a narrow escape from a night-time attack by the hairy beast.
“A farmer, on a recent moonlight night, was riding home about 10 o’clock. Just as he bent over the saddle on the horse, there was a grunt and a scuffle, and a heavy, lumbering figure leapt at the head of his horse. The animal bolted with the farmer holding on for his life. Later an inspection disclosed footmarks like those of a grizzly bear. A few nights later the farmer heard the strange visitor lumbering and grunting around his hut. Outside the horses whinnied in terror. Three of the most daring men in the district went out to hunt through the mountain wilderness for the prowling terror. With guns ready they spent the night out in the open, but found no trace.”
“Later they were passing through the eerie shadows on the Running Creek road, talking of their exploit, a shade sceptical, when, in the twinkling of an eye, the thing that they had been seeking was on them.”
“The horses were scared, and rearing, broke the shafts of the buckboard, on which the men were riding. The three men were thrown to the roadway. Grabbing their guns they fired, but in their confusion the mystery animal scuttled back into the bush, apparently unharmed. When daylight came, the men found the prints of the animal, but could not guess what it was.
Soon after this encounter, a young drover was lucky to escape with his life.
“On Thursday William Nuttall, a 21 year-old drover, with some women and men friends, was riding home to Myrtleford. The moon was shining. Young Nuttall got off his horse to tighten the girth, and the others went on slowly. Those ahead heard him shout, ‘Ride like mad! Some strange beast is attacking me’. The mysterious animal had hidden in the shadows and made a sweep at him with its paw. It ripped Nuttall’s shirt to ribbons, but missed his body. Nuttall’s horse took fright and bolted, but he stuck to the saddle.
“When Nuttall looked round he saw a large hairy creature. A sudden swerve by the horse unseated him, and he dashed for the wire fence which divided him from the railway line. He raced for life along the rails with the animal close on his heels.
“About 20 or 30 yards ahead he saw his horse standing on the roadway, shivering with fright. Nuttall leapt the fence with a bound and, regaining the saddle, urged the horse on.”
While some speculated that perhaps an old, half-blind kangaroo was responsible for the attack, Nuttall did not accept that theory. He was convinced that he had been attacked by an animal resembling a gorilla.
While Nuttall was lucky to escape with his life, years earlier, another man was not so lucky.
A deadly attack by a Yowie?
Just a year after the four stockmen were stalked throughout the night by what appears to be a stone-throwing Yowie, a shale miner, Charles Wilson, from Glen Davis near Newnes in New South Wales, went missing. He was apparently found dead several days later, the condition of his body suggested he’d been the victim of cannibalism. Following numerous sightings over the years, and an account of the abduction of a child, locals were convinced that the “giant hairy man” was responsible for poor Wilson’s gruesome death.
The unnerving experience of young Pat Wring, a shepherd, was recounted. While boiling his billy, young Pat’s dogs began barking from down an inaccessible cliff. When Pat went to investigate, expecting to find his dogs having cornered a kangaroo, he saw something completely unexpected.
The 1878 newspaper report of the encounter stated: “Pat’s surprise may easily be imagined when his eyes looked down on a hairy monster. Standing upright, a body apparently as round as a horse, arms as round as a man’s thigh, three claws on each foot it stood, to the best of his belief, about 4 feet high. The head resembled a pig’s, but turned upwards.”
Only one of Pat’s dogs, accustomed to hunting and bringing down kangaroos, was brave, or foolish, enough to go near the creature. The short, hairy monster picked up the attacking dog and threw it into the air. The dog landed on the rocks about 30 yards away. The dog sprang at the creature again, and again, it was thrown into the air.
From atop the cliff, Pat threw a 14 pound stone at the strange animal, fearing that his dog would be killed. The stone hit its mark, but it had no effect. The creature sprang up and began to climb monkey-fashion up the cliff.
“Pat saw no more, as he thought it was time to run for his life; he never looked back. His heart beat so audibly that he fancied it was the quick stamping of the strange thing behind him.”
While Pat escaped unscathed, unfortunately, his brave dog died shortly after its violent
Stockmen stalked throughout the night
A creature fitting the description of a Yowie, stalked four stockmen out camping one evening in 1892. The creature began by throwing stones at the four men while they were fishing in the early evening. The men fled back to their camp, where they again came under attack from a volley of stones. Again, they packed up and fled their camp on their horses. What followed was a terrifying night-time flight through the bush as the unknown stone-thrower continued to stalk them in the darkness.
“Just as daylight was approaching, [the stockmen] thought they were at last in safety, and were preparing for three to sleep, while one kept watch, when presently one of the men distinctly saw the form of a large creature, resembling a man, being about the same height, but much larger in the body, standing about 50 yards above them, on the spur they had been going up, and was directly in front of them, preventing them from going any farther.
“He stood for a moment in a clear place between the trees, and could be distinctly seen against the sky, in the pale light of coming day. He stood only for an instant, and then moved slowly and silently down the hill. All this time the horses were very fidgety, and snorting as if they smelt something they were afraid of…
“Presently they could see the animal sneaking quietly up the hill towards them, and this time on one side. They galloped off again down the spur. There were no stones thrown till they were in motion, when several flew swiftly past them, and they narrowly escaped being hit by some. The animal followed them for a short distance, and then, after throwing one more stone, made off up a very steep spur, a place no horse could possibly climb, and they saw no more of him.”
Forty years later came another account of men on horseback being attacked by a large unknown creature.
Shaggy beast like a gorilla attacks three
Adelaide’s Mail on 27 February 1932 carried the following sensational headline: Armed Men Hunt Strange Monster. Shaggy Beast Like Huge Gorilla Prowls Mountains: People Terrified. Attacks Three.
The report began: “Armed bushmen are hunting for a mysterious beast, shaggy and powerful, that has attacked three men in the mountainous region between Blight and Yackandandah. The people are terrified.
“Its footprints have been found, but opinions vary as to the identity of the animal. Some say it is 7 feet high and is hairy-headed, and looks like a clumsy deer, and that it has razor-like claws and four white tusks. Those who have seen the beast were too terrified to know exactly what they saw. They say variously that it is an old-man kangaroo, grizzly bear, and a mad gorilla. It is the pivot of a dozen different theories, but the countryside is unanimous that the strange animal lurks in the shadows and leaps on passing horsemen.”
The article continued with a narrow escape from a night-time attack by the hairy beast.
“A farmer, on a recent moonlight night, was riding home about 10 o’clock. Just as he bent over the saddle on the horse, there was a grunt and a scuffle, and a heavy, lumbering figure leapt at the head of his horse. The animal bolted with the farmer holding on for his life. Later an inspection disclosed footmarks like those of a grizzly bear. A few nights later the farmer heard the strange visitor lumbering and grunting around his hut. Outside the horses whinnied in terror. Three of the most daring men in the district went out to hunt through the mountain wilderness for the prowling terror. With guns ready they spent the night out in the open, but found no trace.”
“Later they were passing through the eerie shadows on the Running Creek road, talking of their exploit, a shade sceptical, when, in the twinkling of an eye, the thing that they had been seeking was on them.”
“The horses were scared, and rearing, broke the shafts of the buckboard, on which the men were riding. The three men were thrown to the roadway. Grabbing their guns they fired, but in their confusion the mystery animal scuttled back into the bush, apparently unharmed. When daylight came, the men found the prints of the animal, but could not guess what it was.
Soon after this encounter, a young drover was lucky to escape with his life.
“On Thursday William Nuttall, a 21 year-old drover, with some women and men friends, was riding home to Myrtleford. The moon was shining. Young Nuttall got off his horse to tighten the girth, and the others went on slowly. Those ahead heard him shout, ‘Ride like mad! Some strange beast is attacking me’. The mysterious animal had hidden in the shadows and made a sweep at him with its paw. It ripped Nuttall’s shirt to ribbons, but missed his body. Nuttall’s horse took fright and bolted, but he stuck to the saddle.
“When Nuttall looked round he saw a large hairy creature. A sudden swerve by the horse unseated him, and he dashed for the wire fence which divided him from the railway line. He raced for life along the rails with the animal close on his heels.
“About 20 or 30 yards ahead he saw his horse standing on the roadway, shivering with fright. Nuttall leapt the fence with a bound and, regaining the saddle, urged the horse on.”
While some speculated that perhaps an old, half-blind kangaroo was responsible for the attack, Nuttall did not accept that theory. He was convinced that he had been attacked by an animal resembling a gorilla.
While Nuttall was lucky to escape with his life, years earlier, another man was not so lucky.
A deadly attack by a Yowie?
Just a year after the four stockmen were stalked throughout the night by what appears to be a stone-throwing Yowie, a shale miner, Charles Wilson, from Glen Davis near Newnes in New South Wales, went missing. He was apparently found dead several days later, the condition of his body suggested he’d been the victim of cannibalism. Following numerous sightings over the years, and an account of the abduction of a child, locals were convinced that the “giant hairy man” was responsible for poor Wilson’s gruesome death.
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paulmcleod67
Re: Long Term Missing Person's, recovered Human remains & Yo
WHEN police were called to reports of human remains found on a river bank they prepared themselves for a grim murder investigation.
But their CSI-style detective work has deepened the mystery - and questioned whether Captain Cook really was the first white man to set foot on the east coast of Australia.
The cold case began in November 2011 when a perfectly intact skull was found at Manning Point, near Taree, on the state's north coast.
Police were called in and an anthropologist said it possibly belonged to a young female. But further scientific testing - the results of which came back last week - revealed the skull to be a white male, with an 80 per cent chance of it dating back to the 1600s, decades before Captain James Cook arrived aboard Endeavour.
"The DNA determined the skull was a male," Detective Sergeant John Williamson said.
"And the anthropologist report states the skull is that of a Caucasoid aged anywhere from 28 to 65."
Human remains found in Manning River
The carbon dating results put the skull - dubbed Taree - as being from two time periods, the 1600s or late 1700s.
"It's fascinating," Dr Stewart Fallon, of Australian National University, said. "Using carbon dating on bone fragment and looking at enamel from a tooth, there are two possible time periods from when the person was around."
Dr Fallon said the first period would mean the male was born between 1650 and 1660 and died 40 to 50 years later. "The second period suggests the skull belongs to someone born anywhere from 1780 to 1790 and died between 1805 and 1810."But he said his data suggested there was an 80 per cent chance the skull came from the mid-17th century.
He said it was impossible to be more exact but he was carrying out his own tests to try to establish the geographical origins of the skull.
While fascinated, archaeologist and historians are cautious. "Before we rewrite the history of European settlement we have to consider a number of issues, particularly the circumstances of the discovery," renowned Australian archaeologist Adam Ford said.
"The fact the skull is in good condition and found alone could easily point to it coming from a private collection and skulls were very popular with collectors in the 19th century."
Taree man of mystery history
No other skeletal remains were found with the skull, making its origin debatable.
"Being found near a river bed after heavy rains means it could come from anywhere, even the remains of a relative stored on a farm. But having said that it warrants further examination and could be a significant find."
The fate of "Taree" is now in the hands of the NSW Department of Planning.
"The coroner has deemed that since the skull is over 99 years old he has no jurisdiction; it is covered by the Heritage Act it is considered a relic," Sgt Williamson said.
Australia And New Zealand Inside History editor Cassie Mercer said the find was exciting: "If the skull does pre-date British settlement, it may be a tragic yet fascinating clue to the little-known history of early interactions between First Australians and the outside world.
"It's intriguing the skull was discovered in NSW, far from the northern and western coastlines that have yielded archaeological evidence of interaction between indigenous people and Dutch, Portuguese, Javanese and Chinese traders."
But their CSI-style detective work has deepened the mystery - and questioned whether Captain Cook really was the first white man to set foot on the east coast of Australia.
The cold case began in November 2011 when a perfectly intact skull was found at Manning Point, near Taree, on the state's north coast.
Police were called in and an anthropologist said it possibly belonged to a young female. But further scientific testing - the results of which came back last week - revealed the skull to be a white male, with an 80 per cent chance of it dating back to the 1600s, decades before Captain James Cook arrived aboard Endeavour.
"The DNA determined the skull was a male," Detective Sergeant John Williamson said.
"And the anthropologist report states the skull is that of a Caucasoid aged anywhere from 28 to 65."
Human remains found in Manning River
The carbon dating results put the skull - dubbed Taree - as being from two time periods, the 1600s or late 1700s.
"It's fascinating," Dr Stewart Fallon, of Australian National University, said. "Using carbon dating on bone fragment and looking at enamel from a tooth, there are two possible time periods from when the person was around."
Dr Fallon said the first period would mean the male was born between 1650 and 1660 and died 40 to 50 years later. "The second period suggests the skull belongs to someone born anywhere from 1780 to 1790 and died between 1805 and 1810."But he said his data suggested there was an 80 per cent chance the skull came from the mid-17th century.
He said it was impossible to be more exact but he was carrying out his own tests to try to establish the geographical origins of the skull.
While fascinated, archaeologist and historians are cautious. "Before we rewrite the history of European settlement we have to consider a number of issues, particularly the circumstances of the discovery," renowned Australian archaeologist Adam Ford said.
"The fact the skull is in good condition and found alone could easily point to it coming from a private collection and skulls were very popular with collectors in the 19th century."
Taree man of mystery history
No other skeletal remains were found with the skull, making its origin debatable.
"Being found near a river bed after heavy rains means it could come from anywhere, even the remains of a relative stored on a farm. But having said that it warrants further examination and could be a significant find."
The fate of "Taree" is now in the hands of the NSW Department of Planning.
"The coroner has deemed that since the skull is over 99 years old he has no jurisdiction; it is covered by the Heritage Act it is considered a relic," Sgt Williamson said.
Australia And New Zealand Inside History editor Cassie Mercer said the find was exciting: "If the skull does pre-date British settlement, it may be a tragic yet fascinating clue to the little-known history of early interactions between First Australians and the outside world.
"It's intriguing the skull was discovered in NSW, far from the northern and western coastlines that have yielded archaeological evidence of interaction between indigenous people and Dutch, Portuguese, Javanese and Chinese traders."
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paulmcleod67
Re: Long Term Missing Person's, recovered Human remains & Yo
Susan Isenhood, who went missing in 1985.
Robert Isenhood remembers the last time he saw his sister, Susan, almost 20 years ago.
It was October 2, 1985. She had gone to his place to wish him a happy birthday, and he later dropped her off at her home in the Newcastle suburb of Mayfield.
Within weeks Susan Isenhood, 22, was reported missing by her mother, with whom she lived on and off, but they never saw her again.
For 19 years Robert, now 48, and his family had kept hoping. "We always thought she was around, we never really thought . . . you always live in hope, always looking, looking but we never thought to go to theory Z [that she might be dead]," he said yesterday at his Merewether home.
Six weeks ago the Isenhood family learnt the truth of Susan's fate. DNA taken last September from their now 70-year-old mother, Elva, was a positive match to DNA taken from skeletal remains found 17 years ago at Possum Brush in the Kiwarrak State Forest, south of Taree.
But the identification had opened more wounds, Mr Isenhood said, as police announced that the case was a homicide investigation. Mr Isenhood said there should also be an investigation into how police initially identified the remains as a male, and how the missing persons file on investigation steps taken in 1985 cannot be found.
Mr Isenhood said it was only through the curiosity of his nephew, Dylan Walsh, 19, that the mystery came closer to being solved last September.
"Dylan was studying at university and had the computer skills and made it his project," he said.
On the internet Mr Walsh found a listing related to the unidentified skeletal remains of a young woman at Possum Brush, a listing placed on the missing persons index by police in 1998.
"We owe a lot to Dylan suggesting we contact missing persons, otherwise we still would not know what happened to her today," Mr Isenhood said.
THE remains of Morisset woman Susan Isenhood lay in the Kiwarrak State Forest for nine months before a family came across them.
The remains were initially thought to have been those of a teenage boy. It was 11 years before a second autopsy discovered the mistake.
By then the trails had not just gone cold, they had frozen over.
It was to be another seven years before they were identified as belonging to Ms Isenhood, and only after a relative took it upon himself to ask questions.
The Isenhood case has thrown up enough twists and turns for a feature film.
She had discharged herself from the Mandala psychiatric facility 12 days before she was dropped off by her brother, Rob Isenhood, near the Stag and Hunter Hotel at Mayfield on October 2, 1986.
Detectives have little idea how Ms Isenhood got to where her body was found,
Her remains were found by a family looking for garden mulch off a dirt track called Joes Cutting, at Possum Brush.
Jewellery and other evidence found at the scene pointed to a female, but that theory was discarded when a forensic pathologist determined the bones belonged to a youth, aged between 16 and 19 and probably of Asian descent.
There were even reports of a "forest woman" living off the land who had been seen crashing through bush one day and who stank and was "in a shocking mess". There is yet to be an inquest since the bones were formally identified.
A few kilometres up the road from Possum Brush is Taree, a place still haunted by the mysterious death of a female hitchhiker whose remains were found in the Manning River.
The bludgeoned remains of Margaret Cox, 37, were found two days after she disappeared while walking home between Cundletown and Taree on December 19, 1996.
An inquest held last year heard Ms Cox had suffered several head wounds from a blunt instrument and appeared to have been sexually assaulted.
She was last seen near the former Big Oyster on the Pacific Highway, which had not bypassed the town in 1996 and, therefore, would have had thousands of cars passing each day.
A crime scene has never been located, although an area known as Mud Bishops Reserve, near Old Bar, was a possibility after a pair of underpants and other clothing was found.
The hearing was told it was unclear where in the river Ms Cox had been dumped before she was found by fisher
Mysterious disappearance 15 years ago
Belinda Shirley Peisley had two sons at the time of her disappearance.
In late 1998, she was living at a property in Katoomba that she had purchased using an inheritance.
Her last confirmed sighting was 26 September 1998, when she left hospital at about 8:50pm.
The inquest heard that Ms Peisley had a telephone conversation with her mother between 10:00pm and 10:30pm that night, and possibly another conversation with a man a short time later.
Her boyfriend reported her missing 28 September and her mother reported her missing 7 October.
Likely to be deceased
Deputy State Coroner Paul MacMahon says there is a large body of evidence that suggests Belinda died on, or shortly after 26 September 1998.
She had been admitted to hospital after police responded to reports of a woman screaming and glass being smashed at her home.
Ms Peisley was found alone in her home in an intoxicated state.
She left hospital before a doctor was able to see her.
Belinda Peisley's friends and family gave evidence that they did not see or hear from her after that night.
DOCS and police officers attended her home after her disappearance, and found that it had been trashed.
The coroner also found that a number of Ms Peisley's personal items were left at her home, suggesting that she did not leave intending never to return.
The findings state that Ms Peisley "did not have the initiative, energy or wherewithal (financial or otherwise) to disappear from her friends and family for an extended period of time", and that "many witnesses said that she did not like to talk or travel much".
Belinda Peisley's drug addiction was also relevant in the findings, with the coroner remarking that it was "telling" she made no effort to gain access to her property or bank accounts since her disappearance.
Still alive months after she was last seen?
The findings state that any evidence of Belinda Peisley being alive after her disappearance is "marginal".
On 27 December 1998, Belinda Peisley's mother Lesley received a telephone call from the father of Belinda's eldest son.
She gave evidence that a woman's voice was heard in the background and she was fairly certain it was her daughter's.
The man denies having seen or had any contact with Belinda Peisley since she went missing and the coroner did not accept that the voice was hers, saying Lesley Peisley only heard the woman saying three short words.
A woman who had known Ms Peisley since 1997 also reported seeing her in a Katoomba carpark in May or early June 1999, but has since told police that the woman may have been someone else.
The case continues
Deputy State Coroner Paul MacMahon says the investigation is ongoing, and that hopefully more information will surface in the future.
He expressed his condolences to Belinda Peisley's family and friends.
GARY TWEEDLE
Tweddle went to Silk's Brasserie in Leura where he enjoyed a dinner with colleagues. Owner-manager Stewart Robinson said he was polite and one of the quieter members of the group. But he remembered what Tweddle looked like because he thought his behaviour was strange for someone who had not been seen to be drinking a lot.
''We noticed at that stage [when the group was leaving] that the man who went missing was a little unsteady on his feet,'' Mr Robinson says. ''It was an unremarkable night. Nobody had drunk that much. They were in a celebratory mood.''
Tweddle was one of the last people to leave the restaurant.
His colleagues helped him get into the passenger seat of a Leura-Katoomba Radio Cabs taxi.
The taxi driver, who did not wish to be named, says he remembered well the 10-minute trip to the hotel. ''He was wasted, seriously wasted,'' the driver said. The driver dropped the group off and they continued to drink in one of the rooms of the resort before they decided to take their night a step further. Security footage captures Tweddle running out of the Fairmont without his jacket or glasses. It is believed he wanted to meet Mr Pambos, who he had met on previous occasions in Sydney.
Shortly after leaving the resort, a distressed Tweddle rang colleagues and said he was lost.
They pleaded with him to stay where he was. A motorist told police they saw him standing in the middle of the road on the phone. A short time later, his phone battery died.
Tweddle's friends, family, police and more than 1000 volunteers searched for him for weeks before his body was found on September 2.
Latest media release - body positively identified - Leura
Wednesday, 04 September 2013 06:52:59 PM.
The body of a man recovered from a cliff face at Leura in the Blue Mountains yesterday has been identified as being that of missing man Gary Tweddle.
Gary Tweddle, aged 23, went missing from the Fairmont Resort at Leura in the early hours of Tuesday 16 July 2013.
Over the last seven weeks police from Blue Mountains Local Area Command conducted extensive searches for Mr Tweddle but were unable to locate him.
On Monday 2 September 2013, an Ambulance Helicopter was flying over the area during a training exercise when the crew spotted a body on the cliff face, near Sublime Point, Leura.
Yesterday morning (Tuesday 3 September 2013), officers from Blue Mountains Police Rescue Squad and the Police Airwing (Polair) commenced an operation to recover the body.
The operation took eight hours with the man’s body being recovered about 4:15pm.
A post mortem examination was conducted earlier today with the man being positively identified as Gary Tweddle.
His family have been notified and police are preparing a report for the information of the Corone
Robert Isenhood remembers the last time he saw his sister, Susan, almost 20 years ago.
It was October 2, 1985. She had gone to his place to wish him a happy birthday, and he later dropped her off at her home in the Newcastle suburb of Mayfield.
Within weeks Susan Isenhood, 22, was reported missing by her mother, with whom she lived on and off, but they never saw her again.
For 19 years Robert, now 48, and his family had kept hoping. "We always thought she was around, we never really thought . . . you always live in hope, always looking, looking but we never thought to go to theory Z [that she might be dead]," he said yesterday at his Merewether home.
Six weeks ago the Isenhood family learnt the truth of Susan's fate. DNA taken last September from their now 70-year-old mother, Elva, was a positive match to DNA taken from skeletal remains found 17 years ago at Possum Brush in the Kiwarrak State Forest, south of Taree.
But the identification had opened more wounds, Mr Isenhood said, as police announced that the case was a homicide investigation. Mr Isenhood said there should also be an investigation into how police initially identified the remains as a male, and how the missing persons file on investigation steps taken in 1985 cannot be found.
Mr Isenhood said it was only through the curiosity of his nephew, Dylan Walsh, 19, that the mystery came closer to being solved last September.
"Dylan was studying at university and had the computer skills and made it his project," he said.
On the internet Mr Walsh found a listing related to the unidentified skeletal remains of a young woman at Possum Brush, a listing placed on the missing persons index by police in 1998.
"We owe a lot to Dylan suggesting we contact missing persons, otherwise we still would not know what happened to her today," Mr Isenhood said.
THE remains of Morisset woman Susan Isenhood lay in the Kiwarrak State Forest for nine months before a family came across them.
The remains were initially thought to have been those of a teenage boy. It was 11 years before a second autopsy discovered the mistake.
By then the trails had not just gone cold, they had frozen over.
It was to be another seven years before they were identified as belonging to Ms Isenhood, and only after a relative took it upon himself to ask questions.
The Isenhood case has thrown up enough twists and turns for a feature film.
She had discharged herself from the Mandala psychiatric facility 12 days before she was dropped off by her brother, Rob Isenhood, near the Stag and Hunter Hotel at Mayfield on October 2, 1986.
Detectives have little idea how Ms Isenhood got to where her body was found,
Her remains were found by a family looking for garden mulch off a dirt track called Joes Cutting, at Possum Brush.
Jewellery and other evidence found at the scene pointed to a female, but that theory was discarded when a forensic pathologist determined the bones belonged to a youth, aged between 16 and 19 and probably of Asian descent.
There were even reports of a "forest woman" living off the land who had been seen crashing through bush one day and who stank and was "in a shocking mess". There is yet to be an inquest since the bones were formally identified.
A few kilometres up the road from Possum Brush is Taree, a place still haunted by the mysterious death of a female hitchhiker whose remains were found in the Manning River.
The bludgeoned remains of Margaret Cox, 37, were found two days after she disappeared while walking home between Cundletown and Taree on December 19, 1996.
An inquest held last year heard Ms Cox had suffered several head wounds from a blunt instrument and appeared to have been sexually assaulted.
She was last seen near the former Big Oyster on the Pacific Highway, which had not bypassed the town in 1996 and, therefore, would have had thousands of cars passing each day.
A crime scene has never been located, although an area known as Mud Bishops Reserve, near Old Bar, was a possibility after a pair of underpants and other clothing was found.
The hearing was told it was unclear where in the river Ms Cox had been dumped before she was found by fisher
Mysterious disappearance 15 years ago
Belinda Shirley Peisley had two sons at the time of her disappearance.
In late 1998, she was living at a property in Katoomba that she had purchased using an inheritance.
Her last confirmed sighting was 26 September 1998, when she left hospital at about 8:50pm.
The inquest heard that Ms Peisley had a telephone conversation with her mother between 10:00pm and 10:30pm that night, and possibly another conversation with a man a short time later.
Her boyfriend reported her missing 28 September and her mother reported her missing 7 October.
Likely to be deceased
Deputy State Coroner Paul MacMahon says there is a large body of evidence that suggests Belinda died on, or shortly after 26 September 1998.
She had been admitted to hospital after police responded to reports of a woman screaming and glass being smashed at her home.
Ms Peisley was found alone in her home in an intoxicated state.
She left hospital before a doctor was able to see her.
Belinda Peisley's friends and family gave evidence that they did not see or hear from her after that night.
DOCS and police officers attended her home after her disappearance, and found that it had been trashed.
The coroner also found that a number of Ms Peisley's personal items were left at her home, suggesting that she did not leave intending never to return.
The findings state that Ms Peisley "did not have the initiative, energy or wherewithal (financial or otherwise) to disappear from her friends and family for an extended period of time", and that "many witnesses said that she did not like to talk or travel much".
Belinda Peisley's drug addiction was also relevant in the findings, with the coroner remarking that it was "telling" she made no effort to gain access to her property or bank accounts since her disappearance.
Still alive months after she was last seen?
The findings state that any evidence of Belinda Peisley being alive after her disappearance is "marginal".
On 27 December 1998, Belinda Peisley's mother Lesley received a telephone call from the father of Belinda's eldest son.
She gave evidence that a woman's voice was heard in the background and she was fairly certain it was her daughter's.
The man denies having seen or had any contact with Belinda Peisley since she went missing and the coroner did not accept that the voice was hers, saying Lesley Peisley only heard the woman saying three short words.
A woman who had known Ms Peisley since 1997 also reported seeing her in a Katoomba carpark in May or early June 1999, but has since told police that the woman may have been someone else.
The case continues
Deputy State Coroner Paul MacMahon says the investigation is ongoing, and that hopefully more information will surface in the future.
He expressed his condolences to Belinda Peisley's family and friends.
GARY TWEEDLE
Tweddle went to Silk's Brasserie in Leura where he enjoyed a dinner with colleagues. Owner-manager Stewart Robinson said he was polite and one of the quieter members of the group. But he remembered what Tweddle looked like because he thought his behaviour was strange for someone who had not been seen to be drinking a lot.
''We noticed at that stage [when the group was leaving] that the man who went missing was a little unsteady on his feet,'' Mr Robinson says. ''It was an unremarkable night. Nobody had drunk that much. They were in a celebratory mood.''
Tweddle was one of the last people to leave the restaurant.
His colleagues helped him get into the passenger seat of a Leura-Katoomba Radio Cabs taxi.
The taxi driver, who did not wish to be named, says he remembered well the 10-minute trip to the hotel. ''He was wasted, seriously wasted,'' the driver said. The driver dropped the group off and they continued to drink in one of the rooms of the resort before they decided to take their night a step further. Security footage captures Tweddle running out of the Fairmont without his jacket or glasses. It is believed he wanted to meet Mr Pambos, who he had met on previous occasions in Sydney.
Shortly after leaving the resort, a distressed Tweddle rang colleagues and said he was lost.
They pleaded with him to stay where he was. A motorist told police they saw him standing in the middle of the road on the phone. A short time later, his phone battery died.
Tweddle's friends, family, police and more than 1000 volunteers searched for him for weeks before his body was found on September 2.
Latest media release - body positively identified - Leura
Wednesday, 04 September 2013 06:52:59 PM.
The body of a man recovered from a cliff face at Leura in the Blue Mountains yesterday has been identified as being that of missing man Gary Tweddle.
Gary Tweddle, aged 23, went missing from the Fairmont Resort at Leura in the early hours of Tuesday 16 July 2013.
Over the last seven weeks police from Blue Mountains Local Area Command conducted extensive searches for Mr Tweddle but were unable to locate him.
On Monday 2 September 2013, an Ambulance Helicopter was flying over the area during a training exercise when the crew spotted a body on the cliff face, near Sublime Point, Leura.
Yesterday morning (Tuesday 3 September 2013), officers from Blue Mountains Police Rescue Squad and the Police Airwing (Polair) commenced an operation to recover the body.
The operation took eight hours with the man’s body being recovered about 4:15pm.
A post mortem examination was conducted earlier today with the man being positively identified as Gary Tweddle.
His family have been notified and police are preparing a report for the information of the Corone
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paulmcleod67
Re: Long Term Missing Person's, recovered Human remains & Yo
Police have held a press conference near the scene where a body was located at about 5.20pm on Thursday.
They are still unable to confirm whether the body is that of Rocky Eiao, however they did confirm that the body of a female was found with a deceased dog nearby.
Officers believe the body has been there for more than two days and was located about four or five kilometres from where Ms Eiao had last been seen.
We'll have an update of the press conference shortly.
EARLIER: Inspector Brenton Lee had confirmed that police had found a body but he said at that stage there were no specific details available.
"At the moment we're awaiting forensic services, the scene is all sealed off," Insp Lee said.
"We've located a body and we suspect it's her," he said.
"We've notified her mother, boyfriend and father."
8.05am: POLICE have located a body in bushland at Girilambone, about 80km north west of Nyngan, with the discovery made on Thursday evening.
While no formal identification has taken place, police believe the body to be of 25-year-old Rocky Eiao, who was last seen about midday on Friday, February 26, when she walked off from friends into bushland near Booroomugga Road.
Ms Eiao's last registered address was at Quandialla, east of West Wyalong but it was believed that in recent times she had been living in or near Nyngan.
Officers from Nyngan Police Station were notified of her disappearance the following afternoon (Saturday, February 27).
Police from Darling River Local Area Command have conducted an ongoing search operation over the last week utilising local officers and neighbouring police commands, Police Trail Bikes, Police Rescue (LANDSAR), SES and Rural Fire Service volunteers.
About 5.20pm on Thursday, police located a woman’s body within the search area, believed to be that of Ms Eiao.
A crime scene has been established at the location, which will be examined by forensic specialists.
Inquiries into the incident continue and a report will be prepared for the Coroner.
They are still unable to confirm whether the body is that of Rocky Eiao, however they did confirm that the body of a female was found with a deceased dog nearby.
Officers believe the body has been there for more than two days and was located about four or five kilometres from where Ms Eiao had last been seen.
We'll have an update of the press conference shortly.
EARLIER: Inspector Brenton Lee had confirmed that police had found a body but he said at that stage there were no specific details available.
"At the moment we're awaiting forensic services, the scene is all sealed off," Insp Lee said.
"We've located a body and we suspect it's her," he said.
"We've notified her mother, boyfriend and father."
8.05am: POLICE have located a body in bushland at Girilambone, about 80km north west of Nyngan, with the discovery made on Thursday evening.
While no formal identification has taken place, police believe the body to be of 25-year-old Rocky Eiao, who was last seen about midday on Friday, February 26, when she walked off from friends into bushland near Booroomugga Road.
Ms Eiao's last registered address was at Quandialla, east of West Wyalong but it was believed that in recent times she had been living in or near Nyngan.
Officers from Nyngan Police Station were notified of her disappearance the following afternoon (Saturday, February 27).
Police from Darling River Local Area Command have conducted an ongoing search operation over the last week utilising local officers and neighbouring police commands, Police Trail Bikes, Police Rescue (LANDSAR), SES and Rural Fire Service volunteers.
About 5.20pm on Thursday, police located a woman’s body within the search area, believed to be that of Ms Eiao.
A crime scene has been established at the location, which will be examined by forensic specialists.
Inquiries into the incident continue and a report will be prepared for the Coroner.
-
paulmcleod67
Re: Long Term Missing Person's, recovered Human remains & Yo
September 6, 20163:04pm
David SigstonAustralian Associated Press
'Seven-foot Yowie', seen near Toowoomba
September 6, 20163:04pm
David SigstonAustralian Associated Press
A bushwalker claims to have spotted the mythical Yowie in the Darling Downs' mountain ranges near Toowoomba.
In an audio interview posted this week on The Yowie Hunters YouTube page, the woman says she was six metres away from Australia's answer to the Himalayan Yeti and the North American Sasquatch.
"It was probably around seven foot tall, it had a head like a gorilla and long arms, I couldn't see it from the waist down because it was walking through the long grass," she said.
The woman, who was not identified, said the creature sat down in the long grass and ignored her.
"I tried to get it to turn around but I was scared and didn't want to aggravate him," she said.
The Yowie Hunters run the Australian Yowie Research website and say they have recorded more than 10 sightings in Queensland in the past five years.
2:39pm September 18, 2016
Search for young boy missing from Toowoomba
. The search for a young boy missing from Toowoomba has entered its second day.
The 11-year-old boy was last seen with another boy and girl near a chicken fast food restaurant on Griffith Street at Harlaxton around 2pm on Friday.
An 11-year-old boy has been missing since Friday afternoon. (QLD Police)
He is described as having fair to light brown complexion, and is around 140cm tall with a proportionate build.
He has black hair and brown eyes.
It’s thought he could be in the Harristown area.
David SigstonAustralian Associated Press
'Seven-foot Yowie', seen near Toowoomba
September 6, 20163:04pm
David SigstonAustralian Associated Press
A bushwalker claims to have spotted the mythical Yowie in the Darling Downs' mountain ranges near Toowoomba.
In an audio interview posted this week on The Yowie Hunters YouTube page, the woman says she was six metres away from Australia's answer to the Himalayan Yeti and the North American Sasquatch.
"It was probably around seven foot tall, it had a head like a gorilla and long arms, I couldn't see it from the waist down because it was walking through the long grass," she said.
The woman, who was not identified, said the creature sat down in the long grass and ignored her.
"I tried to get it to turn around but I was scared and didn't want to aggravate him," she said.
The Yowie Hunters run the Australian Yowie Research website and say they have recorded more than 10 sightings in Queensland in the past five years.
2:39pm September 18, 2016
Search for young boy missing from Toowoomba
. The search for a young boy missing from Toowoomba has entered its second day.
The 11-year-old boy was last seen with another boy and girl near a chicken fast food restaurant on Griffith Street at Harlaxton around 2pm on Friday.
An 11-year-old boy has been missing since Friday afternoon. (QLD Police)
He is described as having fair to light brown complexion, and is around 140cm tall with a proportionate build.
He has black hair and brown eyes.
It’s thought he could be in the Harristown area.
-
paulmcleod67
Re: Long Term Missing Person's, recovered Human remains & Yo
POLICE have released the name of the man whose remains were found at Dairyville last month.
He was Marcus John Gormley, 36, of Coffs Harbour.
MARCUS John Gormley was a big man in many ways.
As his family comes to terms with the fact they may never know how he died in the Orara Valley forests he loved, they remember his generosity, kindness, gentleness and his cheerful spirit.
The 36-year-old Coffs Harbour resident had been missing for eight weeks before his body was identified by DNA testing this week following the discovery of the lower half of a man’s body at Wayper Creek near Dairyville last month.
His family suspected he was camping somewhere in Bindarri National Park, a favourite bush retreat for the fit bush walker and cyclist and they been helping police with the search.
Marcus’s optimism was the more remarkable because he had to contend with a heavy burden of medication and hospitalisation.
He had been diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1993 and some years later also with bipolar disorder.
Born and educated in Coffs Harbour, the youngest of four siblings, he remained close to his family and enjoyed family dinners and events as well as music and the many TAFE courses he enrolled in.
His mother Delia Gormley said he displayed both courage and strength of will in dealing with his challenging health problems.
“He had the most positive outlook for someone who had so much to deal with,” Mrs Gormley said..
“If he knew someone was in hospital, he would visit them, because he knew how lonely it could be.
“He was so generous – he was always lending money to people and most of the time he did not get it back.
“I once asked him what he wanted for Christmas and he said ‘a bull...t detector’. ”
The disability pensioner also supported at least two overseas orphans through charity organisations; made regular donations to Greenpeace and often provided emergency accommodation in his flat for homeless people.
“He did not have a lot, but he shared whatever he had,” his mother said.
Marcus John Gormley’s funeral will be held at 1.30pm on December 9, at St Augustine’s Catholic Church, in Coffs Harbour.
Coffs/Clarence local area commander, Detective Inspector Cameron Lindsay, who released Mr Gormley’s name publicly yesterday, said Marcus Gormley was a frequent visitor to the area and enjoyed camping there.
Detective Inspector Cameron Lindsay, said Mr Gormley was a frequent visitor to the area and enjoyed camping there.
“He used to like walking in remote areas, particularly rough terrain,” Mr Lindsay said.
“That area has rough terrain.”
Police are preparing a report for the coroner.
As far as I'm aware the coroner's finding have not been released.
Ok, SES personnel and police located both parts of the man:
THE discovery of what appears to be human tissue yesterday was grim but promising news for police attempting to identify a severed body found near Dairyville.
A small army of police specialists and SES personnel has converged on the area to search for more body parts since the lower half of a man’s body was found tangled in flood debris at Wayper Creek.
Coffs/Clarence crime manager, Detective Inspector Cameron Lindsay, said the ‘suspected human tissue’ found in the search area yesterday would be tested by a forensic pathologist.
Investigators yesterday ramped up the operation by sending in police divers and rescuers, Operational Support Group police, a cadaver dog and more SES volunteers.
Police were yesterday not releasing details of the autopsy preliminary report but Mr Lindsay said it did indicate the time of death and how the man’s body came to be severed.
Searchers have found personal items at the scene which could belong to the man and took them away for further examination.
The massive search was sparked when a father and his three children came across the torso of a man on Sunday about 4pm while swimming in a creek on a 42-hectare property 15km west of Coffs Harbour.
The lower half of a man's body was tangled in flood debris
Police believe there was no human intervention involved, but have declined to publicly release both the preliminary and coroner's findings. How do you accidentally become two halves? If a tree fell on you, you'd still be under it.
Case 145. January 1980. Coffs Harbour NSW Day.
"The hardy North Coast perennial, the legend of the Yowie, has broken into the spotlight again... a middle aged itinerant worker claims to have spotted the elusive beast on a Boambee banana plantation. Although wishing to remain anonymous for fear of ridicule, his articulate description and obvious fear lend some weight to his claim. He said he saw a seeming half-human, half-animal form bristling with masses of red hair... about six months ago... he thought he was seeing things but the next day he caught a fleeting glimpse of it again dashing through the plantation. That afternoon he collected his pay, vowing never to return there - and he hasn't"
He was Marcus John Gormley, 36, of Coffs Harbour.
MARCUS John Gormley was a big man in many ways.
As his family comes to terms with the fact they may never know how he died in the Orara Valley forests he loved, they remember his generosity, kindness, gentleness and his cheerful spirit.
The 36-year-old Coffs Harbour resident had been missing for eight weeks before his body was identified by DNA testing this week following the discovery of the lower half of a man’s body at Wayper Creek near Dairyville last month.
His family suspected he was camping somewhere in Bindarri National Park, a favourite bush retreat for the fit bush walker and cyclist and they been helping police with the search.
Marcus’s optimism was the more remarkable because he had to contend with a heavy burden of medication and hospitalisation.
He had been diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1993 and some years later also with bipolar disorder.
Born and educated in Coffs Harbour, the youngest of four siblings, he remained close to his family and enjoyed family dinners and events as well as music and the many TAFE courses he enrolled in.
His mother Delia Gormley said he displayed both courage and strength of will in dealing with his challenging health problems.
“He had the most positive outlook for someone who had so much to deal with,” Mrs Gormley said..
“If he knew someone was in hospital, he would visit them, because he knew how lonely it could be.
“He was so generous – he was always lending money to people and most of the time he did not get it back.
“I once asked him what he wanted for Christmas and he said ‘a bull...t detector’. ”
The disability pensioner also supported at least two overseas orphans through charity organisations; made regular donations to Greenpeace and often provided emergency accommodation in his flat for homeless people.
“He did not have a lot, but he shared whatever he had,” his mother said.
Marcus John Gormley’s funeral will be held at 1.30pm on December 9, at St Augustine’s Catholic Church, in Coffs Harbour.
Coffs/Clarence local area commander, Detective Inspector Cameron Lindsay, who released Mr Gormley’s name publicly yesterday, said Marcus Gormley was a frequent visitor to the area and enjoyed camping there.
Detective Inspector Cameron Lindsay, said Mr Gormley was a frequent visitor to the area and enjoyed camping there.
“He used to like walking in remote areas, particularly rough terrain,” Mr Lindsay said.
“That area has rough terrain.”
Police are preparing a report for the coroner.
As far as I'm aware the coroner's finding have not been released.
Ok, SES personnel and police located both parts of the man:
THE discovery of what appears to be human tissue yesterday was grim but promising news for police attempting to identify a severed body found near Dairyville.
A small army of police specialists and SES personnel has converged on the area to search for more body parts since the lower half of a man’s body was found tangled in flood debris at Wayper Creek.
Coffs/Clarence crime manager, Detective Inspector Cameron Lindsay, said the ‘suspected human tissue’ found in the search area yesterday would be tested by a forensic pathologist.
Investigators yesterday ramped up the operation by sending in police divers and rescuers, Operational Support Group police, a cadaver dog and more SES volunteers.
Police were yesterday not releasing details of the autopsy preliminary report but Mr Lindsay said it did indicate the time of death and how the man’s body came to be severed.
Searchers have found personal items at the scene which could belong to the man and took them away for further examination.
The massive search was sparked when a father and his three children came across the torso of a man on Sunday about 4pm while swimming in a creek on a 42-hectare property 15km west of Coffs Harbour.
The lower half of a man's body was tangled in flood debris
Police believe there was no human intervention involved, but have declined to publicly release both the preliminary and coroner's findings. How do you accidentally become two halves? If a tree fell on you, you'd still be under it.
Case 145. January 1980. Coffs Harbour NSW Day.
"The hardy North Coast perennial, the legend of the Yowie, has broken into the spotlight again... a middle aged itinerant worker claims to have spotted the elusive beast on a Boambee banana plantation. Although wishing to remain anonymous for fear of ridicule, his articulate description and obvious fear lend some weight to his claim. He said he saw a seeming half-human, half-animal form bristling with masses of red hair... about six months ago... he thought he was seeing things but the next day he caught a fleeting glimpse of it again dashing through the plantation. That afternoon he collected his pay, vowing never to return there - and he hasn't"
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-
Rusty2
- Long Time Contributor
- Posts: 1784
- Joined: Mon Aug 23, 2010 5:30 pm
- Position: Believer
- Location: East Coast
Re: Long Term Missing Person's, recovered Human remains & Yo
A lot of work there Paul . Scary but fascinating .
I did notice this the other day . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayyQdMDLnuY
A retired police officer working for MUFON .
2.5 - 2.7 million people go missing each year across the planet . 95% are found , 30,000 people a year on this planet disappear without a trace never to be seen again .
I did notice this the other day . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayyQdMDLnuY
A retired police officer working for MUFON .
2.5 - 2.7 million people go missing each year across the planet . 95% are found , 30,000 people a year on this planet disappear without a trace never to be seen again .
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paulmcleod67
Re: Long Term Missing Person's, recovered Human remains & Yo
Yeah Rusty its insane that this sort of thing persists considering modern technology and search and rescue methodology.
Incidentally here is the first of a series of video's I'm putting together in the hopes of gaining public assistance in finding out the fate of these unfortunate people.
https://youtu.be/cNUHjQ8GYPA
At this point I'm going to detail all known missing persons cases in QLD and move on from there.
May not produce results but I'm stuck in the frame of mind that I need to do SOMETHING about it given the reams of research I've accumulated since the Trell case.
Cheers matey
Incidentally here is the first of a series of video's I'm putting together in the hopes of gaining public assistance in finding out the fate of these unfortunate people.
https://youtu.be/cNUHjQ8GYPA
At this point I'm going to detail all known missing persons cases in QLD and move on from there.
May not produce results but I'm stuck in the frame of mind that I need to do SOMETHING about it given the reams of research I've accumulated since the Trell case.
Cheers matey
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Simon M
- Long Time Contributor
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Re: Long Term Missing Person's, recovered Human remains & Yo
This is an impressive body of work, if harrowing to read about.
It makes me more certain than ever that there are people within the government who are deliberately obfuscating the details of certain investigations which might yield too much information about anything that might frighten the general public (such as Yowies).
It's too easy to shrug and say "wild animals must have disturbed the remains" or "It rains a fair bit there" - the fact that people's bodies have travelled vast distances from where they were last seen etc, raises uncomfortable questions. Then there's Cassie Olczak who just 'vanished' for five days...that's as weird as anything I've read for a while.
Odd that the whole 'she bumped her head' story wasn't elaborated on.
It makes me more certain than ever that there are people within the government who are deliberately obfuscating the details of certain investigations which might yield too much information about anything that might frighten the general public (such as Yowies).
It's too easy to shrug and say "wild animals must have disturbed the remains" or "It rains a fair bit there" - the fact that people's bodies have travelled vast distances from where they were last seen etc, raises uncomfortable questions. Then there's Cassie Olczak who just 'vanished' for five days...that's as weird as anything I've read for a while.
Odd that the whole 'she bumped her head' story wasn't elaborated on.
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Searcher
- Long Time Contributor
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Re: Long Term Missing Person's, recovered Human remains & Yo
Found a spare half hour and watched the Butch Witkowski lecture video as noted in Rusty’s post.Rusty2 wrote:A lot of work there Paul . Scary but fascinating .
I did notice this the other day . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayyQdMDLnuY
A retired police officer working for MUFON .
2.5 - 2.7 million people go missing each year across the planet . 95% are found , 30,000 people a year on this planet disappear without a trace never to be seen again .
Certainly makes you think about the possible consequences of getting too close to a UFO. Or a Yowie for that matter. At the end of the video he states that the abduction phenomena is getting stronger every year. And more importantly, he suggests if you see a UFO…. RUN!
Not sure what would be worse…. Getting ripped apart limb by limb by an angry 10 foot monster Yowie…. or having your eyes removed and your backside cored all while fully conscious and suffering unbelievable pain in the name of some alien experiment.
It’s a potentially dangerous world we live in, particularly if you happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
And well done Paul for the fascinating research. When the big picture becomes so clear, so too does the extent of the mystery.
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paulmcleod67
Re: Long Term Missing Person's, recovered Human remains & Yo
And now I'm just plain angry.....Google earth have removed the images showing cars parked along Benadoon drive,,,,!!!!! Lucky I saved about 50 of them whilst they were live.
I'm pushing ahead with the yowie theory.....its been long enough for the cops to get it right,
Cheers
I'm pushing ahead with the yowie theory.....its been long enough for the cops to get it right,
Cheers
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micathia
- Silver Status
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Re: Long Term Missing Person's, recovered Human remains & Yo
Hi,
so, Rocky Eiao's case is still not conclusive? I googled a lot, seems nothing final?
so, Rocky Eiao's case is still not conclusive? I googled a lot, seems nothing final?
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ChrisV
- Long Time Contributor
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Re: Long Term Missing Person's, recovered Human remains & Yo
Great read Paul.
Really interesting stuff.
Did you attend the David Paulides shows?
Really interesting stuff.
Did you attend the David Paulides shows?
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DaveR
- Silver Status
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- Location: A.C.T.
Re: Long Term Missing Person's, recovered Human remains & Yo
Excellent information. Well researched. It brought to mind a story I was told in 2010 by a researcher here about a bloke who went running in the Bimberi Wilderness near Canberra who disappeared. This researcher highlighted the possibility of him having met his end by something other than hypothermia.
There is an interesting conversation about the case on the local running forum from 07. Just about covers everything known about the case including statements by the family.
http://www.coolrunning.com.au/forums/?showtopic=16066
I have spent time in the target area though I walked. You would have to be one fit individual to run the tracks up there. Its actually the area of the Cotter River's catchment. Which is a chain of 3 dams making up Canberra's water supply. Officially, and its probably ignored by the hardcore, Camping, even overnight, without permit is illegal. There is no civilian vehicle access. If you go there you walk in and out in one day if your playing by the rules.
I have a few thoughts on what has been mentioned on this forum many times including the owner of this forum's experience. I liken it to people who regularly swim in the ocean. If you enter the ocean you enter the food chain. People do it regardless of the risk. Its my belief people enter into remote areas at risk. Those not Yowie aware are oblivious to the fact that something could harm them. Think about it. Remote mountainous bushland place. Running in tshirt and shorts, extensive searches... all they found was his jumper. Anyway interesting stats. Congratulations O.P. Certainly got me thinking.
There is an interesting conversation about the case on the local running forum from 07. Just about covers everything known about the case including statements by the family.
http://www.coolrunning.com.au/forums/?showtopic=16066
I have spent time in the target area though I walked. You would have to be one fit individual to run the tracks up there. Its actually the area of the Cotter River's catchment. Which is a chain of 3 dams making up Canberra's water supply. Officially, and its probably ignored by the hardcore, Camping, even overnight, without permit is illegal. There is no civilian vehicle access. If you go there you walk in and out in one day if your playing by the rules.
I have a few thoughts on what has been mentioned on this forum many times including the owner of this forum's experience. I liken it to people who regularly swim in the ocean. If you enter the ocean you enter the food chain. People do it regardless of the risk. Its my belief people enter into remote areas at risk. Those not Yowie aware are oblivious to the fact that something could harm them. Think about it. Remote mountainous bushland place. Running in tshirt and shorts, extensive searches... all they found was his jumper. Anyway interesting stats. Congratulations O.P. Certainly got me thinking.
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Yowie bait
- Long Time Contributor
- Posts: 2530
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- Position: Believer
Re: Long Term Missing Person's, recovered Human remains & Yo
Nice to see some rational thinking among the scare mongering. Yep the aussie bush is a dangerous place. Enter at your own risk!DaveR wrote:Excellent information. Well researched. It brought to mind a story I was told in 2010 by a researcher here about a bloke who went running in the Bimberi Wilderness near Canberra who disappeared. This researcher highlighted the possibility of him having met his end by something other than hypothermia.
There is an interesting conversation about the case on the local running forum from 07. Just about covers everything known about the case including statements by the family.
http://www.coolrunning.com.au/forums/?showtopic=16066
I have spent time in the target area though I walked. You would have to be one fit individual to run the tracks up there. Its actually the area of the Cotter River's catchment. Which is a chain of 3 dams making up Canberra's water supply. Officially, and its probably ignored by the hardcore, Camping, even overnight, without permit is illegal. There is no civilian vehicle access. If you go there you walk in and out in one day if your playing by the rules.
I have a few thoughts on what has been mentioned on this forum many times including the owner of this forum's experience. I liken it to people who regularly swim in the ocean. If you enter the ocean you enter the food chain. People do it regardless of the risk. Its my belief people enter into remote areas at risk. Those not Yowie aware are oblivious to the fact that something could harm them. Think about it. Remote mountainous bushland place. Running in tshirt and shorts, extensive searches... all they found was his jumper. Anyway interesting stats. Congratulations O.P. Certainly got me thinking.
Yowie Bait
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Ray Doherty
- Long Time Contributor
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- Location: North Brisbane
Re: Long Term Missing Person's, recovered Human remains & Yo
In relation to the Marcus Gormley case, everything there is what is in the newspapers. Ron and I did our own investigations and this is far from closed, why ? well lets look at it.
1. No one can find the journalist Kirra Love who reported on it, I have tried may someone else can help
2. The inquest was closed not even the family was allowed in
3. to my knowledge the family still has not been given a cause of death
4. the top half of his body has never been found
5. Police said in 2009 they know when and how he died but have never publicly released the information
There are still way too many unanswered questions in this case, questions that need answers, the local Police wont say jack about it (have tried) the only way we can find out is via back channels but it needs to be looked at.
If anyone has any concrete or written evidence to update this I would love to hear it
Cheers
1. No one can find the journalist Kirra Love who reported on it, I have tried may someone else can help
2. The inquest was closed not even the family was allowed in
3. to my knowledge the family still has not been given a cause of death
4. the top half of his body has never been found
5. Police said in 2009 they know when and how he died but have never publicly released the information
There are still way too many unanswered questions in this case, questions that need answers, the local Police wont say jack about it (have tried) the only way we can find out is via back channels but it needs to be looked at.
If anyone has any concrete or written evidence to update this I would love to hear it
Cheers
'I want to believe'
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paulmcleod67
POSSIBLE HISTORICAL YOWIE ATTACKS
Ive been researching historical Yowie reports from between 1800 and 1950 via TROVE and then comparing these reports to modern accounts. I find it interesting that the number of reports seems, at least on paper, to have increased significantly, whilst the actual locations of both era's reports seems to remain constant.
I wish to begin with a recounting of the famous story of the beheading and cannabalisation of Charles Wilson in 1932, which as the story goes was attributed to the Yahoo.
Adelaide’s Mail on 27 February 1932 carried the following sensational headline: Armed Men Hunt Strange Monster. Shaggy Beast Like Huge Gorilla Prowls Mountains: People Terrified. Attacks Three.
The report began: “Armed bushmen are hunting for a mysterious beast, shaggy and powerful, that has attacked three men in the mountainous region between Blight and Yackandandah. The people are terrified.
“Its footprints have been found, but opinions vary as to the identity of the animal. Some say it is 7 feet high and is hairy-headed, and looks like a clumsy deer, and that it has razor-like claws and four white tusks. Those who have seen the beast were too terrified to know exactly what they saw. They say variously that it is an old-man kangaroo, grizzly bear, and a mad gorilla. It is the pivot of a dozen different theories, but the countryside is unanimous that the strange animal lurks in the shadows and leaps on passing horsemen.”
The article continued with a narrow escape from a night-time attack by the hairy beast.
“A farmer, on a recent moonlight night, was riding home about 10 o’clock. Just as he bent over the saddle on the horse, there was a grunt and a scuffle, and a heavy, lumbering figure leapt at the head of his horse. The animal bolted with the farmer holding on for his life. Later an inspection disclosed footmarks like those of a grizzly bear. A few nights later the farmer heard the strange visitor lumbering and grunting around his hut. Outside the horses whinnied in terror. Three of the most daring men in the district went out to hunt through the mountain wilderness for the prowling terror. With guns ready they spent the night out in the open, but found no trace.”
“Later they were passing through the eerie shadows on the Running Creek road, talking of their exploit, a shade sceptical, when, in the twinkling of an eye, the thing that they had been seeking was on them.”
“The horses were scared, and rearing, broke the shafts of the buckboard, on which the men were riding. The three men were thrown to the roadway. Grabbing their guns they fired, but in their confusion the mystery animal scuttled back into the bush, apparently unharmed. When daylight came, the men found the prints of the animal, but could not guess what it was.
Soon after this encounter, a young drover was lucky to escape with his life.
“On Thursday William Nuttall, a 21 year-old drover, with some women and men friends, was riding home to Myrtleford. The moon was shining. Young Nuttall got off his horse to tighten the girth, and the others went on slowly. Those ahead heard him shout, ‘Ride like mad! Some strange beast is attacking me’. The mysterious animal had hidden in the shadows and made a sweep at him with its paw. It ripped Nuttall’s shirt to ribbons, but missed his body. Nuttall’s horse took fright and bolted, but he stuck to the saddle.
“When Nuttall looked round he saw a large hairy creature. A sudden swerve by the horse unseated him, and he dashed for the wire fence which divided him from the railway line. He raced for life along the rails with the animal close on his heels.
“About 20 or 30 yards ahead he saw his horse standing on the roadway, shivering with fright. Nuttall leapt the fence with a bound and, regaining the saddle, urged the horse on.”
While some speculated that perhaps an old, half-blind kangaroo was responsible for the attack, Nuttall did not accept that theory. He was convinced that he had been attacked by an animal resembling a gorilla.While Nuttall was lucky to escape with his life, years earlier, another man was not so lucky.
A deadly attack by a Yowie?
Just a year after the four stockmen were stalked throughout the night by what appears to be a stone-throwing Yowie, a shale miner, Charles Wilson, from Glen Davis near Newnes in New South Wales, went missing. He was apparently found dead several days later, the condition of his body suggested he’d been the victim of cannibalism. Following numerous sightings over the years, and an account of the abduction of a child, locals were convinced that the “giant hairy man” was responsible for poor Wilson’s gruesome death.
SOURCE:
https://weirdaustralia.com/2012/07/20/w ... es-attack/
MY RESEARCHED ACCOUNTS FROM TROVE.
The report is cited as being one of the only recorded attacks on humans by the Yowie.
It was my belief that there could be, far more killings reported in the media of the time that could possibly be attributed to the Hairy man.
Ironically enough the reports that I managed to find tended to mirror modern unsolved deaths in the Australian bush, quite a few of the cases involved decapitation and mutilation of the corpse.
In every case (be that historical or modern account) the circumstances are strange in the extreme. The body is found in an isolated area or there is an illogical or strange circumstance surrounding the finding of the corpse.
And whilst these could all be cases of murder by sociopath humans, there is enough to suggest something else was involved in these deaths.
STRANGE MURDERS IN EARLY AUSTRALIA
Nepean Times Thu 1 Feb 1951
Decapitated Body Found
In St. Marys general cemetery, in a small clearing in scrub near the
northern boundary fence, Ian James Stewart, a lad of 11 years,
of East Bankstown, found the dead body of a man, at about
2.20 p.m. on Monday last.The police were notified, and Detective Killen
and Constables Gimbert and Field went to the scene and found
a badly decomposed body, from which the head was separated, lying
about eight feet away. 'Nearby was a bottle of Tintara wine and a box of matches.
Dr. Barrow, Government medical officer, was notified and viewed the body, expressing
the opinion that death had taken place about six
weeks before. The body was conveyed to Nepean District Hospital morgue.
Subsequent inquiries revealed that the deceased was John George
Johnson, about 60 years of age, who lately resided at Flat 65B, Department
of Works and Housing Hostel, St.Marys. Identification was made by Christopher
James Ross, of the same address, who had lived with deceased for about 18 months.
Johnson, it appears, was addicted to wine and spirit drinking and had periodic drinking bouts.
He was last seen by Mr. Ross on a Sunday after noon early in December, when he left
the home without indicating his destination. He was then under the influence of liquor.
It is stated that Johnson has no relatives in Australia. He was a native of England.
There are no suspicious circum stances about the case. One presumption is that
the decapitation was due to dogs, which were prowling around there.
Weekly Times Melbourne, Vic. Sat 23 Jan 1892
A Decapitated Body Found in the Bush.
The Chief Commissioner of Police on Saturday received a report from
Senior constable Crowle, of Maryeville, giving
lome particulars of the discovery of the body, and offering a suggestions
to the identity of the accused.From this discovery it appears that on the
8th lost a man named Patrick Mannix, who was camped in the district,
went into Marys-Ville and saw Senior-constable Crowle, who is stationed there.
He reported that he had discovered the body of a man in the bush at
Donovan's Creek, about three miles from the Wood's Point road.
This is an extremely out-of-the-way densely wooded wild piece of
country at the foot of the Main Dividing' Range.
It is almost inaccessible, even on foot, while a horse could not penetrate
the wilderness of undergrowth.
Very seldom does anyone go there the country is only explored by an
occasional prospector, and to all purposes the locality is still an unexploredI wild.
Constable Crowle lost no time in setting out, and returning with Mannix the same
day he reached the latter 's camp, where he remained until the following morning.
Crown and those at the camp then constituted a search party, and under the
direction of Mannix they made a start for the place where the body had been found.
Extreme difficulty was experienced in reaching the place, and the party had to cut
their way through the scrub.
On reaching the scene of the discovery a sickening sight was witnessed, and it was
that an apparent death had occurred a considerable time previously.
The body was in an advanced stage of death 50 reposition, and the head was lying some
little distance from the body, but how it was levered could not be explained
by the con stable. There was no money found near the body ,nor in the pockets of
the deceased's clothing, but the constable picked up a pair of silver rimmed
spectacles, a chisel -pointed pick,and several small articles.
The pick would point to the conclusion that the deceased had been prospecting in
the ranges, and was cither murdered or died from exposure.
There were no indications of the man having carried a swag, and no property was
Discovered beyond the few articles found near the body.
Nor were there any indications that the man had been provided with food.
Near the body was a copy of a Melbourne newspaper of February, 1891.
The constable thinks that possibly the body is that of a man named Charles Bishop,
who has been misting from Smythesdale for some months.
Bishop was a small storekeeper, and when he left home he had
a sum of money, amounting to about £30, in his possession.
The further information received by the police relative to the finding of
the decomposed body of a man in the scrub near Marys ville is to the
effect that foul play is not suspected also that an inquest has been held,
at which no suspicious circumstances were made known.
The identity of the deceased is not known, and it is reported that
Mr. C. Bishop returned to his home at Smythesdale
some time ago.
Kalgoorlie Miner WA Tue 7 Aug 1928
DECAPITATED BODY FOUND.
Cairns Aug: 6.
Carpenters, engaged in constructing a house on the farm of James
Ginn at Boonyee, near Matridge , were on the. way to work today when
they noticed an unpleasant smell. After searching two hours they discovered
the decomposed body of a man in thick scrub about 150 yards from where some
scrub fellers had a camp.
The head was severed from the body and battered beyond recognition.
A quantity of blood stained clothes was found in the camp.
The body, which was not identified has been buried. It is stated that two men who were
engaged by Ginn scrub felling had not seen him for about five weeks.
One was named Walters and the other Kelly. One recently arrived from England.
The men had been missing for about three weeks when the matter was reported
to the police, who, however, were unable to trace the men.
The police believe the body to be that of one of the missing men.
Evening News Sydney Tue 5 Mar 1895
A Coonamble Mystery:
DECAPITATED BODY FOUND.
DEATH FROM EXPOSURE.
Coonamble, March 5
News was received in town on Monday that the
remains of a man had been found near Coonamble, about twenty
miles from here with indications that he had been murdered.
It was stated to the police that the head was off, and that the body
had been otherwise mutilated. The police were further in
formed that the trunk was wrapped in a blanket, and was lying some
distance away from where the head was found. Yesterday the coroner,
with a local doctor and two mounted police, rode to the scene of
the discovery. They found that the remains were those of an aged
man, who had been dead for some time. The doctor was of opinion that
death had been caused by exposure. There is no truth in the
assertion that the man had been murdered.
Daily Examiner Grafton NSW Tue 4 Jul 1933
DECAPITATED CHILD'S BODY FOUND ON
MEREWEATHER BEACH NEWCASTLE
After digging at various points on Merewether beach today the police
discovered the decapitated body of an infant.The child's head was found
by a boy on Friday who later told the police that he buried the body,
but could not remember the location. While the police were digging this
afternoon a dog strayed on the scene and began pawing at the sand.
The police dug into the sand and the body was revealed.
Cairns Post Qld 1909 Thu 10 Feb 1938
DECAPITATED BODY.FOUND NEAR. GLENORIE.
NOT YET IDENTIFIED.
The body of a man with the head, arm and a leg messing, was found
in a gorge about half a mile off the Old Northern road, Glenorie, late this
afternoon. The police have not yet been able to determine whether he met
his death by foul means, or accidental. The man had been dead two or three
months. Nothing was found to indicate, the man's identity.
The West Australian Fri 21 Feb 1913
A GRUESQME TRAGEDY A WOMAN FOULLY MURDERED.
DECAPITATED BODY FOUND IDENTITY NOT ESTABLISHED.
A gruesome find was reported today. A resident of Everton, while walking near the
Falls, discovered the nude and mutilated body of a woman.
The head and one arm are missing, while the remaining hand is minus two fingers.
Everton is about 10 miles from Beechworth, and the Falls are on Maloney's Creek.
The police were informed of the discovery and the body was taken to the morgue at
the Wangaratta Hospital. Nothing was found on the woman to show her identity.
Decomposition had reached an advanced stage.
Dr. C. H. Mollison, the Government Pathologist, has been requested to examine
the body. Detective Sullivant, of Benalla, assisted by the Wangaratta police,
is making inquiries.
The search for the missing arm and head has so far failed to disclose their where
abouts. It is considered unlikely that the woman was a resident of the district, as no
body has been reported missing.
Wagga Wagga Advertiser NSW Tue 18 Feb 1908
MUTILATED BODY FOUND.
The body of a man. believed to be that of Harry Vane, who disappeared
from Tingara tin field ten days ago, was found in the bush a few miles from the
township. It was in an advanced state of decomposition, and the medical
examination showed that the neck, one shoulder blade, one left arm, and
both hips had been broken. How the man came by his injuries is a mystery.
Mirror Perth, WA Sat 18 Oct 1941
MUTILATED BODY IN BUSH
Four miles from Pickering Brook, in the heart ot the thick bush, the
white glare of truck head-lights suddenly lit up the mutilated remains of a
man's body.The body was partially clad, and had evidently been there for some
time It was virtually a skeleton. Some distance from the torso was found
the remains of a leg. The other leg Is missing. Wild dogs, it is thought, are
responsible for the disappearance of the limb. The limb found has been mauled
and dragged about; and as wild dogs abound in the districts, it is considered
not unlikely that they were responsible. Gruesome discovery was made by
City Council employee William Overstone, of Marian-street, Leederville.
In the truck with him was another employee of the Council.
The only clothing on the upper portion of the body was the remain
of a shirt and a coat .There were virtually no means of identification,
but it is thought that the deceased may be Ki Sooey ,a 71-year old market
gardener, who disappeared in April last.
On April 2 last, it was stated by the police that Ki Sooey left the
Market garden where he worked with a countryman, Chuck Sing,
and said he was going to visit another Chinaman. He was last seen in the
vicinity of Pickering Brook a few days later.
When he was reported missing, a search was organised, led by mounted
police and black trackers, but no trace of the missing man was found.
It has been stated that Ki Sooey was wandering at the time and
appeared to be partially demented.
Det sgt Pilmer and Det Thompson are inquiring and the
Coroner has been informed.
Daily Telegraph Launceston, Tas Fri 1 Mar 1912
A BUSH TRAGEDY: WOMEN'S BODY MUTILATED
The body of Mrs Wilson, wife of W. Wibion a mail contractor was
found in a paddock at Evans Plains early this morning .
The body was terribly mutilated, and had been apparently eaten by dogs.
It is not yet known how the deceased met her death.
She must have been alive yesterday morning.
Singleton Argus NSW : Tue 27 Feb 1906
PERISHED IN THE BUSH.
Body Mutilated by Wild Animals
George Henry Crawford has perished from thirst in the Black Range district
of West Australia/making the second case that has occurred there within
the last month. Crawford, after delivering some sheep started with a
horse and sulky on the return journey to the Black Bangs.
A few miles out he overtook some men who gave him
some; whisky. It is supposed he fell asleep, and later wandered off the track.
The deed body, mutilated by wild animal was subsequently found by a search
party 15 miles from the track. Crawford, who was 50 years old, and unmarried
was from Moonta,South Australia.
Singleton Argus NSW Sat 15 Jun 1907
MYSTERY OF THE BUSH.
Mutilated Remains Found in a Tree in Bingora
A farmer on a Bingora estate, while clearing away a hollow tree which
had fallen discovered the remains under a quantity of clay in the
trunk. The remains consisted of bones from the arms and legs of which
had been broken suggesting that the body had been mutilated, and then
passed into the tree trunk through a hole about 3ft above the ground,
and then clay had afterwards been placed through the hole on the remains
in order to prevent putrefaction attracting attention.
Apparently they had been in the tree for many years, and would, have remained
undiscovered but that the wind on Monday night blew the tree down.
The police are investigating the matter.
The Argus Melbourne, Vic. Fri 8 May 1908
CHILD MURDER.MUTILATED BODY FOUND.
ANOTHER BALLARAT MYSTERY.
What is un doubtedly a case of child murder came under the notice
of Senior-constable Magor,the officer in charge of the Victoria-street
station, this evening. He is now engaged in an endeavour to identify the
body of the child. This, however, must be no easy matter, for the body
when found was nude. The body was discovered by Edward Hall,
aged 15, who was walking across Black Hill. It was lying in the open country,
not far from some stunted bushes, but in no way protected by them.
The corpse was in a decomposing condition indicating that
death must have taken place some days ago.
Hall gave information to Senior-constable Magor, who at once proceeded
to the spot and made a thorough search of the locality.
The infant was apparently not more than a fortnight old at the time of its
death.The right leg was missing altogether, and the left leg was missing from the knee
downwards. There was a wound in the throat and neck, which indicated that the
baby had been murdered. There was no string or anything about the throat to
suggest strangulation. Not even a piece of paper had been wrapped about the
corpse to conceal it from the view of anybody who might pass that way, but
although the country there is fairly open the spot where the child was found lying is
some what secluded. Not far distant, how ever is a house, and Senior-constable Magor
inquired there as to whether any strangers had been seen in the vicinity, but with a
negative result. Senior-constable Magor remove the body to the morgue, and
subsequently reported the matter to the coroner,Mr. H. M. Murphy, P.M. who
has directed that a post-mortem examination be made.
At the northerly continuation of Black Hill is Vale-park, where Madge Graham's
body was found last January. In the case of the baby, however, there is not a vestige
of clothing or other material by which the identification of the murdered child may be
made. The mysteries of the murder of Richard Heaney and Lizzie O'Reilly in
Ballarat North also remain unsolved.
The Tamworth Daily Observer NSW : Thu 6 Mar 1913
MURDERED IN THE BUSH.YOUNG GIRL THE VICTIM.
HEAD BATTERED IN AND BODY MUTILATED SHOCKING CRIME.
The body of a girl, Identified as Ebtlier Porter, aged 14, who resided at Bankstown,
was found in a bush this morning near Punchbowl Hallway Station.
There was every sign that she had been brutally attacked and murdered,
The head was battered in, and she was In a frightful condiiton. She had been missing from
home since Monday morning. It is presumed she went to Punchbowl to meet, some
person. The victim was seen near the railway station with a hamper after the 9 o'clock
train arrived from Bankstown. The police think she was taken into the bush and murdered
within an hour or two of her arrival at Punchbowl.
Later It transpires that Esther Porter visited her mother In the hospital on Sunday nnd
stayed at Erskineville with her sister on Sunday night before going to work.
Her father gave her a small sum of money to pay a few accounts.
She arrived at Bankstown at 8 o'clock on Monday morning, and there was no one in
her company when she started for home. As she did not put in an appearance her
brother Harry reported the matter to the police. He was subsequently riding along
the Punchbowl road when the horse shied. He dismounted and went into the bush
and found his sister's dead body jammed in an old stump covered over with dead bushes.
The Bendigo Independent Vic. Wed 1 Oct 1913
BUSH MURDER.BOY'S HEADLESS BODY.
FOUND IN THE SCRUB.APPARENTLY WORK OF MANIAC.
ECHUCA: Tuesday .
A shocking discovery was made a few miles out of Echuca this
morning.Yesterday a lad named John Adam Anderson, aged 15, son of Mr. James
muiurson, of Wharparilla, who resided with his uncle, John Anderson, at
Wharparilla, went out rabbiting at about 12 o'clock. He took with him
an axe, and was accompanied by two dogs. That was the last his uncle
saw of him alive. As young Anderson did not return to tea his uncle
became anxious, and as the night wore on without the lad putting in an appearance,
the uncle's' anxiety increased. He decided to make a search for his nephew, and about
midnight his attention was attracted by hearing the barking and whining of dogs in the
distance. He proceeded towards the vicinity and prosecuted his search, and at last
came up with the dogs about a mile from Iris farm,
He was horrified to find them standing over the headless body of the
missing lad in a clump of bushes on the farm of Mr. W. G. Freeman, a
neighbor. It was then about 1 a.m and the scene is about 14 miles out
of Echuca. The faithful dogs had apparently remained beside the body
during the night. A glance showed the uncle that his nephew's head had been
completely severed from the body. The blood-stained axe was lying nearby.
Hie immediately reported his terrible discovery to the Echuca police.
Sergeant Corby, Mounted-Constable Burgoyne and Plain-Clothes
Constable Withers, of Bendigo, who was in Echuca, went out and after
making a search found the lad's head hidden in the scrub about 75
yards away from the body. It was frightfully mutilated, and the crime had
evidently been committed with the lad's own axe, which was
lying near the body. Young Anderson had apparently been rabbiting close to
the spot, according to the discoveries made. Rigid investigations were
proposed at the earliest possible moment.
Superintendent Dungev and Detective Commons arrived by the afternoon train
and at once went to the scene of the tragedy.
The Armidale Express and New England General Advertiser
NSW : Tue 10 Dec 1895
DIED IN THE BUSH
The Dubbo police on Monday received information to the effect that
Donald Makinon a Port Norlandra, grazier, had been found dead in the bush.
A police constable was at once sent out to make enquiries, and he returned
to Dubbo on Monday afternoon. He ascertained that Donald Mackinnon
went out on horseback, as was his custom, to look after the cattle.
He was not in the habit of returning until the following Monday morning,
so that his absence was not noticed. However, as he did not return on Monday
it was thought that something must have happened to him, and
a look out was kept for him. It was seen that the horse he had been riding
was wandering riderless and a search was started for Mr. Mackinnon.
When a dead body was found in a horribly mutilated condition in the bush it was
covered with ants, and the flesh had been torn and eaten from the bones.
The body was in such a condition that it was not possible to remove it that night.
From all appearances Mackinnon had been thrown from his horse.
His neck was broken and his hand still clutched the switch with which he had
been bitting the horse. The pipe be had been smoking was lying a
short distance from the body.
Northern Territory Times and Gazette Fri 3 Apr 1908
BUSH HOMOCIDE
A telegram has been delivered to the police from the postmaster
at Poji-éU'a- Creek to the effect that the well-known
drover Mr.Walter Rose, reports having found recently on the
Murrangi track stock route connecting Newcastle Waters with the Victoria
River district, the remains of a dead body, believed to be that of a drover
Named Hussey, or " young Ozzy," who was rather noted for his remarkably small
hands and feet, in which particulars the remains found correspond.
The unfortunate man had evidently been dead for some time, and the
corpse had been shockingly pulled about and mutilated by wild dogs.
The only articles found near the remains were a leather belt and a pair
of boots. The body appeared to have been too mutilated for identification
beyond the small details mentioned. Drover Hussey is described by M.C. Rowe, recently
stationed at Anthony's Lagoon, as a man about 33 years of age, and about
5ft 6in high, and spare, Hussey passed Anthony's Lagoon in March last
year with a mob of cattle and was very well known on Brunette and Creswell
Downs stations, where he had formerly been employed.
Hussey was at one time a jockey.
In a later instance M.-C. Rowe (who is now stationed at the Katherine) would
appear to have been largely instrumental in averting what would probably have
culminated' in another bush tragedy. A man man named William Byrne was found by
him lying alongside the track leading to Victoria River district, and about 36 miles
from Willeroo Station The poor fellow was fever stricken, delirious, and starving,
and had been lying where found, without shelter, for several hours, in pouring rain.
His camp equipage was scattered all over the place. After considerable difficulty the
sick man was conveyed across flooded country to Mr. T. H. Pearce's Willeroo Station,
where, at latest accounts, he was being very kindly attended to and was
recovering his strength.
Since the above was a type a later communication has been received from Powell's
Creek giving a few further details respect of the Murrangi track tragedy. From this
it would appear that, the name of the deceased man who is supposed to be identical
with the mutilated remain, found' by Mr.Rose, is not Hussey, as stated above, but
Ernest Ezzy. Still the man known by some as Hussey is believed to be identical with
Ezzy now referred to, the confusion probably arising from the phonetic relationship
of the two names. ' Ezzy might easily become Hussey in the mouth of an aboriginal
or in the careless phraseology of the average bushman, and vice versa.
The later details given are to the effect that Ernest Ezzy was last seen
live at Eva Downs Station on February 3, when he was making
across country to the Victoria River district. It was his stated intention on
passing Eva Downs to calf at Newcastle Waters Station.
He appears, however, never to have put in an appearance at this station.
On leaving Eva downs the deceased had three horses in his possession and
pack and riding saddles. There was no sign of the horses or other gear named
near the remains found nothing but the belt and pair of boots
above referred to. Thirst could scarcely have been the cause of death in the middle
of the wet season and just what has led up to the sad tragedy appears to be one of
those bush mysteries of which there is so long a record in all parts of Australia, and
many of which have never been satisfactorily explained.
Australian Town and Country Journal Sydney
Sat 19 Feb 1870
PERISHED IN THE BUSH
What painful thoughts, and perhaps what sad reminiscences, may the ,
above four simple words conjure up in the minds of all who, from
experience, are able to ,comprehend the full scope of their terrible ,
import ! Bleached skeletons are on the arid plains , human remains scattered
by wild dogs in the dense scrubs and brushes; sometimes ,the decayed or
decaying bodies of unfortunate creatures found in hollow logs or trees,
where ,they may have crept for shelter from bitter cold or torrents of rain
All these shocking ,revelations, which are made from time to time, are the sequels
to sufferings which imagination cannot be too wild to depicture.
For all men who have had much bush experience have been able, only too
faithfully, to realise some of their horrible details. The wild despair of the person
who finds himself hopelessly lost, and hurries hither and thither,
turning upon his own tracks unconsciously, until reason fails and strength
also, and he sinks to rise no more, the burning agony of the parched traveller
exposed to the scorching sun, and hoping against hope as, with swollen
tongue and scorched lips, he searches in vain for one drop of water to save
or to delay the ,death that stares him in the face the help-
less wandering of children, gnawed by hunger, terrified, weeping, and
crying hopelessly for ,help until they succumb to death, and perish ¡
in each others arms, as some of them have been found, or yield up
their lives alone in the wilderness ,all these are lamentable pictures
of realities and it might be supposed that the thought of them would
stimulate every human being in the community, not to speak
of them whose especial duty it is, to hasten to the rescue of those who
are known or believed ,to be in such deadly peril. Unfortunately it is not so
and there can be no question that, independently of those whose melancholy
fate ,is revealed by the ghastly remains which may be discovered, many are
reported as "missing," and some are never missed at all, who ,perish in the
bush, but might have been saved by timely exertion on the part of those
who had power to help.
An item of information in some of the Queensland papers, now about a month old is
calculated to raise a thrill of pity for a little bush wanderer on one hand, and on the other
a burning feeling of indignation against the police authorities of this colony on the
Queensland Border. Although the report in question was published at the time,
we purposely abstained from prominent notice and comment, until ample opportunity
should have been afforded to those who were accused of the most stolid apathy or
the most ,revolting inhumanity, to set themselves right if they could.
Sufficient time having now elapsed for that purpose, without any further public
notice of the matter, we thus place the case before our readers and trust ,
that it may come under the notice of the Government.
It appears that on the day after last Christmas day a little girl
strayed from the residence of her friends, at Acacia Creek, in the Warwick district of
Queensland, and, as she did not return, and time wore on, great alarm was caused for
the safety of the child. In fact those who have even an approximate knowledge of the
country where she strayed will perceive that ,the chances were twenty to one that
she would never be found alive. From the dense scrubs that cover that portion of the
range dividing the eastern and western waters, the valleys on the western side open out into
plains so that, of the numerous persons who set out in search of the child, some would have
been almost sure to have found her if she had strayed away in the open country.
As they did not, it became nearly a certainty that she must have entered the scrub but
it need excite no surprise if the searching parties pursued their investigations day ' after day
in vain, in such a broken, precipitous, and brushy country.
Some of the most remarkable peaks in the coast country between this colony and
Queensland are situated in this locality but of course any person once bewildered in the
scrub can see nothing of these nothing, indeed, but the same mass of tangled brush all
around,excepting where some deep and wide gully opens, but is so choked up with a
network of vegetation that even a hardy bushman could scarcely make his way down it, much
less a child or where a sudden slight opening in the foliage overhead affords a glimpse of
some lofty peak or mountain, like a largo dark cloud above. Into this difficult labyrinth the
poor, lost child must have strayed, and knowing well that the utmost efforts would be
necessary to find her, the sympathising people at Acacia Creek lost no time in
communicating with the New South "Wales police station at Tenterfield, stating
what had happened, and soliciting assistance in the search for the child.
To the eternal disgrace of those concerned and supposing the statement of the
Warwick paper to be truthful, no assistance was sent, now as any reply whatever
Vouch saved the telegram. The Tenterfied police station was the nearest, and no
doubt the people who sent the distressing information there were under the
impression that the mere existence of artificial boundary lines between the colony
would not be sufficient to deprive the little wanderer of the aid of which she stood so
much in need. But no help came from that quarter, and no sign was made. Such is this
report that has been published, and the Iocal paper says " We do not know what the
arrangements of the New South Wales police are but if our information be correct, we
think that some sympathy and assistance might have been given on so distressing an
occasion." In the meantime the lost child wandered on through the dense and gloomy
scrubs night after night and day after day she continued her devious course and how her
feeble strength sustained her must be maraculous to all but that Power which can
succour the weakest in the greatest of perils. She found plenty of water, but nothing to
eat excepting a few berries. After five days of this, she got out of the denser scrub,
and wandered about the mountains, still without anything to sustain her but water.
Her head and face, being bare, were scorched with the sun, and her feet and ankle’s
were cut and sore from contact with the scrubs and rocks .
Yet the poor little thing was quite sensible when, EIGHTEEN DAYS from the time when
she had been lost, she was found by a little boy, near an old head station on Koreelal
Creek. This country has long been taken up and there are out stations scattered about
which would account for the boy falling in with the wanderer, who had, no doubt, struck
upon a sheep or a cattle track alive and uninjured, the child was returned to her joyful
and grateful parents and we venture to say that there are very few, in town
or country, who will not sympathise with them
The number of travellers who have, at various times, come to their death in the
scrubs and mountains, and on the desert plains, of this country, will never be
known, even approximately. Only last week a dead body, frightfully mutilated
by dogs,was found on a run near Muswellbrook but it would be impossible
to quote the numerous instances of the kind that are on record, while
hundreds have occurred in the cases of unfortunates whose end was never known.
It is sad indeed to think of their fate but there is something even more touching
in these narratives of children lost in the bush. Some of these instances have been
very remarkable,and some most distressing in their results but we cannot remember
any case so extraordinary as the present, in which the child must have actually crossed
the range for Koreelah Creek is a tributary of the Clarence, and therefore an eastern
water and yet was found alive after wandering without substantial nourishment for
very little short of three weeks. How the officer in charge of the Tenterfield police
must have felt when he heard of this, and how nearly this poor little life had been
sacrificed to his want of humanity, we shall not venture to imagine.
In this, however, wc are taking it for granted that the application for help was really made
and disregarded. It would be far more agreeable to find that the matter is capable
of satisfactory explanation. This, however, is exceedingly difficult, in the face of the letter of
Mr. J. R. Ardill, bearing on the subject in question, and published in another part of this
paper. The writer speaks of several instances of dead bodies being found on the
Paroo and its vicinity, death having in most cases, no doubt, been caused by thirst and
he mentions one case of the body of a man who, in his opinion, had been robbed and
murdered, but concerning whose fate he in vain endeavoured to secure the inquiries of the
police, who, on the contrary, appear to have entirely misrepresented the case to their
superiors at head quarters. Further misconduct, in the apparent misappropriation of
some of the property found on the deceased, is mentioned by our correspondent,
who is a licensed surveyor, and well capable of making himself
acquainted with all the particulars of which he writes.
A gentleman of his own profession ,a Mr. Richards, has also been lost on the
Paroo, and never since heard of, for, says Mr.Ardill, " there was no inquiry made no more
than if a man was never missed nor is it known what became of the missing gentleman's
property. Surely the hardships and perils of the bush are severe enough without all this culpable,
this cruel neglect on the part of the police and it appears to us to be impossible that the
cases thus prominently brought under the notice of the authorities can be passed over
without the most severe and rigid investigation, and the adoption of
better measures for the future.
Leader Melbourne, Vic. Sat 21 Jun 1884
SHOCKING DEATH IN THE BUSH.
Further particulars have been received at Alexandra respecting the horrible
death in the home of a man named Crinion, whose, body was recently, found at
Donovan's Creek, above Marysville in a dreadfully mutilated condition,
having been torn to pieces by the wild dogs and native cats.
On receipt of the news respecting the finding-of the body, Constable
'Woods, of Marysville, immediately left, accompanied by five volunteers
and upon! Arriving at the spot a horrible spectacle met their gaze,
the body being halved, and in an advanced state of decomposition and minus the
head and legs. A Diligent search was made by the constable to find the head
and legs, but with out avail. The mutilated trunk of the unfortunate man was
put into an old sluice box and buried on the spot. The small gunyah in
which the deceased lived was only six by four feet, and upon the constable
crawling into the place, the only, utensil found was a billy can,
which contained some water, and which had evidently been placed upon
the fire to boil. The only article of consumption found was a bag containing
about four pounds of flour.
The deceased, who was 63 years of age,was a native of Dublin. He lived a solitary
life, and avoided all association. It is thought that he died from starvation.
Glen Innes Examiner and General Advertiser NSW Tue 2 May 1899
A STONEHENGE MYSTERY
The remains of a man found in the bush.
A report readied town on Sunday that the remains of a man had been discovered
in a mutilated condition on the lonely piece of road that leads
across the plains of Stonehenge. From the particulars to hand, it appears
on Sunday morning young .William Rumiug was riding across the plain
between Surrey ville (his father's residence) and Stonehenge station,
accompanied by his dogs. As he was cantering along the side of the gully after a
hare which was accidentally disturbed, he discovered what be at once
saw to be the body of a deadman. Leaving the discovery undisturbed
and running at once for the police, who, on arrival examined the body and
found the face eaten away,apparently by vermin, beyond recognition.
A little of the beard on one side of the face was turning grey, and this
with the exception of the old oil skin coat, is the only trace by which the police
may be enabled to obtain an identification of the unfortunate man.
The body was that of an apparently strongly built person, about 5ft 6in in
height, and well dressed.
An inquiry was held in the Court House yesterday afternoon before
Mr. Coroner Laivson.
Constable Dower gave evidence as to the discovery of the body, and stated
the man looked about 50years of age and between 5ft 7in and 8in in height.
Dr. Wrigley gave evidence as to examining the body. He stated he saw no marks of
violence on it. On the trousers and coat were blood stains. From the advanced state
of decomposition of the body it was impossible to state positively the cause of death
but, from what he had seen and heard, death was possibly due to vomiting of blood,
and consequently syncope. John Milner stated that on April 15th a man
came to his hotel and asked him so take him in, saying he would give witness
security for his board till he wired to his brother for money.
" He borrowed £1 from witness to wire to his brother. Witness thought it
was to Muscwellbrook. Witness saw him pay 6s to the telegraph messenger.
He said his name was Hall, and he was interested in several stations.
He stayed a week and left on Saturday morning early, without breakfast.
The man was addicted to drinking. Witness did not think he
had any money when he left, but he had two cases of which was
left at the hotel and contained, amongst other things, a silver watch.
On the dials were the letters ",W. H." Witness stated that he had
viewed the body at the mt Pleasant Hotel, and he believed that the
deceased was the man Hall who left on April 25.
The deceased seemed depressed when he received no answer to
his telegram. On the Monday after sending the
wire he told witness he might not get a reply as his brother might have gone
to the Newcastle races.
The Coroner found that the deceased had died from syncope caused
by excessive hemorrhage.
The Age Melbourne, Vic. Tue 13 Sep 1932
LOST IN MOUNTAINS SEARCH PARTY FINDS BODY.
The body of Alius Anna. Gullett, 40 years, sister of the Minister of Customs,
was found by a search party in the bush nerar Locton Lodge
She had been slain accidently while walking through the bush.
she was overcome by illness and collapsed. The body was lying a little
distance from one of the main roads, but in dense bush.
Miss Gullett left the Lodge late on
Saturday afternoon to go for a Walk, and she was not seen alive again.
Search parties of police and holiday makers were out all day yesterday and
the greater part of to-day, and a wide area of rugged country was covered.
The body was found in a peculiar manner. A press photographer was about to
snap three of the searchers as they were moving across a swamp not five
hundred yards from Looten Lodge, when one of the three, Victor Adams; glanced over
his shoulder and saw the body lying on sonic reed.
The others turned simultaneously, and saw it also.
It was lying in a most natural position, with an umbrella grasped in one hand.
Evidently some animals had approached the body and the face had been
Slightly mutilated by these. It is thought by both the dead women's
relatives and those who found her that she wandered off the road
in the dense fog which has overhung the district for several days and
then became entangled in the reeds of the swamp. Probably she suffered a
heart attack there and collapsed and died.
The dense fog made it almost impossible to see more than a few yards
ahead, and the searchers experienced most trying conditions.
At times they were waist deep in swamps, with dozens of leeches clinging
to Their limbs.During the search two expert mountain climbing experts,
Joseph Knight and Noel Town, climbed several precipitous cliffs,
a slip over any of which would have meant' certain death.
Among those who took part were the Lieutenant-Governor,
Sir William Cullen, and Air. Peter Board, ex-Director of Education.
The happening recalls the Strange disappearance of A David Joel and his wife
in the Wentworth Falls district in May,1918.
A wealthy man, Joel and his wife, who was very delicate, went to Wentworth Falls
for a holiday. They left the train, and in misty rain commenced to walk back
towards Lawson, but off the main road. This was the last seen of Joel.
Mrs Joel, who tore the clothes from her body in her hysterical ravings,
was found starving a few miles from where she had been last seen.
When rescued she' slipped into unconsciousness and died "shortly afterwards
in Penrith Hospital. No trace was ever found of Joel he may have been robbed and
buried, or he may have become lost in his desperate search to retrace his steps.
Headless body in Lake Illawarra
In 1950, 2 small planes collided in Shellharbour. In mid November, a headless body washed ashore near the entrance of Lake Illawarra. It was soon discovered that the body belonged to one of the pilots, identified by a small scar on his abdomen.
By day, Lake Illawarra is a stunning sight. The blue water is home to beautiful ducks and swans, the islands in the distance. But once the sun goes down, the lake is a very different place indeed. On the Berkeley side, it is difficult to shake the feeling that you are being watched. The wind whispers and sighs around you, and even though you know you are near a main road, it almost feels like you are in the middle of nowhere. I have heard many stories of people feeling cold hands stroke their face, or of catching sight of someone walking towards them from the corner of their eye, only to turn and discover that they are alone.
Could it be the ghost of the unfortunate pilot? Or does the lake hide many other secrets?
One secret I have heard rumours of, is a demonic face hidden in the rocks. I have seen a picture (and it is honestly frightening) and I hope to get a copy of the picture to share with you. The story that accompanies the picture is a woman who was enjoying a walk when she felt she was being watched. She turned full circle, and saw no one. On a whim, she picked up her camera and fired it at the rocks, before turning and fleeing home. When she arrived home, she was horrified by what she had captured on her camera..
MODERN AND RECENT REPORTS
11 june 2014 South coast: Body found decapitated
Members of the South Coast Bushwalking Club made a grisly discovery during an afternoon walk in the Royal National Park on Sunday.Club member and Wollongong resident Philip Allen was one of eight bushwalkers who had veered "off the beaten track" and discovered a tent with a badly decomposed body inside."We were hiking from Waterfall to Engadine via Audley and had lost the track and had been bush bashing for a number of hours when around 3pm we came across a secluded weather-beaten tent on a ledge and noticed a leg bone sticking out," Mr Allen, 67, said."We peeped in the tent and could see that the body was headless - maybe animals had got to it - and that it had obviously been there for some time as it was quite badly decomposed.
"As you get older you can handle these sorts of things a bit better, but we didn't stick around too long after that."
The group immediately contacted Engadine police on a mobile phone to notify them of the discovery and gave them the co-ordinates of their position.It was very much off the beaten track and very rough country," Mr Allen said."We met the three police officers at a track junction and led them to the difficult-to-find location and waited until specialist police joined them."We then made our way to Engadine station, tying ribbons to trees at the request of the police so they could find their way back." Mr Allen said. "We were happy that we were able to help."A NSW Police media spokeswoman confirmed that a badly decomposed body had been found at a campsite on the Bottle Forest Loop fire trail near Kangaroo Creek in the national park.The spokeswoman said a crime scene had been set up, although police did not believe there were any suspicious circumstance
BRIGID KING DEC 30 2013
A SEVERELY decomposed body found in Doonside bushland belongs to missing woman Brigid King.
The 45-year-old woman, who had been missing for almost three weeks, was last seen at her Doonside home on the morning of Tuesday March 21.
Police said a boy aged 10 or 11 discovered the body while riding his bicycle through Western Sydney Parklands near the corner of Richmond and Knox roads on Sunday April 9 at 4.40pm.
He alerted one of the adults he was with and they raised the alarm with police.
Police said they informed Ms King’s parents and defacto partner about her death yesterday after post mortem results confirmed the body belonged to her.
Blacktown Detective-Inspector Paul Ticker said it would take between six and eight weeks until toxicology results were returned to ascertain the cause of death but it was not being treated as suspicious.
“The only thing suspicious is the delay in reporting it (her missing),’’ Det-Insp Tickner said.
“There was nothing to suggest she met with foul play but at this stage we have a number of inquiries to follow up. We have to dot the ‘I’s and cross the ‘T’s.’’
The body was so badly decomposed police initially thought the human remains belonged to a man.
Dental records were needed to identify Ms King’s body.
Police held “serious concerns” for Ms King’s safety after she went missing because her disappearance was out of character.
KAREN RISTEVSKI FEB 1ST 2017
The body of missing Victorian mum Karen Ristevski has been found in rugged bushland almost eight months after she vanished following an argument with her husband.
The decomposing body was found by a bushwalker on Monday near a dirt road at Mount Macedon Regional Park and sent for forensic testing to determine identity.
Investigators received the results and informed Mrs Ristevski's family at their Avondale Heights home on Tuesday afternoon.
Several groups of visitors arrived at the family home on Tuesday evening, while a woman left flowers outside the front gate.
"Police can confirm the human remains found at Mount Macedon yesterday are that of missing Avondale Heights woman Karen Ristevski," police said in a brief statement.
"Missing Persons Squad detectives are appealing for anyone that may have been walking along the dirt track off Loch Road or anyone that may have seen any vehicles to contact them."
Mrs Ristevski, 47, hadn't been seen since June 29, 2016 when she apparently left home after an argument with her husband Borce Ristevski.
Mr Ristevski told the Herald Sun in August his wife had vanished after an argument over a few hundred dollars. He stressed his wife had not "done a runner" over their finances.
Mr Ristevski also dismissed claims by his estranged son Anthony Rickard, a confessed ice user, that he had overheard Mrs Ristevski talking about leaving Borce when their daughter Sarah turned 21.
Mrs Ristevski hadn't used her bank accounts or phone since she disappeared.
Police conducted a number of intense searches, with a cadaver dog brought in from NSW, rivers searched, dams drained and farmland scoured metre by metre.
The dense bush where her remains were found on Monday has also been scoured by police and the SES.
A team of more than 20 SES volunteers carried out a line search on Tuesday.
SES North West regional manager Mal Ross said his units weren't expected to return on Wednesday.
"That's it now. We've covered the area that police were initially looking at so at this stage we've finished," he told AAP.
The crime scene was cleared and the site, around 60km north of Melbourne, reopened to the public on Tuesday afternoon.
The grim find has shocked locals, with the body discovered close to numerous houses and a golf course.
Local cafe and post office owner Brad Eshuys said many people use the park.
"It's unsettling it was so close to a residential area in an area that is well used by the locals," he told AAP.
"I think bushwalkers would go through there, maybe mountain bikers, but not many vehicles. It's not a road to anywhere."
He said many still remember the body of murdered Melbourne woman Jill Meagher turning up not far from Mt Macedon, in Gisborne South, in 2012.
Locals have laid a bouquet of flowers at the base of a tree near the crime scene.
The body of missing Victorian mum Karen Ristevski has been found in rugged bushland almost eight months after she vanished following an argument with her husband.
The decomposing body was found by a bushwalker on Monday near a dirt road at Mount Macedon Regional Park and sent for forensic testing to determine identity.
Investigators received the results and informed Mrs Ristevski's family at their Avondale Heights home on Tuesday afternoon.
Several groups of visitors arrived at the family home on Tuesday evening, while a woman left flowers outside the front gate.
"Police can confirm the human remains found at Mount Macedon yesterday are that of missing Avondale Heights woman Karen Ristevski," police said in a brief statement.
"Missing Persons Squad detectives are appealing for anyone that may have been walking along the dirt track off Loch Road or anyone that may have seen any vehicles to contact them."
Mrs Ristevski, 47, hadn't been seen since June 29, 2016 when she apparently left home after an argument with her husband Borce Ristevski.
Mr Ristevski told the Herald Sun in August his wife had vanished after an argument over a few hundred dollars. He stressed his wife had not "done a runner" over their finances.
Mr Ristevski also dismissed claims by his estranged son Anthony Rickard, a confessed ice user, that he had overheard Mrs Ristevski talking about leaving Borce when their daughter Sarah turned 21.
Mrs Ristevski hadn't used her bank accounts or phone since she disappeared.
Police conducted a number of intense searches, with a cadaver dog brought in from NSW, rivers searched, dams drained and farmland scoured metre by metre.
The dense bush where her remains were found on Monday has also been scoured by police and the SES.
A team of more than 20 SES volunteers carried out a line search on Tuesday.
SES North West regional manager Mal Ross said his units weren't expected to return on Wednesday.
"That's it now. We've covered the area that police were initially looking at so at this stage we've finished," he told AAP.
The crime scene was cleared and the site, around 60km north of Melbourne, reopened to the public on Tuesday afternoon.
The grim find has shocked locals, with the body discovered close to numerous houses and a golf course.
Local cafe and post office owner Brad Eshuys said many people use the park.
"It's unsettling it was so close to a residential area in an area that is well used by the locals," he told AAP.
"I think bushwalkers would go through there, maybe mountain bikers, but not many vehicles. It's not a road to anywhere."
He said many still remember the body of murdered Melbourne woman Jill Meagher turning up not far from Mt Macedon, in Gisborne South, in 2012.
Locals have laid a bouquet of flowers at the base of a tree near the crime scene.
HEADLESS BODY YET TO BE IDENTIFIED
Posted 3 Apr 2005, 6:14am
Police have yet to identify the decapitated body of a man found in bushland north of Brisbane.
Detectives have spoken to a number of people in relation to the discovery.
A murder investigation is continuing after a man's torso was found in a paddock at Dayboro on Friday afternoon.
Police say the body was found in a shallow grave by two local farmers.
Senior Sergeant Joe Zitney from Petrie police says there could be a link to an incident earlier in the week at Sandgate on Brisbane's northern bayside.
"Police are appealing to the public for any information about a disturbance occurring in the vicinity of rainbow St at Sandgate," Sgt Zitney said.
A post-mortem examination will take place tomorrow to determine the cause of death.
I wish to begin with a recounting of the famous story of the beheading and cannabalisation of Charles Wilson in 1932, which as the story goes was attributed to the Yahoo.
Adelaide’s Mail on 27 February 1932 carried the following sensational headline: Armed Men Hunt Strange Monster. Shaggy Beast Like Huge Gorilla Prowls Mountains: People Terrified. Attacks Three.
The report began: “Armed bushmen are hunting for a mysterious beast, shaggy and powerful, that has attacked three men in the mountainous region between Blight and Yackandandah. The people are terrified.
“Its footprints have been found, but opinions vary as to the identity of the animal. Some say it is 7 feet high and is hairy-headed, and looks like a clumsy deer, and that it has razor-like claws and four white tusks. Those who have seen the beast were too terrified to know exactly what they saw. They say variously that it is an old-man kangaroo, grizzly bear, and a mad gorilla. It is the pivot of a dozen different theories, but the countryside is unanimous that the strange animal lurks in the shadows and leaps on passing horsemen.”
The article continued with a narrow escape from a night-time attack by the hairy beast.
“A farmer, on a recent moonlight night, was riding home about 10 o’clock. Just as he bent over the saddle on the horse, there was a grunt and a scuffle, and a heavy, lumbering figure leapt at the head of his horse. The animal bolted with the farmer holding on for his life. Later an inspection disclosed footmarks like those of a grizzly bear. A few nights later the farmer heard the strange visitor lumbering and grunting around his hut. Outside the horses whinnied in terror. Three of the most daring men in the district went out to hunt through the mountain wilderness for the prowling terror. With guns ready they spent the night out in the open, but found no trace.”
“Later they were passing through the eerie shadows on the Running Creek road, talking of their exploit, a shade sceptical, when, in the twinkling of an eye, the thing that they had been seeking was on them.”
“The horses were scared, and rearing, broke the shafts of the buckboard, on which the men were riding. The three men were thrown to the roadway. Grabbing their guns they fired, but in their confusion the mystery animal scuttled back into the bush, apparently unharmed. When daylight came, the men found the prints of the animal, but could not guess what it was.
Soon after this encounter, a young drover was lucky to escape with his life.
“On Thursday William Nuttall, a 21 year-old drover, with some women and men friends, was riding home to Myrtleford. The moon was shining. Young Nuttall got off his horse to tighten the girth, and the others went on slowly. Those ahead heard him shout, ‘Ride like mad! Some strange beast is attacking me’. The mysterious animal had hidden in the shadows and made a sweep at him with its paw. It ripped Nuttall’s shirt to ribbons, but missed his body. Nuttall’s horse took fright and bolted, but he stuck to the saddle.
“When Nuttall looked round he saw a large hairy creature. A sudden swerve by the horse unseated him, and he dashed for the wire fence which divided him from the railway line. He raced for life along the rails with the animal close on his heels.
“About 20 or 30 yards ahead he saw his horse standing on the roadway, shivering with fright. Nuttall leapt the fence with a bound and, regaining the saddle, urged the horse on.”
While some speculated that perhaps an old, half-blind kangaroo was responsible for the attack, Nuttall did not accept that theory. He was convinced that he had been attacked by an animal resembling a gorilla.While Nuttall was lucky to escape with his life, years earlier, another man was not so lucky.
A deadly attack by a Yowie?
Just a year after the four stockmen were stalked throughout the night by what appears to be a stone-throwing Yowie, a shale miner, Charles Wilson, from Glen Davis near Newnes in New South Wales, went missing. He was apparently found dead several days later, the condition of his body suggested he’d been the victim of cannibalism. Following numerous sightings over the years, and an account of the abduction of a child, locals were convinced that the “giant hairy man” was responsible for poor Wilson’s gruesome death.
SOURCE:
https://weirdaustralia.com/2012/07/20/w ... es-attack/
MY RESEARCHED ACCOUNTS FROM TROVE.
The report is cited as being one of the only recorded attacks on humans by the Yowie.
It was my belief that there could be, far more killings reported in the media of the time that could possibly be attributed to the Hairy man.
Ironically enough the reports that I managed to find tended to mirror modern unsolved deaths in the Australian bush, quite a few of the cases involved decapitation and mutilation of the corpse.
In every case (be that historical or modern account) the circumstances are strange in the extreme. The body is found in an isolated area or there is an illogical or strange circumstance surrounding the finding of the corpse.
And whilst these could all be cases of murder by sociopath humans, there is enough to suggest something else was involved in these deaths.
STRANGE MURDERS IN EARLY AUSTRALIA
Nepean Times Thu 1 Feb 1951
Decapitated Body Found
In St. Marys general cemetery, in a small clearing in scrub near the
northern boundary fence, Ian James Stewart, a lad of 11 years,
of East Bankstown, found the dead body of a man, at about
2.20 p.m. on Monday last.The police were notified, and Detective Killen
and Constables Gimbert and Field went to the scene and found
a badly decomposed body, from which the head was separated, lying
about eight feet away. 'Nearby was a bottle of Tintara wine and a box of matches.
Dr. Barrow, Government medical officer, was notified and viewed the body, expressing
the opinion that death had taken place about six
weeks before. The body was conveyed to Nepean District Hospital morgue.
Subsequent inquiries revealed that the deceased was John George
Johnson, about 60 years of age, who lately resided at Flat 65B, Department
of Works and Housing Hostel, St.Marys. Identification was made by Christopher
James Ross, of the same address, who had lived with deceased for about 18 months.
Johnson, it appears, was addicted to wine and spirit drinking and had periodic drinking bouts.
He was last seen by Mr. Ross on a Sunday after noon early in December, when he left
the home without indicating his destination. He was then under the influence of liquor.
It is stated that Johnson has no relatives in Australia. He was a native of England.
There are no suspicious circum stances about the case. One presumption is that
the decapitation was due to dogs, which were prowling around there.
Weekly Times Melbourne, Vic. Sat 23 Jan 1892
A Decapitated Body Found in the Bush.
The Chief Commissioner of Police on Saturday received a report from
Senior constable Crowle, of Maryeville, giving
lome particulars of the discovery of the body, and offering a suggestions
to the identity of the accused.From this discovery it appears that on the
8th lost a man named Patrick Mannix, who was camped in the district,
went into Marys-Ville and saw Senior-constable Crowle, who is stationed there.
He reported that he had discovered the body of a man in the bush at
Donovan's Creek, about three miles from the Wood's Point road.
This is an extremely out-of-the-way densely wooded wild piece of
country at the foot of the Main Dividing' Range.
It is almost inaccessible, even on foot, while a horse could not penetrate
the wilderness of undergrowth.
Very seldom does anyone go there the country is only explored by an
occasional prospector, and to all purposes the locality is still an unexploredI wild.
Constable Crowle lost no time in setting out, and returning with Mannix the same
day he reached the latter 's camp, where he remained until the following morning.
Crown and those at the camp then constituted a search party, and under the
direction of Mannix they made a start for the place where the body had been found.
Extreme difficulty was experienced in reaching the place, and the party had to cut
their way through the scrub.
On reaching the scene of the discovery a sickening sight was witnessed, and it was
that an apparent death had occurred a considerable time previously.
The body was in an advanced stage of death 50 reposition, and the head was lying some
little distance from the body, but how it was levered could not be explained
by the con stable. There was no money found near the body ,nor in the pockets of
the deceased's clothing, but the constable picked up a pair of silver rimmed
spectacles, a chisel -pointed pick,and several small articles.
The pick would point to the conclusion that the deceased had been prospecting in
the ranges, and was cither murdered or died from exposure.
There were no indications of the man having carried a swag, and no property was
Discovered beyond the few articles found near the body.
Nor were there any indications that the man had been provided with food.
Near the body was a copy of a Melbourne newspaper of February, 1891.
The constable thinks that possibly the body is that of a man named Charles Bishop,
who has been misting from Smythesdale for some months.
Bishop was a small storekeeper, and when he left home he had
a sum of money, amounting to about £30, in his possession.
The further information received by the police relative to the finding of
the decomposed body of a man in the scrub near Marys ville is to the
effect that foul play is not suspected also that an inquest has been held,
at which no suspicious circumstances were made known.
The identity of the deceased is not known, and it is reported that
Mr. C. Bishop returned to his home at Smythesdale
some time ago.
Kalgoorlie Miner WA Tue 7 Aug 1928
DECAPITATED BODY FOUND.
Cairns Aug: 6.
Carpenters, engaged in constructing a house on the farm of James
Ginn at Boonyee, near Matridge , were on the. way to work today when
they noticed an unpleasant smell. After searching two hours they discovered
the decomposed body of a man in thick scrub about 150 yards from where some
scrub fellers had a camp.
The head was severed from the body and battered beyond recognition.
A quantity of blood stained clothes was found in the camp.
The body, which was not identified has been buried. It is stated that two men who were
engaged by Ginn scrub felling had not seen him for about five weeks.
One was named Walters and the other Kelly. One recently arrived from England.
The men had been missing for about three weeks when the matter was reported
to the police, who, however, were unable to trace the men.
The police believe the body to be that of one of the missing men.
Evening News Sydney Tue 5 Mar 1895
A Coonamble Mystery:
DECAPITATED BODY FOUND.
DEATH FROM EXPOSURE.
Coonamble, March 5
News was received in town on Monday that the
remains of a man had been found near Coonamble, about twenty
miles from here with indications that he had been murdered.
It was stated to the police that the head was off, and that the body
had been otherwise mutilated. The police were further in
formed that the trunk was wrapped in a blanket, and was lying some
distance away from where the head was found. Yesterday the coroner,
with a local doctor and two mounted police, rode to the scene of
the discovery. They found that the remains were those of an aged
man, who had been dead for some time. The doctor was of opinion that
death had been caused by exposure. There is no truth in the
assertion that the man had been murdered.
Daily Examiner Grafton NSW Tue 4 Jul 1933
DECAPITATED CHILD'S BODY FOUND ON
MEREWEATHER BEACH NEWCASTLE
After digging at various points on Merewether beach today the police
discovered the decapitated body of an infant.The child's head was found
by a boy on Friday who later told the police that he buried the body,
but could not remember the location. While the police were digging this
afternoon a dog strayed on the scene and began pawing at the sand.
The police dug into the sand and the body was revealed.
Cairns Post Qld 1909 Thu 10 Feb 1938
DECAPITATED BODY.FOUND NEAR. GLENORIE.
NOT YET IDENTIFIED.
The body of a man with the head, arm and a leg messing, was found
in a gorge about half a mile off the Old Northern road, Glenorie, late this
afternoon. The police have not yet been able to determine whether he met
his death by foul means, or accidental. The man had been dead two or three
months. Nothing was found to indicate, the man's identity.
The West Australian Fri 21 Feb 1913
A GRUESQME TRAGEDY A WOMAN FOULLY MURDERED.
DECAPITATED BODY FOUND IDENTITY NOT ESTABLISHED.
A gruesome find was reported today. A resident of Everton, while walking near the
Falls, discovered the nude and mutilated body of a woman.
The head and one arm are missing, while the remaining hand is minus two fingers.
Everton is about 10 miles from Beechworth, and the Falls are on Maloney's Creek.
The police were informed of the discovery and the body was taken to the morgue at
the Wangaratta Hospital. Nothing was found on the woman to show her identity.
Decomposition had reached an advanced stage.
Dr. C. H. Mollison, the Government Pathologist, has been requested to examine
the body. Detective Sullivant, of Benalla, assisted by the Wangaratta police,
is making inquiries.
The search for the missing arm and head has so far failed to disclose their where
abouts. It is considered unlikely that the woman was a resident of the district, as no
body has been reported missing.
Wagga Wagga Advertiser NSW Tue 18 Feb 1908
MUTILATED BODY FOUND.
The body of a man. believed to be that of Harry Vane, who disappeared
from Tingara tin field ten days ago, was found in the bush a few miles from the
township. It was in an advanced state of decomposition, and the medical
examination showed that the neck, one shoulder blade, one left arm, and
both hips had been broken. How the man came by his injuries is a mystery.
Mirror Perth, WA Sat 18 Oct 1941
MUTILATED BODY IN BUSH
Four miles from Pickering Brook, in the heart ot the thick bush, the
white glare of truck head-lights suddenly lit up the mutilated remains of a
man's body.The body was partially clad, and had evidently been there for some
time It was virtually a skeleton. Some distance from the torso was found
the remains of a leg. The other leg Is missing. Wild dogs, it is thought, are
responsible for the disappearance of the limb. The limb found has been mauled
and dragged about; and as wild dogs abound in the districts, it is considered
not unlikely that they were responsible. Gruesome discovery was made by
City Council employee William Overstone, of Marian-street, Leederville.
In the truck with him was another employee of the Council.
The only clothing on the upper portion of the body was the remain
of a shirt and a coat .There were virtually no means of identification,
but it is thought that the deceased may be Ki Sooey ,a 71-year old market
gardener, who disappeared in April last.
On April 2 last, it was stated by the police that Ki Sooey left the
Market garden where he worked with a countryman, Chuck Sing,
and said he was going to visit another Chinaman. He was last seen in the
vicinity of Pickering Brook a few days later.
When he was reported missing, a search was organised, led by mounted
police and black trackers, but no trace of the missing man was found.
It has been stated that Ki Sooey was wandering at the time and
appeared to be partially demented.
Det sgt Pilmer and Det Thompson are inquiring and the
Coroner has been informed.
Daily Telegraph Launceston, Tas Fri 1 Mar 1912
A BUSH TRAGEDY: WOMEN'S BODY MUTILATED
The body of Mrs Wilson, wife of W. Wibion a mail contractor was
found in a paddock at Evans Plains early this morning .
The body was terribly mutilated, and had been apparently eaten by dogs.
It is not yet known how the deceased met her death.
She must have been alive yesterday morning.
Singleton Argus NSW : Tue 27 Feb 1906
PERISHED IN THE BUSH.
Body Mutilated by Wild Animals
George Henry Crawford has perished from thirst in the Black Range district
of West Australia/making the second case that has occurred there within
the last month. Crawford, after delivering some sheep started with a
horse and sulky on the return journey to the Black Bangs.
A few miles out he overtook some men who gave him
some; whisky. It is supposed he fell asleep, and later wandered off the track.
The deed body, mutilated by wild animal was subsequently found by a search
party 15 miles from the track. Crawford, who was 50 years old, and unmarried
was from Moonta,South Australia.
Singleton Argus NSW Sat 15 Jun 1907
MYSTERY OF THE BUSH.
Mutilated Remains Found in a Tree in Bingora
A farmer on a Bingora estate, while clearing away a hollow tree which
had fallen discovered the remains under a quantity of clay in the
trunk. The remains consisted of bones from the arms and legs of which
had been broken suggesting that the body had been mutilated, and then
passed into the tree trunk through a hole about 3ft above the ground,
and then clay had afterwards been placed through the hole on the remains
in order to prevent putrefaction attracting attention.
Apparently they had been in the tree for many years, and would, have remained
undiscovered but that the wind on Monday night blew the tree down.
The police are investigating the matter.
The Argus Melbourne, Vic. Fri 8 May 1908
CHILD MURDER.MUTILATED BODY FOUND.
ANOTHER BALLARAT MYSTERY.
What is un doubtedly a case of child murder came under the notice
of Senior-constable Magor,the officer in charge of the Victoria-street
station, this evening. He is now engaged in an endeavour to identify the
body of the child. This, however, must be no easy matter, for the body
when found was nude. The body was discovered by Edward Hall,
aged 15, who was walking across Black Hill. It was lying in the open country,
not far from some stunted bushes, but in no way protected by them.
The corpse was in a decomposing condition indicating that
death must have taken place some days ago.
Hall gave information to Senior-constable Magor, who at once proceeded
to the spot and made a thorough search of the locality.
The infant was apparently not more than a fortnight old at the time of its
death.The right leg was missing altogether, and the left leg was missing from the knee
downwards. There was a wound in the throat and neck, which indicated that the
baby had been murdered. There was no string or anything about the throat to
suggest strangulation. Not even a piece of paper had been wrapped about the
corpse to conceal it from the view of anybody who might pass that way, but
although the country there is fairly open the spot where the child was found lying is
some what secluded. Not far distant, how ever is a house, and Senior-constable Magor
inquired there as to whether any strangers had been seen in the vicinity, but with a
negative result. Senior-constable Magor remove the body to the morgue, and
subsequently reported the matter to the coroner,Mr. H. M. Murphy, P.M. who
has directed that a post-mortem examination be made.
At the northerly continuation of Black Hill is Vale-park, where Madge Graham's
body was found last January. In the case of the baby, however, there is not a vestige
of clothing or other material by which the identification of the murdered child may be
made. The mysteries of the murder of Richard Heaney and Lizzie O'Reilly in
Ballarat North also remain unsolved.
The Tamworth Daily Observer NSW : Thu 6 Mar 1913
MURDERED IN THE BUSH.YOUNG GIRL THE VICTIM.
HEAD BATTERED IN AND BODY MUTILATED SHOCKING CRIME.
The body of a girl, Identified as Ebtlier Porter, aged 14, who resided at Bankstown,
was found in a bush this morning near Punchbowl Hallway Station.
There was every sign that she had been brutally attacked and murdered,
The head was battered in, and she was In a frightful condiiton. She had been missing from
home since Monday morning. It is presumed she went to Punchbowl to meet, some
person. The victim was seen near the railway station with a hamper after the 9 o'clock
train arrived from Bankstown. The police think she was taken into the bush and murdered
within an hour or two of her arrival at Punchbowl.
Later It transpires that Esther Porter visited her mother In the hospital on Sunday nnd
stayed at Erskineville with her sister on Sunday night before going to work.
Her father gave her a small sum of money to pay a few accounts.
She arrived at Bankstown at 8 o'clock on Monday morning, and there was no one in
her company when she started for home. As she did not put in an appearance her
brother Harry reported the matter to the police. He was subsequently riding along
the Punchbowl road when the horse shied. He dismounted and went into the bush
and found his sister's dead body jammed in an old stump covered over with dead bushes.
The Bendigo Independent Vic. Wed 1 Oct 1913
BUSH MURDER.BOY'S HEADLESS BODY.
FOUND IN THE SCRUB.APPARENTLY WORK OF MANIAC.
ECHUCA: Tuesday .
A shocking discovery was made a few miles out of Echuca this
morning.Yesterday a lad named John Adam Anderson, aged 15, son of Mr. James
muiurson, of Wharparilla, who resided with his uncle, John Anderson, at
Wharparilla, went out rabbiting at about 12 o'clock. He took with him
an axe, and was accompanied by two dogs. That was the last his uncle
saw of him alive. As young Anderson did not return to tea his uncle
became anxious, and as the night wore on without the lad putting in an appearance,
the uncle's' anxiety increased. He decided to make a search for his nephew, and about
midnight his attention was attracted by hearing the barking and whining of dogs in the
distance. He proceeded towards the vicinity and prosecuted his search, and at last
came up with the dogs about a mile from Iris farm,
He was horrified to find them standing over the headless body of the
missing lad in a clump of bushes on the farm of Mr. W. G. Freeman, a
neighbor. It was then about 1 a.m and the scene is about 14 miles out
of Echuca. The faithful dogs had apparently remained beside the body
during the night. A glance showed the uncle that his nephew's head had been
completely severed from the body. The blood-stained axe was lying nearby.
Hie immediately reported his terrible discovery to the Echuca police.
Sergeant Corby, Mounted-Constable Burgoyne and Plain-Clothes
Constable Withers, of Bendigo, who was in Echuca, went out and after
making a search found the lad's head hidden in the scrub about 75
yards away from the body. It was frightfully mutilated, and the crime had
evidently been committed with the lad's own axe, which was
lying near the body. Young Anderson had apparently been rabbiting close to
the spot, according to the discoveries made. Rigid investigations were
proposed at the earliest possible moment.
Superintendent Dungev and Detective Commons arrived by the afternoon train
and at once went to the scene of the tragedy.
The Armidale Express and New England General Advertiser
NSW : Tue 10 Dec 1895
DIED IN THE BUSH
The Dubbo police on Monday received information to the effect that
Donald Makinon a Port Norlandra, grazier, had been found dead in the bush.
A police constable was at once sent out to make enquiries, and he returned
to Dubbo on Monday afternoon. He ascertained that Donald Mackinnon
went out on horseback, as was his custom, to look after the cattle.
He was not in the habit of returning until the following Monday morning,
so that his absence was not noticed. However, as he did not return on Monday
it was thought that something must have happened to him, and
a look out was kept for him. It was seen that the horse he had been riding
was wandering riderless and a search was started for Mr. Mackinnon.
When a dead body was found in a horribly mutilated condition in the bush it was
covered with ants, and the flesh had been torn and eaten from the bones.
The body was in such a condition that it was not possible to remove it that night.
From all appearances Mackinnon had been thrown from his horse.
His neck was broken and his hand still clutched the switch with which he had
been bitting the horse. The pipe be had been smoking was lying a
short distance from the body.
Northern Territory Times and Gazette Fri 3 Apr 1908
BUSH HOMOCIDE
A telegram has been delivered to the police from the postmaster
at Poji-éU'a- Creek to the effect that the well-known
drover Mr.Walter Rose, reports having found recently on the
Murrangi track stock route connecting Newcastle Waters with the Victoria
River district, the remains of a dead body, believed to be that of a drover
Named Hussey, or " young Ozzy," who was rather noted for his remarkably small
hands and feet, in which particulars the remains found correspond.
The unfortunate man had evidently been dead for some time, and the
corpse had been shockingly pulled about and mutilated by wild dogs.
The only articles found near the remains were a leather belt and a pair
of boots. The body appeared to have been too mutilated for identification
beyond the small details mentioned. Drover Hussey is described by M.C. Rowe, recently
stationed at Anthony's Lagoon, as a man about 33 years of age, and about
5ft 6in high, and spare, Hussey passed Anthony's Lagoon in March last
year with a mob of cattle and was very well known on Brunette and Creswell
Downs stations, where he had formerly been employed.
Hussey was at one time a jockey.
In a later instance M.-C. Rowe (who is now stationed at the Katherine) would
appear to have been largely instrumental in averting what would probably have
culminated' in another bush tragedy. A man man named William Byrne was found by
him lying alongside the track leading to Victoria River district, and about 36 miles
from Willeroo Station The poor fellow was fever stricken, delirious, and starving,
and had been lying where found, without shelter, for several hours, in pouring rain.
His camp equipage was scattered all over the place. After considerable difficulty the
sick man was conveyed across flooded country to Mr. T. H. Pearce's Willeroo Station,
where, at latest accounts, he was being very kindly attended to and was
recovering his strength.
Since the above was a type a later communication has been received from Powell's
Creek giving a few further details respect of the Murrangi track tragedy. From this
it would appear that, the name of the deceased man who is supposed to be identical
with the mutilated remain, found' by Mr.Rose, is not Hussey, as stated above, but
Ernest Ezzy. Still the man known by some as Hussey is believed to be identical with
Ezzy now referred to, the confusion probably arising from the phonetic relationship
of the two names. ' Ezzy might easily become Hussey in the mouth of an aboriginal
or in the careless phraseology of the average bushman, and vice versa.
The later details given are to the effect that Ernest Ezzy was last seen
live at Eva Downs Station on February 3, when he was making
across country to the Victoria River district. It was his stated intention on
passing Eva Downs to calf at Newcastle Waters Station.
He appears, however, never to have put in an appearance at this station.
On leaving Eva downs the deceased had three horses in his possession and
pack and riding saddles. There was no sign of the horses or other gear named
near the remains found nothing but the belt and pair of boots
above referred to. Thirst could scarcely have been the cause of death in the middle
of the wet season and just what has led up to the sad tragedy appears to be one of
those bush mysteries of which there is so long a record in all parts of Australia, and
many of which have never been satisfactorily explained.
Australian Town and Country Journal Sydney
Sat 19 Feb 1870
PERISHED IN THE BUSH
What painful thoughts, and perhaps what sad reminiscences, may the ,
above four simple words conjure up in the minds of all who, from
experience, are able to ,comprehend the full scope of their terrible ,
import ! Bleached skeletons are on the arid plains , human remains scattered
by wild dogs in the dense scrubs and brushes; sometimes ,the decayed or
decaying bodies of unfortunate creatures found in hollow logs or trees,
where ,they may have crept for shelter from bitter cold or torrents of rain
All these shocking ,revelations, which are made from time to time, are the sequels
to sufferings which imagination cannot be too wild to depicture.
For all men who have had much bush experience have been able, only too
faithfully, to realise some of their horrible details. The wild despair of the person
who finds himself hopelessly lost, and hurries hither and thither,
turning upon his own tracks unconsciously, until reason fails and strength
also, and he sinks to rise no more, the burning agony of the parched traveller
exposed to the scorching sun, and hoping against hope as, with swollen
tongue and scorched lips, he searches in vain for one drop of water to save
or to delay the ,death that stares him in the face the help-
less wandering of children, gnawed by hunger, terrified, weeping, and
crying hopelessly for ,help until they succumb to death, and perish ¡
in each others arms, as some of them have been found, or yield up
their lives alone in the wilderness ,all these are lamentable pictures
of realities and it might be supposed that the thought of them would
stimulate every human being in the community, not to speak
of them whose especial duty it is, to hasten to the rescue of those who
are known or believed ,to be in such deadly peril. Unfortunately it is not so
and there can be no question that, independently of those whose melancholy
fate ,is revealed by the ghastly remains which may be discovered, many are
reported as "missing," and some are never missed at all, who ,perish in the
bush, but might have been saved by timely exertion on the part of those
who had power to help.
An item of information in some of the Queensland papers, now about a month old is
calculated to raise a thrill of pity for a little bush wanderer on one hand, and on the other
a burning feeling of indignation against the police authorities of this colony on the
Queensland Border. Although the report in question was published at the time,
we purposely abstained from prominent notice and comment, until ample opportunity
should have been afforded to those who were accused of the most stolid apathy or
the most ,revolting inhumanity, to set themselves right if they could.
Sufficient time having now elapsed for that purpose, without any further public
notice of the matter, we thus place the case before our readers and trust ,
that it may come under the notice of the Government.
It appears that on the day after last Christmas day a little girl
strayed from the residence of her friends, at Acacia Creek, in the Warwick district of
Queensland, and, as she did not return, and time wore on, great alarm was caused for
the safety of the child. In fact those who have even an approximate knowledge of the
country where she strayed will perceive that ,the chances were twenty to one that
she would never be found alive. From the dense scrubs that cover that portion of the
range dividing the eastern and western waters, the valleys on the western side open out into
plains so that, of the numerous persons who set out in search of the child, some would have
been almost sure to have found her if she had strayed away in the open country.
As they did not, it became nearly a certainty that she must have entered the scrub but
it need excite no surprise if the searching parties pursued their investigations day ' after day
in vain, in such a broken, precipitous, and brushy country.
Some of the most remarkable peaks in the coast country between this colony and
Queensland are situated in this locality but of course any person once bewildered in the
scrub can see nothing of these nothing, indeed, but the same mass of tangled brush all
around,excepting where some deep and wide gully opens, but is so choked up with a
network of vegetation that even a hardy bushman could scarcely make his way down it, much
less a child or where a sudden slight opening in the foliage overhead affords a glimpse of
some lofty peak or mountain, like a largo dark cloud above. Into this difficult labyrinth the
poor, lost child must have strayed, and knowing well that the utmost efforts would be
necessary to find her, the sympathising people at Acacia Creek lost no time in
communicating with the New South "Wales police station at Tenterfield, stating
what had happened, and soliciting assistance in the search for the child.
To the eternal disgrace of those concerned and supposing the statement of the
Warwick paper to be truthful, no assistance was sent, now as any reply whatever
Vouch saved the telegram. The Tenterfied police station was the nearest, and no
doubt the people who sent the distressing information there were under the
impression that the mere existence of artificial boundary lines between the colony
would not be sufficient to deprive the little wanderer of the aid of which she stood so
much in need. But no help came from that quarter, and no sign was made. Such is this
report that has been published, and the Iocal paper says " We do not know what the
arrangements of the New South Wales police are but if our information be correct, we
think that some sympathy and assistance might have been given on so distressing an
occasion." In the meantime the lost child wandered on through the dense and gloomy
scrubs night after night and day after day she continued her devious course and how her
feeble strength sustained her must be maraculous to all but that Power which can
succour the weakest in the greatest of perils. She found plenty of water, but nothing to
eat excepting a few berries. After five days of this, she got out of the denser scrub,
and wandered about the mountains, still without anything to sustain her but water.
Her head and face, being bare, were scorched with the sun, and her feet and ankle’s
were cut and sore from contact with the scrubs and rocks .
Yet the poor little thing was quite sensible when, EIGHTEEN DAYS from the time when
she had been lost, she was found by a little boy, near an old head station on Koreelal
Creek. This country has long been taken up and there are out stations scattered about
which would account for the boy falling in with the wanderer, who had, no doubt, struck
upon a sheep or a cattle track alive and uninjured, the child was returned to her joyful
and grateful parents and we venture to say that there are very few, in town
or country, who will not sympathise with them
The number of travellers who have, at various times, come to their death in the
scrubs and mountains, and on the desert plains, of this country, will never be
known, even approximately. Only last week a dead body, frightfully mutilated
by dogs,was found on a run near Muswellbrook but it would be impossible
to quote the numerous instances of the kind that are on record, while
hundreds have occurred in the cases of unfortunates whose end was never known.
It is sad indeed to think of their fate but there is something even more touching
in these narratives of children lost in the bush. Some of these instances have been
very remarkable,and some most distressing in their results but we cannot remember
any case so extraordinary as the present, in which the child must have actually crossed
the range for Koreelah Creek is a tributary of the Clarence, and therefore an eastern
water and yet was found alive after wandering without substantial nourishment for
very little short of three weeks. How the officer in charge of the Tenterfield police
must have felt when he heard of this, and how nearly this poor little life had been
sacrificed to his want of humanity, we shall not venture to imagine.
In this, however, wc are taking it for granted that the application for help was really made
and disregarded. It would be far more agreeable to find that the matter is capable
of satisfactory explanation. This, however, is exceedingly difficult, in the face of the letter of
Mr. J. R. Ardill, bearing on the subject in question, and published in another part of this
paper. The writer speaks of several instances of dead bodies being found on the
Paroo and its vicinity, death having in most cases, no doubt, been caused by thirst and
he mentions one case of the body of a man who, in his opinion, had been robbed and
murdered, but concerning whose fate he in vain endeavoured to secure the inquiries of the
police, who, on the contrary, appear to have entirely misrepresented the case to their
superiors at head quarters. Further misconduct, in the apparent misappropriation of
some of the property found on the deceased, is mentioned by our correspondent,
who is a licensed surveyor, and well capable of making himself
acquainted with all the particulars of which he writes.
A gentleman of his own profession ,a Mr. Richards, has also been lost on the
Paroo, and never since heard of, for, says Mr.Ardill, " there was no inquiry made no more
than if a man was never missed nor is it known what became of the missing gentleman's
property. Surely the hardships and perils of the bush are severe enough without all this culpable,
this cruel neglect on the part of the police and it appears to us to be impossible that the
cases thus prominently brought under the notice of the authorities can be passed over
without the most severe and rigid investigation, and the adoption of
better measures for the future.
Leader Melbourne, Vic. Sat 21 Jun 1884
SHOCKING DEATH IN THE BUSH.
Further particulars have been received at Alexandra respecting the horrible
death in the home of a man named Crinion, whose, body was recently, found at
Donovan's Creek, above Marysville in a dreadfully mutilated condition,
having been torn to pieces by the wild dogs and native cats.
On receipt of the news respecting the finding-of the body, Constable
'Woods, of Marysville, immediately left, accompanied by five volunteers
and upon! Arriving at the spot a horrible spectacle met their gaze,
the body being halved, and in an advanced state of decomposition and minus the
head and legs. A Diligent search was made by the constable to find the head
and legs, but with out avail. The mutilated trunk of the unfortunate man was
put into an old sluice box and buried on the spot. The small gunyah in
which the deceased lived was only six by four feet, and upon the constable
crawling into the place, the only, utensil found was a billy can,
which contained some water, and which had evidently been placed upon
the fire to boil. The only article of consumption found was a bag containing
about four pounds of flour.
The deceased, who was 63 years of age,was a native of Dublin. He lived a solitary
life, and avoided all association. It is thought that he died from starvation.
Glen Innes Examiner and General Advertiser NSW Tue 2 May 1899
A STONEHENGE MYSTERY
The remains of a man found in the bush.
A report readied town on Sunday that the remains of a man had been discovered
in a mutilated condition on the lonely piece of road that leads
across the plains of Stonehenge. From the particulars to hand, it appears
on Sunday morning young .William Rumiug was riding across the plain
between Surrey ville (his father's residence) and Stonehenge station,
accompanied by his dogs. As he was cantering along the side of the gully after a
hare which was accidentally disturbed, he discovered what be at once
saw to be the body of a deadman. Leaving the discovery undisturbed
and running at once for the police, who, on arrival examined the body and
found the face eaten away,apparently by vermin, beyond recognition.
A little of the beard on one side of the face was turning grey, and this
with the exception of the old oil skin coat, is the only trace by which the police
may be enabled to obtain an identification of the unfortunate man.
The body was that of an apparently strongly built person, about 5ft 6in in
height, and well dressed.
An inquiry was held in the Court House yesterday afternoon before
Mr. Coroner Laivson.
Constable Dower gave evidence as to the discovery of the body, and stated
the man looked about 50years of age and between 5ft 7in and 8in in height.
Dr. Wrigley gave evidence as to examining the body. He stated he saw no marks of
violence on it. On the trousers and coat were blood stains. From the advanced state
of decomposition of the body it was impossible to state positively the cause of death
but, from what he had seen and heard, death was possibly due to vomiting of blood,
and consequently syncope. John Milner stated that on April 15th a man
came to his hotel and asked him so take him in, saying he would give witness
security for his board till he wired to his brother for money.
" He borrowed £1 from witness to wire to his brother. Witness thought it
was to Muscwellbrook. Witness saw him pay 6s to the telegraph messenger.
He said his name was Hall, and he was interested in several stations.
He stayed a week and left on Saturday morning early, without breakfast.
The man was addicted to drinking. Witness did not think he
had any money when he left, but he had two cases of which was
left at the hotel and contained, amongst other things, a silver watch.
On the dials were the letters ",W. H." Witness stated that he had
viewed the body at the mt Pleasant Hotel, and he believed that the
deceased was the man Hall who left on April 25.
The deceased seemed depressed when he received no answer to
his telegram. On the Monday after sending the
wire he told witness he might not get a reply as his brother might have gone
to the Newcastle races.
The Coroner found that the deceased had died from syncope caused
by excessive hemorrhage.
The Age Melbourne, Vic. Tue 13 Sep 1932
LOST IN MOUNTAINS SEARCH PARTY FINDS BODY.
The body of Alius Anna. Gullett, 40 years, sister of the Minister of Customs,
was found by a search party in the bush nerar Locton Lodge
She had been slain accidently while walking through the bush.
she was overcome by illness and collapsed. The body was lying a little
distance from one of the main roads, but in dense bush.
Miss Gullett left the Lodge late on
Saturday afternoon to go for a Walk, and she was not seen alive again.
Search parties of police and holiday makers were out all day yesterday and
the greater part of to-day, and a wide area of rugged country was covered.
The body was found in a peculiar manner. A press photographer was about to
snap three of the searchers as they were moving across a swamp not five
hundred yards from Looten Lodge, when one of the three, Victor Adams; glanced over
his shoulder and saw the body lying on sonic reed.
The others turned simultaneously, and saw it also.
It was lying in a most natural position, with an umbrella grasped in one hand.
Evidently some animals had approached the body and the face had been
Slightly mutilated by these. It is thought by both the dead women's
relatives and those who found her that she wandered off the road
in the dense fog which has overhung the district for several days and
then became entangled in the reeds of the swamp. Probably she suffered a
heart attack there and collapsed and died.
The dense fog made it almost impossible to see more than a few yards
ahead, and the searchers experienced most trying conditions.
At times they were waist deep in swamps, with dozens of leeches clinging
to Their limbs.During the search two expert mountain climbing experts,
Joseph Knight and Noel Town, climbed several precipitous cliffs,
a slip over any of which would have meant' certain death.
Among those who took part were the Lieutenant-Governor,
Sir William Cullen, and Air. Peter Board, ex-Director of Education.
The happening recalls the Strange disappearance of A David Joel and his wife
in the Wentworth Falls district in May,1918.
A wealthy man, Joel and his wife, who was very delicate, went to Wentworth Falls
for a holiday. They left the train, and in misty rain commenced to walk back
towards Lawson, but off the main road. This was the last seen of Joel.
Mrs Joel, who tore the clothes from her body in her hysterical ravings,
was found starving a few miles from where she had been last seen.
When rescued she' slipped into unconsciousness and died "shortly afterwards
in Penrith Hospital. No trace was ever found of Joel he may have been robbed and
buried, or he may have become lost in his desperate search to retrace his steps.
Headless body in Lake Illawarra
In 1950, 2 small planes collided in Shellharbour. In mid November, a headless body washed ashore near the entrance of Lake Illawarra. It was soon discovered that the body belonged to one of the pilots, identified by a small scar on his abdomen.
By day, Lake Illawarra is a stunning sight. The blue water is home to beautiful ducks and swans, the islands in the distance. But once the sun goes down, the lake is a very different place indeed. On the Berkeley side, it is difficult to shake the feeling that you are being watched. The wind whispers and sighs around you, and even though you know you are near a main road, it almost feels like you are in the middle of nowhere. I have heard many stories of people feeling cold hands stroke their face, or of catching sight of someone walking towards them from the corner of their eye, only to turn and discover that they are alone.
Could it be the ghost of the unfortunate pilot? Or does the lake hide many other secrets?
One secret I have heard rumours of, is a demonic face hidden in the rocks. I have seen a picture (and it is honestly frightening) and I hope to get a copy of the picture to share with you. The story that accompanies the picture is a woman who was enjoying a walk when she felt she was being watched. She turned full circle, and saw no one. On a whim, she picked up her camera and fired it at the rocks, before turning and fleeing home. When she arrived home, she was horrified by what she had captured on her camera..
MODERN AND RECENT REPORTS
11 june 2014 South coast: Body found decapitated
Members of the South Coast Bushwalking Club made a grisly discovery during an afternoon walk in the Royal National Park on Sunday.Club member and Wollongong resident Philip Allen was one of eight bushwalkers who had veered "off the beaten track" and discovered a tent with a badly decomposed body inside."We were hiking from Waterfall to Engadine via Audley and had lost the track and had been bush bashing for a number of hours when around 3pm we came across a secluded weather-beaten tent on a ledge and noticed a leg bone sticking out," Mr Allen, 67, said."We peeped in the tent and could see that the body was headless - maybe animals had got to it - and that it had obviously been there for some time as it was quite badly decomposed.
"As you get older you can handle these sorts of things a bit better, but we didn't stick around too long after that."
The group immediately contacted Engadine police on a mobile phone to notify them of the discovery and gave them the co-ordinates of their position.It was very much off the beaten track and very rough country," Mr Allen said."We met the three police officers at a track junction and led them to the difficult-to-find location and waited until specialist police joined them."We then made our way to Engadine station, tying ribbons to trees at the request of the police so they could find their way back." Mr Allen said. "We were happy that we were able to help."A NSW Police media spokeswoman confirmed that a badly decomposed body had been found at a campsite on the Bottle Forest Loop fire trail near Kangaroo Creek in the national park.The spokeswoman said a crime scene had been set up, although police did not believe there were any suspicious circumstance
BRIGID KING DEC 30 2013
A SEVERELY decomposed body found in Doonside bushland belongs to missing woman Brigid King.
The 45-year-old woman, who had been missing for almost three weeks, was last seen at her Doonside home on the morning of Tuesday March 21.
Police said a boy aged 10 or 11 discovered the body while riding his bicycle through Western Sydney Parklands near the corner of Richmond and Knox roads on Sunday April 9 at 4.40pm.
He alerted one of the adults he was with and they raised the alarm with police.
Police said they informed Ms King’s parents and defacto partner about her death yesterday after post mortem results confirmed the body belonged to her.
Blacktown Detective-Inspector Paul Ticker said it would take between six and eight weeks until toxicology results were returned to ascertain the cause of death but it was not being treated as suspicious.
“The only thing suspicious is the delay in reporting it (her missing),’’ Det-Insp Tickner said.
“There was nothing to suggest she met with foul play but at this stage we have a number of inquiries to follow up. We have to dot the ‘I’s and cross the ‘T’s.’’
The body was so badly decomposed police initially thought the human remains belonged to a man.
Dental records were needed to identify Ms King’s body.
Police held “serious concerns” for Ms King’s safety after she went missing because her disappearance was out of character.
KAREN RISTEVSKI FEB 1ST 2017
The body of missing Victorian mum Karen Ristevski has been found in rugged bushland almost eight months after she vanished following an argument with her husband.
The decomposing body was found by a bushwalker on Monday near a dirt road at Mount Macedon Regional Park and sent for forensic testing to determine identity.
Investigators received the results and informed Mrs Ristevski's family at their Avondale Heights home on Tuesday afternoon.
Several groups of visitors arrived at the family home on Tuesday evening, while a woman left flowers outside the front gate.
"Police can confirm the human remains found at Mount Macedon yesterday are that of missing Avondale Heights woman Karen Ristevski," police said in a brief statement.
"Missing Persons Squad detectives are appealing for anyone that may have been walking along the dirt track off Loch Road or anyone that may have seen any vehicles to contact them."
Mrs Ristevski, 47, hadn't been seen since June 29, 2016 when she apparently left home after an argument with her husband Borce Ristevski.
Mr Ristevski told the Herald Sun in August his wife had vanished after an argument over a few hundred dollars. He stressed his wife had not "done a runner" over their finances.
Mr Ristevski also dismissed claims by his estranged son Anthony Rickard, a confessed ice user, that he had overheard Mrs Ristevski talking about leaving Borce when their daughter Sarah turned 21.
Mrs Ristevski hadn't used her bank accounts or phone since she disappeared.
Police conducted a number of intense searches, with a cadaver dog brought in from NSW, rivers searched, dams drained and farmland scoured metre by metre.
The dense bush where her remains were found on Monday has also been scoured by police and the SES.
A team of more than 20 SES volunteers carried out a line search on Tuesday.
SES North West regional manager Mal Ross said his units weren't expected to return on Wednesday.
"That's it now. We've covered the area that police were initially looking at so at this stage we've finished," he told AAP.
The crime scene was cleared and the site, around 60km north of Melbourne, reopened to the public on Tuesday afternoon.
The grim find has shocked locals, with the body discovered close to numerous houses and a golf course.
Local cafe and post office owner Brad Eshuys said many people use the park.
"It's unsettling it was so close to a residential area in an area that is well used by the locals," he told AAP.
"I think bushwalkers would go through there, maybe mountain bikers, but not many vehicles. It's not a road to anywhere."
He said many still remember the body of murdered Melbourne woman Jill Meagher turning up not far from Mt Macedon, in Gisborne South, in 2012.
Locals have laid a bouquet of flowers at the base of a tree near the crime scene.
The body of missing Victorian mum Karen Ristevski has been found in rugged bushland almost eight months after she vanished following an argument with her husband.
The decomposing body was found by a bushwalker on Monday near a dirt road at Mount Macedon Regional Park and sent for forensic testing to determine identity.
Investigators received the results and informed Mrs Ristevski's family at their Avondale Heights home on Tuesday afternoon.
Several groups of visitors arrived at the family home on Tuesday evening, while a woman left flowers outside the front gate.
"Police can confirm the human remains found at Mount Macedon yesterday are that of missing Avondale Heights woman Karen Ristevski," police said in a brief statement.
"Missing Persons Squad detectives are appealing for anyone that may have been walking along the dirt track off Loch Road or anyone that may have seen any vehicles to contact them."
Mrs Ristevski, 47, hadn't been seen since June 29, 2016 when she apparently left home after an argument with her husband Borce Ristevski.
Mr Ristevski told the Herald Sun in August his wife had vanished after an argument over a few hundred dollars. He stressed his wife had not "done a runner" over their finances.
Mr Ristevski also dismissed claims by his estranged son Anthony Rickard, a confessed ice user, that he had overheard Mrs Ristevski talking about leaving Borce when their daughter Sarah turned 21.
Mrs Ristevski hadn't used her bank accounts or phone since she disappeared.
Police conducted a number of intense searches, with a cadaver dog brought in from NSW, rivers searched, dams drained and farmland scoured metre by metre.
The dense bush where her remains were found on Monday has also been scoured by police and the SES.
A team of more than 20 SES volunteers carried out a line search on Tuesday.
SES North West regional manager Mal Ross said his units weren't expected to return on Wednesday.
"That's it now. We've covered the area that police were initially looking at so at this stage we've finished," he told AAP.
The crime scene was cleared and the site, around 60km north of Melbourne, reopened to the public on Tuesday afternoon.
The grim find has shocked locals, with the body discovered close to numerous houses and a golf course.
Local cafe and post office owner Brad Eshuys said many people use the park.
"It's unsettling it was so close to a residential area in an area that is well used by the locals," he told AAP.
"I think bushwalkers would go through there, maybe mountain bikers, but not many vehicles. It's not a road to anywhere."
He said many still remember the body of murdered Melbourne woman Jill Meagher turning up not far from Mt Macedon, in Gisborne South, in 2012.
Locals have laid a bouquet of flowers at the base of a tree near the crime scene.
HEADLESS BODY YET TO BE IDENTIFIED
Posted 3 Apr 2005, 6:14am
Police have yet to identify the decapitated body of a man found in bushland north of Brisbane.
Detectives have spoken to a number of people in relation to the discovery.
A murder investigation is continuing after a man's torso was found in a paddock at Dayboro on Friday afternoon.
Police say the body was found in a shallow grave by two local farmers.
Senior Sergeant Joe Zitney from Petrie police says there could be a link to an incident earlier in the week at Sandgate on Brisbane's northern bayside.
"Police are appealing to the public for any information about a disturbance occurring in the vicinity of rainbow St at Sandgate," Sgt Zitney said.
A post-mortem examination will take place tomorrow to determine the cause of death.
-
paulmcleod67
Historical accounts of the YAHOO
HISTORICAL YOWIE REPORTS FROM TROVE
Evening News Sydney, NSW: Sat 27 Feb 1892
CHASED ALL NIGHT BY A MAN-GORILLA.
Under a white hot sky, treading a red hot soil and consuming large quantities of
lightning liquor, it was only to 'be expected that Australians would develop a literature
in which the marvellous would have at least a place and the picturesque would
not be compelled to take a back seat. And so, indeed, it proved, for in course of
time there arose in the land men who saw strange sights in lonely gullies at eve,
or who heard shrieks in deep mountain gorges at midnight.
And they published their experiences with startling embellishments in the local
papers, and the news travelled far and wide till foreigners began to see that
Australia could do something more than produce wool and tallow and hides
and states men.
That fishermen would see a sea serpent once a week was frequent.
The bunyip bade fair to become as dear to Australia as the unicorn is to England.
There was the individual who stood on a hill near Rydal and saw a snake's head
appear over the crest of a hill two miles away.
This snake started to come down the hill, and as it got half way
across the valley before the tail appeared the veracious spectator turned and fled
, and rigidly avoided that part of the country inthe future.
Then there was the drover whose cattle turned off the road
to avoid a large snake, and had to go. a quarter of a mile off the
road, and the bushmen who have camped
alongside a snake which they mistook for a dead log, and which glided away when
the heat of the fire struck it, are too numerous to mention. ' Old man ' kanga
roos that nobody could shoot and mysterious wild ' horses that nobody
could tun down became as plentiful as promises in a political manifesto
and every district could boast of them.
Then from sundry parts of the land came rumors of a ghostly individual who was
given to tearing up trees with his nails and heaving promiscuous rocks at
passers by, and who resembled a gorilla but was several times as large,
and could not be shot because he was impenetrable to bullets and
also because he lived in a thick forest or a deep cave where the light of day seldom
came.
This cheerful sort of apparition was generally called ' A Bush Horror ' in
the local paper, and when the editor had thrown in a few details and
added a little dramatic effect timid tourists preferred to stop away from that
district altogether.
The latest man gorilla story conies from Armidale, and professes to be an
account of what happened to four men who were out mustering the cattle on
the lower end of the Kangaroo Hills Run,and it is asserted that the whole statement
can be verified on application to the manager of the Kangaroo Hills Station.
On January 29 the four stockmen went to the lower end of the run to muster
cattle, and fixed their camp on Day's River. At dusk they were fishing opposite a big
steep spur of the mountain, and after about half an hour they were startled by a heavy
splash in the water right in front of them,as if a large stone had been thrown in.
After a few minutes two more splashes came,and one of the men who -was sitting apart
from the others, called out to his mates not to throw any more stones as it would
frighten the fish. They all declared that they had thrown no stones, and each one
thought that one of the others had done it, but as three more splashes came in quick
succession the men began to get alarmed.One called out, ' 'Who's throwing stones
I over there ?' No answer came. They could hear something moving on the rocks, but
could see nothing , as it was now quite dark. Presently another stone fell right
at the feet of one of them, splashing the water all over him.
Up jumped the whole party and made for the fire as fast as they
could, and then as they were talking matters over and wondering who could
have thrown the stones they were again startled by hearing the steps
of some heavy creature crossing over the gravelly bed of the river, and
coming towards them. They were so startled that they began to prepare for a
hasty flight, and were busily strapping their swags on their saddles when a heavy
stone, evidently thrown from a short distance, struck the fire and scattered it in all
directions. The men seized their bridles and ran to their horses 200 yards away.
They mounted the terrified animals bare back, and, after consultation, determined
to go back to their camp and get the Baddies. They found no one there ; but,
while in the act of saddling the horses,more stones -were thrown, so they hastily
mounted and rode into the bush, pursued by stones.
After going about a mile, up the river they stopped, but in about 10
minutes another stone fell about six yards from them. They galloped off again,
and did not stop till they had gone several miles.
The country through which they were riding was very mountainous, being about
the roughest of the Day's River gorges, and they ran great
risk of breaking their necks by riding over it at such a pace on a dark night.
On arriving at the junction of Kangaroo Hills Creek and Day's River they stopped again,
and thought that they had at all events by that time given their pursuers the slip.
An hour afterwards, however, the horses began to snort, and a stone thrown with terrific
force passed close to the head of one of the men.
Away they dashed again, and crossing the river, rode past Thunderbolt's cave and
up a steep spur of the mountain.When they had nearly reached the top the
strain told on their horses, and they were compelled to stop.
They remained therefor some hours, and, just as daylight was approaching, one of the
men distinctly saw the form of a large creature resembling a man.
It was about the same height as a man, but was much larger in the body, and
was standing about 50 yards above them on the same spur.
He stood for a moment in a clear space between the trees, and could
be distinctly seen against the sky in the pale light of coming day.
He moved slowly down the spur, and shortly afterwards they saw him sneaking
towards them on one side of the till.
They galloped rapidly down, the spur and several stones were thrown at them.
The creature followed them for some distance, and after throwing one more
stone made up a very steep spur where no horse could possibly climb, and
they saw no more of him.
It is reported that a gorilla was seen, about three years ago on the Guy Fawkes River
by a man who fired three shots at him without effect. The four men who were
chased about all night, are said to be quiet and reliable
men and are prepared to swear that the tale is true in every particular, and not ex
exaggerated in any detail.
Empire (Sydney, NSW ) Thu 20 Jul 1871
ANOTHER GORILLA.
It is said by persons frequenting the neighbourhood of Belgrave, that a gorilla
has made its appearance in that vicinity. A short time ago a camp of blacks
were so scared by the appearance of the alleged monster, that they left
their camp, and hastened with all possible speed to Warneton, and
refused to return. When asked for a description of the animal they saw,
they said, "That fellow run on four legs, and stand up and run on two legs
, him got plenty yellow hair all over."
Two young men are also said to have been riding along through the
bush between Belgrave and Warneton, when the supposed gorilla rushed through
the bush near them, and so frightened the horse that it was with great difficulty
that he could keep his seat, and prevent the horse from bolting.
A short time after, so the story goes, a person residing in the same neighbourhood,
Hearing his bull-dog barking and making desperate efforts to break his chain,
evidently wishing to get at some thing he saw in the bush, let the dog loose.
The dog, a very savage brute, immediately tore away in a furious manner,
towards the bush but in a short time he was seen beating a speedy retreat,
with his courage evidently cooled.
He took refuge in the house, and could not be persuaded to leave it.
A party of young men, it is said, formed a sort of expedition in pursuit of the
alleged gorilla, but have not been able to test the truth of the statements
respecting the ferocious creature of the woods.
The Herald Fremantle, WA Sat 20 Jan 1877
DISCOVERY OF A LIVE YAHOO !
The Milburn Creek correspondent, of the Sydney Evening News under date
November 11, writes as follows:
“Who has not heard, from the earliest settlement of the colony, the blacks
Speaking of some unearthly animal or inhuman creature that inhabited some
part of the wildest, inaccessible, rugged, and sequestered haunts of rocky
mountains and gorges in the colony, namely the Yahoo-Devil Devil, or the
Hairy Man of the Wood which to this day they stand in fearful awe and
terror of .One sympathise with the superstitious, or aboriginal sayings,
of those wild and unsophisticated denizens of the Australian bush that their
aboriginal tradition of such unearthly mongrels or monsters have and do
now exist though so rare and not as yet often seen or believed in by white men.
Fourteen days ago, and not more than ten miles from here, towards the head
of the Lachlan River, on Coolamba station in one of the most secluded and
melancholy looking spots imaginable, imperceptibly a terror of awe creeps over
every one that has to pass through this far and wide-known
gorge or death chasm of the river.
While a lad of the name of Porter (a son of Porter a farmer on the Lachlan), was
shepherding a flock of his father's sheep, near the rocky gorge, an inhuman
, unearthly looking being was seen by the lad coming directly towards him from the
high, rugged, and precipitous rocks.
The dogs on observing such an unknown monster would not attack, became
timid, and crouched around the lad's legs, who became so horror struck with fear
that he left the sheep to their fate, and ran, together with his collies, for home.
On relating the inhuman sight he had seen, which was not credited by the
father and others at home, they however, at last, mustered courage, and went
to the exact place described, but could not find or see
anything of the hairy man.
On Saturday, last however, a fishing party, of young men and young women
went to the Rocky Bridge water-holes for a night's sport.
These water-holes are famed far and near for quality and quantity of fish.
It is customary for those bent for good sport to remain for the night,
and, as a matter of course, a large fire is made.
On the evening of this memorable day, two hours before sun-down, the
young men and some of the women went to set their lines, leaving one of their
young friends to boil the billie, and prepare supper.
While engaged, the young woman was suddenly startled by observing a man,
who, as she naturally imagined at first sight, was one of their party coming towards
the fire, but on walking closer, discovered the appearance to be unsightly and
inhuman, bearing in every way the shape of a man with a big red face,
hands and legs covered with long shaggy hair.
From fright she became almost spell-bound, screamed and screeched
but unable to run. The men, on hearing such unearthly cries, left their fishing
lines and ran towards their comrade. On reaching the fire, the monster, the cause
of the alarm was only distant some fifty yards.
On their appearing it stood, for a minute or two, and turned away and made
for the rocks. Two of the men armed themselves with a tomahawk and cudgel,
and followed this extraordinary phenomenon of nature for a short
distance up the rocky and rugged mountain , when suddenly it turned round,
and stood viewing the men as they were approaching.
They also halted being then about sixty yards from the object of terror,
commanding a full view of his whole shape and make, which resembled that
of a big, slovenly man. The head was covered with dark greasy hair, the face with
shaggy, darkish hair, the back and belly and down the legs covered with hair
of a lighter color. This devil-devil, or whatever it may be called, doubled
round, and hurriedly made back towards the women and fire again.
On seeing him coming, a fearful commotion amongst the females, and a
kind of supernatural terror amongst the men, took place.
In the meantime, before reaching the camp, it sided away towards the
inaccessible rocky mount.
The names of the two men who witnessed and took part in the scene are
Porter and Dunn, well-known settlers on the Abercrombie and
Lachlan Rivers. Mr. Lannes, another settler of the Lachlan has informed me,
The other day that the neighbours all round organized a party to go in
search of the human monster, and hunt him down, dead or alive.
It is not many weeks ago that I recorded the remains of a similar animal or creature
being found in the Walla Walla scrub. It is well known to the old settlers for the last
thirty odd years that the blacks will never camp within a mile of this death like chasm
of the Lachlan, though they come long distances every year to fish in the adjoining
water-holes, but leave before sundown to camp miles away.
Whether this be the blackman’s veritable Yahoo, devil- devil
or the white man's hairy man of the wood ,time, it is hoped, will now shortly tell.
Goulburn Evening Penny Post
NSW Sat 17 Sep 1887
Another Yahoo.
FROM time to time we (The Braidwood Dispatch) hear of the appearance
of an extraordinary creature between a man and a beast in several parts
of the bush in this district, and those who have observed these appearances
being generally men of bush occupations and liable to be joked about their
stories when they come into town, have not had much credence attached to their tales.
Nevertheless from the different statements made to us we are not disposed
altogether to laugh at them, remembering Hamlet's wise injunction about
there being "more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in our
philosophy." About a fortnight since one John Mahony, in the employ
of Mr. Thomas Lee, who has a contract for erecting a bridge at Gilbert's Creek,
on the road to Cooma, and about a couple of miles out of town, was engaged
cooking his and his mate's supper just after dusk, when he saw a hairy individual,
7 feet high at least,marching down without the least concern for anybody, and
striding across 5 feet drains and 5 feet high fallen trees without the slightest
trouble, and proceeding on his way wholly oblivious of anything
around him. John Mahoney cleared without asking any further questions of the
strange intruder. It was a full moonlight night, and the figure was not more than
twenty yards away from him. Numerous stories of the same kind are current of a
man or animal showing himself in the bush, and we could mention names to
show the credibility of our information and the possibility of there being animals
in the bush even yet, with all the settlement that has taken place, of which
people are wholly ignorant. The appearance is described as that of a guerrilla,
about 7 feet high, all hairy from head to toe, and of a light colour.
Other persons have seen the creature, whatever he be, in various parts
of the district, viz., at Monga, Parker's Gap, and the Sassafras, in every instance
to their utter terror, most of them being carriers, who avow that they will never
pass over the same part of the road again unless in company with someone else.
The Kiama Independent, and Shoalhaven
Advertiser NSW Tue 29 May 1888
THE YAHOO.
RUMOURS of a strange animal (called the "Yahoo") frequenting the mountains
west of Wellington, have been heard for many years past. On Sunday week,
about 5 o'clock in the evening, the Mayor (Mr. O'Shea) and Mr.Porter were riding
on horseback down Bushranger's Creek, when they saw a strange looking
creature, sitting on its haunches. They both exclaimed "What is that !"
Mr. Porter thought it was a tiger about to spring forward, and as the way was
narrow and rocky, was put in bodily fear. The animal sat gazing at them till they
came quite close, when it turned round, showed a long tail, and hopped away,
proving to be a kangaroo. The Mayor exclaimed—"It has a bear's head !"
It was a large blue-grey kangaroo, very hairy, the hairs long about the face;
but it had a flat face like a tiger, or as the Mayor thought, a head like a
bear. This is probably the kind of tiger supposed to have escaped in one
of the southern districts, a year or two ago.
Had the animal seen in Bush ranger's creek been at a little greater
distance, and sat still till the persons passed, there would yet be doubts as to
what it was.
Northern Star Lismore NSW, Fri 17 May 1878
A CORRESPONDENT in a western district sends the following strange story to
the 'Freeman's Journal :
About thirty years ago a shepherd in W. Sutton's employ stated, that he had
seen a hairy man in a scrub north of Cunningham's Creek, but the story was
treated as childish. However, he persisted till the day he died that it walked
upright and was covered with air, and the dogs that hunted everything else ran
back from this frightened with their tails between their legs.
A few years ago young Tim Wring, a shepherd, in Mr. Price's employ, while his
pot was boiling for dinner, saw something unusual walking through the
scrub about two miles from where the first shepherd reported,
but Tim could give no description, as he ran home for his life to be laughed
at as a dreamer. Later still, in the last mentioned locality, Pat Wring, a younger
brother, heard his kangaroo dogs bark from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., down the
inaccessible cliffs. He intended to go and help to kill what he supposed to be an
old man wallaroo, as the dogs could kill any other kind of marsupial.
Pat's surprise may easily be imagined when his eyes looked down on a hairy monster
standing upright, a body apparently as round as a horse, arms as round as a
man's thigh,three claws on each foot. It stood, to the best of his belief, about
4 feet high. The head resembled a pig's, but turned upwards,
and he threw into the air the only dog that ventured within its reach.
Pat could not see the milk white hair under his armpits.
When Pat was tired of looking on, and fearing the dog would be killed
, as it fell on the rock about sixty yards away each time it was thrown up,
he threw about 14 lbs. weight of a stone, which struck the mark without
doing any damage. The animal was at the foot of the rocks on which
Pat stood, and in two springs or strides it sprang or strode in an upright
position and then commenced to climb monkeyfashion.
Pat saw no more,as he thought it was time to run for his life ,he never looked back.
His heart beat so audibly that he fancied it was the quick stamping of the
strange thing behind him. The dog died shortly after, but not a hair of
the strange creature could be found, though the dog's hair and blood was
plentiful on the rocks. We now hear that some splitters on the flat lands north of
Cherry Tree Hill have become terrified by hearing unearthly screams
or sounds at night. There are thee caves in the vicinity of the above ,
The Mail Adelaide, SA Sat 27 Feb 1932
ARMED MEN HUNT STRANGE MONSTER
"SHAGGY BEAST LIKE HUGE GORILLA"
Prowls Mountains: People Terrified ,Attacks three.
MELBOURNE, Today.
Armed bushmen are hunting for a mysterious beast, shaggy and powerful, that
has attacked three men in the mountainous region between Blight and
Yackandandah. The people are terrified.
Its footprints have been found, but opinions vary as to the identity of the
animal. Some say it is 7 ft. high and is hairy-headed, and looks like a clumsy
deer, and that it has razor like claws and four white tusks. Those who have seen
the beast were too terrified to know exactly what they saw. They say variously
that it is an old-man kangaroo, grizzly bear, and a mad gorilla.
It is the pivot of a dozen different theories,but the countryside is
unanimous that the strange animal lurks in the shadows and
leaps on passing horsemen.
HUNTERS ATTACKED
A farmer, on a recent moonlight night,was riding home about 10 o'clock.
Just as he bent over the saddle on the horse, there was a grunt and a
scuffle, and a heavy, lumbering figure leapt at the head of his horse.
The animal bolted with the farmer holding on for his life.
Later an inspection disclosed foot marks like those of a grizzly bear.
A few nights later the farmer heard the strange visitor lumbering and
grunting around his hut. Outside the horses whinnied in terror.
Three of the most daring men in the district went out to hunt through the
mountain wilderness for the prowling terror.
With guns ready they spent the night out in the open, but found no trace.
Later they were passing through the eerie shadows on the Running Creek road,
talking of their exploit, a shade sceptical, when, in the twinkling of an eye, the
thing that they had been seeking was on them.
HORSES TERRIFIED
The horses were scared, and rearing ,broke the shafts of the buckboard, on
which the men were riding. The three men were thrown to the roadway.
Grabbing their guns they fired, but in their confusion the mystery animal
Scuttled back into the bush, apparently unharmed.
When daylight came, the men found the prints of the animal, but could
not guess what it was. On Thursday William Nuttall, a 21
year-old drover, with some women and men friends, was riding home to Myrtle
ford. The moon was shining. Young Nuttall got off his horse to tighten the
girth, and the others went on slowly.
Those ahead heard him shout, "Ride like mad! Some strange beast is attacking me."
The mysterious animal had hidden in the shadows and made a sweep
at him with its paw. It ripped Nuttall's shirt to ribbons, but missed his body.
Nuttall's horse took fright and bolted, but he stuck to the saddle.
When Nuttall looked round he saw a large hairy creature.
A sudden swerve by the horse unseated him, and he dashed
for the wire fence which divided him from the railway line.
He raced for life, along the rails with the animal close on
his heels. About 20 or 30 yards ahead he saw his horse standing on
the roadway, shivering with fright. Nuttall leapt the fence with
a bound and, regaining the saddle, and urged the horse on.
This is the history of the mystery terror of the mountains so far.
Some of the Myrtleford folk think that it is an old man kangaroo which
was caught in a recent bushfire, and is wandering about
the country half blind. Nuttall does not accept that theory.
He thinks it is a gorilla.
This afternoon a party of armed horse men left Myrtleford to search
for the creature.
Queanbeyan Age NSW Tue 24 Aug 1886
The Jingera Yahoo.
Whilst a young man named Flynn was looking after stock at the back of the
Bredbo station one afternoon last week, he was surprised to observe a
hairy human form, about seven feet in height, walking in the bush.
The wild man walked with an unsteady, swinging, and fast step, his arms being
bent forward and nearly reaching the ground, whilst the colour was described
as "bay," between a red and chestnut. Flynn did not take a second look at the
uncanny creature, but rode as fast as he could to the homestead of Mr. Crimmings,
nearly two miles away, to whom he reported the strange, mysterious affair.
Since then,Mr. Crimmings himself has interviewed the monster, and his account
tallies exactly with that given by Mr. Flynn. But Mr. Crimmings heard the animal
make a cry that sounded very like "Yahoo." We hear that Mr. Joseph Hart,
of Jingera, also saw the "Yahoo" as he was returning home one afternoon.
The strange being is, no doubt, the "Wild man" that has been so often talked
of about Jingera for so many years past. It is the intention of Bredbo and Jingera
residents to scour the bush in a strong body and capture the monster alive or dead.
For this purpose they will meet at Mr. Kelly's hotel Little Plain on Monday next
to organise their forces and obtain a supply of ammunition.
Should they capture the wild man alive, it is to be hoped the men of Bredbo and
Jingera will feed him up and keep him till the Centennial Exhibition is open.
The Blue Mountain Echo NSW : Fri 27 Feb 1925
SEEN AT COX'S RIVER
Last week-end a party of shooters set forth from' Medlow to seek: foxes
and rabbits on the banks of Cox's River. The members of the expedition were
Messrs. Murk Foy, A. J. Blaney, Hugh Mckinen and Dr. Fitter.
They did not experience much luck with the game but they saw an apparition
which completely destroyed their night's rest, and made them wonder whether
the crystal water of the river did not possess Intoxicating properties.
The party had reached the foot of Black Jerry, a well known mountain in the
Valley of Megalong, in the vicinity of the river, when suddenly a form leapt from
a tree, and sped swiftly into the security of the neighbouring scrub.
It was absolutely nude, and hair a yard In length streamed from its head.
The visitors scarcely had time to ascertain that the apparition was a well framed
man, about six feet In height, with a hairy torso, before it had vanished
into the shadows of the undergrowth.
Investigations revealed the tracks of a splayed foot, with toes set
wide apart, In the manner of a man unaccustomed to boots.
There were several Imprints of the bare foot in sandy patches, and the party are
agreed that the foot was abnormally large, even for a six-foot man of heavy build.
What Is the explanation of the mystery only can be a matter for conjecture but
the affidavit of four, reputable eye-witnesses cannot be dismissed lightly.
There can be no doubt that a nude man did leap from a tree, and vanish
into the bush. He may be some unfortunate whoso head Is affected, and
who is subsisting upon rabbits and the spoil of handy potato or cabbage plants.
On the other hand the apparition may have been a 'hatter' or fossicker, who had
been indulging in a sun bath, and felt the natural urges of modesty on hearing human
voices In' the vicinity. A party Is to be formed this week, which will proceed to the
locality and endeavour to solve the mystery
Truth Sydney, NSW Sun 19 Jul 1896
The Lion,The Sea Serpent, The Hairy Monster.
A FEW months ago the country was startled by the news that a most extraordinary
Wild animal had been seen by more people than one in the vicinity of Braidwood.
From the recent account it was described as a terrible creature, with long, shaggy
mane, tail, and ferocious aspect, and could not be mistaken for anything but a
lion, and a full grown lion of the first degree at that. But the animal ' vanished,
disappeared, and Braidwood once more breathed freely, and their world
moved along just as if the mysterious visitation had not been chronicled.
For a time after this episode the colonies were all free from
frightful and ferocious freaks. Only a few days ago, however, the southern
world awoke to find the sea serpent had been rediscovered, and
to read the appalling adventures of those who saw this terrible fish reptile or
devil, made one's blood chill in the veins.Some of the more sceptical newspapers were
unkindly straight in saying that it was another case of 'got em again' and expressed
regrets that such bad whisky or rum should be kept so as to raise up hallucinations of
this kind. Still all they could write did not shake the belief of those who saw
the sea-serpent. And there the matter rests, although others are anxiously
on the look out to experience the shock ot seeing the mystery of the century.
With the sea serpent once more back in his lair ,or cave, or whatever it is, life
looked promisingly serene and nothing more unearthly or distorted than
the bullfrog was anticipated. But New England has again produced its
large hairy' monster, which a day or two ago attacked a well known Tenterfield
citizen, frightening him out of his wits and setting him 'seeking' for home
at a pace. After escaping in this miraculous manner he did not take long to
arouse the populace, and an armed party set forth to do that large hairy
monster an injury, or die in the attempt. The vicinity where the monster was
last seen was scoured for miles around, and not a stone was left unturned to
discover his whereabouts.
Alas, the hairy monster had also vanished, disappeared without leaving any
impressions as to when or where he was likely to be re-discovered.
A police constable with all the majesty of the law, whom had been despatched to
the scene, could not induce that large hairy monster to show his ugly features again.
Naturally the most aggrieved and injured personage over the whole affair is the
Tentetfield citizen. He has had every thing done for him by his brother citizens,
although some of them are inclined to ' wink the other eye,' now the first
flush of excitement is over. In any case, however, many New Englander's
are firm believers in the hairy monster, especially as this is not the
first or second time he has been seen, and these said believers are armed
to the teeth to give his hairy majesty a warm reception and cold eteel at the very
first opportunity.
The Singleton Argus and Upper Hunter General Advocate
NSW Sat 30 Mar 1878
An Australian Hairy Man ofthe Woods.
A correspondent in a western district sends the following strange story to the
Freeman's Journal :
About thirty years ago a shepherd in W. Suttor's employ averred that he had seen a hairy
man in a scrub north of Cunningham's Creek, but the story was treated as
childish. However, he persisted till the day he died that it walked upright
and was covered with hair, and the dogs that hunted everything else ran back
from this frightened, with their tails between their legs. A few years ago
young Tim Wring, a shepherd, in Mr.Price's employ, while his pot was boiling for
dinner, saw something unusual walking through the scrub about five
miles from where the first shepherd reported, but Tim could give no description,
as he ran home for his life to be laughed at as a dreamer. Later still, in the last
mentioned locality, Pat Wring, a younger brother, heard his
kangaroo dogs bark , from 10 a.m., to 4 p.m., down some inaccessible cliffs,
he determined to go and help them to kill what he supposed must be an old
man wallaroo, as the two dogs could kill any other kind of marsupial. Pat's
surprise may easily be imagined when his eyes looked down on a hairy monster
standing upright, a body as apparently round as a horse, arms as round as a
man's thigh, three claws on each hand,two large claws on each foot.
It stood ,to the best of his belief, about 4 foot high.
The head resembled a pig's but turned upwards, and he threw into the air the
only dog that ventured within reach Pat could see the milk-white hair under his armpits.
When Pat was tired of looking on, he feared the dog would be killed, as it fell on
the rocks about sixty yards away each time it was thrown up, he threw about 14lb.
weight of a stone, which struck the mark without doing any damage .
The animal was at the foot of the rocks on which Pat stood, and in two springs or
strides it sprang or strode in an up- right position and then commenced to
climb monkey-fashion. Pat saw no more, as he thought it was time to run
for life; he never looked back. His heart boat so audibly that he fancied it
was the quick stamping of the strange thing behind him.
The dog died shortly after, but not a hair of the strange creature could be found,
Though the dog's hair and blood was plentiful on the rocks. We now hear that
Some splitters on the flat lands north of Cherry Tree Hill have become terrified
by hearing unearthly screams or sounds at night. There are three caves in the
vicinity of the above, into one of those the dogs never follow the rock wallaby.
Goulburn Evening Penny Post NSW Sat 16 May 1885
HOW WE SAW THE " HAIRY MAN."
I read in your issue of Saturday last, with some emotion, an account of a
" hairy man" who is supposed to live in the vicinity of the Big River.
The report goes on to say that he has been seen often, and sometimes
under "lonely and trying circumstances." We have no doubt of it, as we once
saw him ourselves, and we don't mind telling you how it was .
Growing some what sick on a protracted run of griddled "jew-lizard," and suddenly
developing a relish for fresh fish, we decided to go and procure some of the latter.
Arming ourselves with a bag full of frogs and a square bottle of rum,
which, with that forethought which so distinguishes us, we procured from a
neighbouring shanty before starting, we sailed down to a romantic little stream,
ironically called the Fish River, and finding a suitable stand commenced operations.
Our line wasn't long in the water, when we saw signs indicative of a
bite. We hauled it in, but with it nothing in the shape of fish-not even a toad.
Setting another frog down on our hook we flung him away out on the limpid
waters, where he disappeared as mysteriously as his predecessor.
At last we cameto a conclusion, and that was that if that sportive
old cuss, popularly alluded to as " do devil," has any agents in the Fish River
they most certainlyn move about in the form of despicable turtles.
So annoyed did we at last become that, uttering a wild yell of rage, we rushed
over to the bottle of rum,and drawing the cork, deliberately spilt out a
portion of its contents; where we spilt it is a matter of no consequence, and has, of
course, nothing to do with this narrative. After we had continued the" spilling" business
for a while we suddenly lost all interest in the fish, and retiring to the shade
of a convenient gum-tree, we emptied out the last drop in the bottle.
After this we began addressing a large gathering of "mosquitto’s," who
, attracted by our eloquence, or something, hovered around us with murmurs of
silvery applause. We don't remember what we said ; but we suspect that our
utterances consisted for the most part of sanguinary adjectives.
While thus engaged we noticed a large green snake coming towards us,
with his mouth open, from the bank of the river. Seizing the empty rum bottle,
we hurled it at him and knocked him clean over the rushes into the water,
where, owing probably to one of his hind legs being fractured, he sank,
and was drowned.
Whilst recovering from this little event, and calculating as to the amount of stamina
Which would be required to carry us to the nearest shanty, we happened to cast
our eye down the river, and there beheld a sight that caused the hair on our
venerable head to rise with such precipitance as to send our well greased " cady"
flying, not only off our head,but away clean over the big "narrawa," in the
vicinity of which, as we subsequently heard, it took a prominent part in the manufacture
of some very indifferent soup. But to return to the apparition.
Pledging up the middle of the stream, and playing with demoniacal satisfaction an instrument
which we took for a concertina, there came towards us a monster such as'human eyes
probably never gazed on before. Now, we're not at all good at describing
things. We once essayed to describe a bush races,and the amount of misanthropy
and murder which the attempt occasioned causes us now to pause in
doubt and tribulation. To say that the creature now under notice was hairy is
to give but a very general description of him indeed. He was hairy and hideous, and
came as near to realizing our private conception of the devil as we could wish.
His eyes glowed like balls of brass, and as he came nearer we noticed that he had a black snake
tied around his neck in a swagsman's knot. No sooner did he observe us than, uttering a wild howl
of rage, he made " at us," bounding across the water with the greatest speed and displaying, to our
unutterable horror, a set of fangs that seemed especially designed for our destruction.
Of course, we fled, but ere we had gone a dozen paces he caught us, and springing above
on our shoulders rode us "full rip" through some of the roughestcountry in the whole
territory. Roaring like a fiend, he urged us madly on, slashing us with a snake and spitting
fire and bluestone over our neck and bald head. Thus goaded,we rushed madly on,
upsetting two or three logs and a flukey sheep in our wild gallop. At last,unable to
stand it longer, we dashed headlong down into a deep cutaway creek, at the bottom of
which we got so mixed up with mother earth that our friends were digging mud off
us for half-a day before our identity became anything like a matter of certainty.
Thus ended our adventure with the hairy man.
Of course, a few sceptics will not believe us.
Nevertheless, we would not go fishing there again not for fifty square bottles.
Zeehan and Dundas Herald Tas Wed 8 Jan 1913
THE MONARO MONSTER SEEN 38 YEARS AGO.
'HAIRY MAN' MUST NOW BE 100.
Sydney, Tuesday Evening.
Another story has cropped up in connection with the hairy man, supposed to have
been seen on Creewah station, about six weeks ago.
James Allen, says he saw a hairy man at Creewah 18 years ago.
He was very powerful looking, and was crawling round a steer.
He made off into the jungle when disturbed.
He should now be about 100 years old. He looked fully when Allen
saw him, and was covered with long, grey hair.
Molong Express and Western District Advertiser NSW
Sat 11 Nov 1893
A Wild Monster.
Mr. Arthur Marrin, cordial manufacturer,met with a rather awkward reception
as he was going into Captain's Flat on Friday last with a load of cordials
(says the Braidwood Dispatch). Shortly after getting upon the turn-off road
from the Cooma road, within two or three miles of the Flat township, he
noticed his dog running up out of the bush at full tear, and clear off down
the road in a terrible scare. Hd got down to see what hadfrightened him,
when a formidable animal,with which he was entirely unacquainted,
jumped up the lower bank on to the road.It frightened him quite as much as
it did the dog, as it was standing up on its bind legs with its fore feet stretched
out like the arms of a man. The road, being a outing on a hill side, was narrow,
and the animal was making for him, either to follow the dog or
spring upon himself. Being unarmed, having only the whip in his hand, which
would have very little impression upon such an antagonist, he dropped the whip
and picked up a stone which lay close to him, and threw it at the beast, striking it
on the temple and bringing it to the ground. He then ran up and
finished it with the but end of the whip. On his return to Braidwood he put its body in
the cart and brought it home with him. We paid a visit to Mr. Marrin's factory on Satur
day, and inspected it. It was four feet long,11 inches across the forehead, and had
a face very much like a polar bear. It weighed over seven stone. Its forearms were very
strong with great paws that would be capable of giving a terrible grip.
It was a tan colour like a 'possum, with strong hair on its skin.
When Mr. Marria encountered it it stood between 6ft. and 7ft. high.
Some people think it is identical with a beast which has frightened several teamsters
Travelling through Parker's Gap on the Cooma road at various times, so much so
that they have left their horses and ran away. Such an animal has been reported as
visiting selectors' places at Molonglo and Foxlow, and there have been reports
of the presence of similar ones in the Budawang and Sassafras ranges.
It has gone by the name of the hairy man. Other persons maintain it is merely a
wombat, and perfectly harmless. Met under such circumstances as those which Mr. Marrin
met it most persons, however, would be inclined togive it a wide berth if possible,
but as Mr.Marrin could not get away he had to face it,the beast was a female.
Goulburn Evening Penny Post NSW Thu 17 Oct 1912
A MONSTER FOOTPRINT.
Bombala, Tuesday.There is considerable excitement in the district over the
reported discovery of a hairy man on Creewah Station, 18 miles from here,
owned by Mr. Sydney Jephcott. Mr. Jephcott telephoned here this afternoon that
yesterday, while mustering stock,he observed tracks like human footprints nearly 20in.
in length and 8in. across. He sent to a Bombala storekeeper for a quantity of
plaster of paris, with which to take an impression of the tracks.
A selector named Summerell, living on an adjoining holding to Creewah, states that in
the thick bushyesterday he saw an enormous creature, resembling a man, covered with long
black hair. The animal was carrying a big stick, and with long leaps made off through
the bush. A report has just been received to the effect that the creature has been
captured today.
Evening News Sydney, NSW: Sat 27 Feb 1892
CHASED ALL NIGHT BY A MAN-GORILLA.
Under a white hot sky, treading a red hot soil and consuming large quantities of
lightning liquor, it was only to 'be expected that Australians would develop a literature
in which the marvellous would have at least a place and the picturesque would
not be compelled to take a back seat. And so, indeed, it proved, for in course of
time there arose in the land men who saw strange sights in lonely gullies at eve,
or who heard shrieks in deep mountain gorges at midnight.
And they published their experiences with startling embellishments in the local
papers, and the news travelled far and wide till foreigners began to see that
Australia could do something more than produce wool and tallow and hides
and states men.
That fishermen would see a sea serpent once a week was frequent.
The bunyip bade fair to become as dear to Australia as the unicorn is to England.
There was the individual who stood on a hill near Rydal and saw a snake's head
appear over the crest of a hill two miles away.
This snake started to come down the hill, and as it got half way
across the valley before the tail appeared the veracious spectator turned and fled
, and rigidly avoided that part of the country inthe future.
Then there was the drover whose cattle turned off the road
to avoid a large snake, and had to go. a quarter of a mile off the
road, and the bushmen who have camped
alongside a snake which they mistook for a dead log, and which glided away when
the heat of the fire struck it, are too numerous to mention. ' Old man ' kanga
roos that nobody could shoot and mysterious wild ' horses that nobody
could tun down became as plentiful as promises in a political manifesto
and every district could boast of them.
Then from sundry parts of the land came rumors of a ghostly individual who was
given to tearing up trees with his nails and heaving promiscuous rocks at
passers by, and who resembled a gorilla but was several times as large,
and could not be shot because he was impenetrable to bullets and
also because he lived in a thick forest or a deep cave where the light of day seldom
came.
This cheerful sort of apparition was generally called ' A Bush Horror ' in
the local paper, and when the editor had thrown in a few details and
added a little dramatic effect timid tourists preferred to stop away from that
district altogether.
The latest man gorilla story conies from Armidale, and professes to be an
account of what happened to four men who were out mustering the cattle on
the lower end of the Kangaroo Hills Run,and it is asserted that the whole statement
can be verified on application to the manager of the Kangaroo Hills Station.
On January 29 the four stockmen went to the lower end of the run to muster
cattle, and fixed their camp on Day's River. At dusk they were fishing opposite a big
steep spur of the mountain, and after about half an hour they were startled by a heavy
splash in the water right in front of them,as if a large stone had been thrown in.
After a few minutes two more splashes came,and one of the men who -was sitting apart
from the others, called out to his mates not to throw any more stones as it would
frighten the fish. They all declared that they had thrown no stones, and each one
thought that one of the others had done it, but as three more splashes came in quick
succession the men began to get alarmed.One called out, ' 'Who's throwing stones
I over there ?' No answer came. They could hear something moving on the rocks, but
could see nothing , as it was now quite dark. Presently another stone fell right
at the feet of one of them, splashing the water all over him.
Up jumped the whole party and made for the fire as fast as they
could, and then as they were talking matters over and wondering who could
have thrown the stones they were again startled by hearing the steps
of some heavy creature crossing over the gravelly bed of the river, and
coming towards them. They were so startled that they began to prepare for a
hasty flight, and were busily strapping their swags on their saddles when a heavy
stone, evidently thrown from a short distance, struck the fire and scattered it in all
directions. The men seized their bridles and ran to their horses 200 yards away.
They mounted the terrified animals bare back, and, after consultation, determined
to go back to their camp and get the Baddies. They found no one there ; but,
while in the act of saddling the horses,more stones -were thrown, so they hastily
mounted and rode into the bush, pursued by stones.
After going about a mile, up the river they stopped, but in about 10
minutes another stone fell about six yards from them. They galloped off again,
and did not stop till they had gone several miles.
The country through which they were riding was very mountainous, being about
the roughest of the Day's River gorges, and they ran great
risk of breaking their necks by riding over it at such a pace on a dark night.
On arriving at the junction of Kangaroo Hills Creek and Day's River they stopped again,
and thought that they had at all events by that time given their pursuers the slip.
An hour afterwards, however, the horses began to snort, and a stone thrown with terrific
force passed close to the head of one of the men.
Away they dashed again, and crossing the river, rode past Thunderbolt's cave and
up a steep spur of the mountain.When they had nearly reached the top the
strain told on their horses, and they were compelled to stop.
They remained therefor some hours, and, just as daylight was approaching, one of the
men distinctly saw the form of a large creature resembling a man.
It was about the same height as a man, but was much larger in the body, and
was standing about 50 yards above them on the same spur.
He stood for a moment in a clear space between the trees, and could
be distinctly seen against the sky in the pale light of coming day.
He moved slowly down the spur, and shortly afterwards they saw him sneaking
towards them on one side of the till.
They galloped rapidly down, the spur and several stones were thrown at them.
The creature followed them for some distance, and after throwing one more
stone made up a very steep spur where no horse could possibly climb, and
they saw no more of him.
It is reported that a gorilla was seen, about three years ago on the Guy Fawkes River
by a man who fired three shots at him without effect. The four men who were
chased about all night, are said to be quiet and reliable
men and are prepared to swear that the tale is true in every particular, and not ex
exaggerated in any detail.
Empire (Sydney, NSW ) Thu 20 Jul 1871
ANOTHER GORILLA.
It is said by persons frequenting the neighbourhood of Belgrave, that a gorilla
has made its appearance in that vicinity. A short time ago a camp of blacks
were so scared by the appearance of the alleged monster, that they left
their camp, and hastened with all possible speed to Warneton, and
refused to return. When asked for a description of the animal they saw,
they said, "That fellow run on four legs, and stand up and run on two legs
, him got plenty yellow hair all over."
Two young men are also said to have been riding along through the
bush between Belgrave and Warneton, when the supposed gorilla rushed through
the bush near them, and so frightened the horse that it was with great difficulty
that he could keep his seat, and prevent the horse from bolting.
A short time after, so the story goes, a person residing in the same neighbourhood,
Hearing his bull-dog barking and making desperate efforts to break his chain,
evidently wishing to get at some thing he saw in the bush, let the dog loose.
The dog, a very savage brute, immediately tore away in a furious manner,
towards the bush but in a short time he was seen beating a speedy retreat,
with his courage evidently cooled.
He took refuge in the house, and could not be persuaded to leave it.
A party of young men, it is said, formed a sort of expedition in pursuit of the
alleged gorilla, but have not been able to test the truth of the statements
respecting the ferocious creature of the woods.
The Herald Fremantle, WA Sat 20 Jan 1877
DISCOVERY OF A LIVE YAHOO !
The Milburn Creek correspondent, of the Sydney Evening News under date
November 11, writes as follows:
“Who has not heard, from the earliest settlement of the colony, the blacks
Speaking of some unearthly animal or inhuman creature that inhabited some
part of the wildest, inaccessible, rugged, and sequestered haunts of rocky
mountains and gorges in the colony, namely the Yahoo-Devil Devil, or the
Hairy Man of the Wood which to this day they stand in fearful awe and
terror of .One sympathise with the superstitious, or aboriginal sayings,
of those wild and unsophisticated denizens of the Australian bush that their
aboriginal tradition of such unearthly mongrels or monsters have and do
now exist though so rare and not as yet often seen or believed in by white men.
Fourteen days ago, and not more than ten miles from here, towards the head
of the Lachlan River, on Coolamba station in one of the most secluded and
melancholy looking spots imaginable, imperceptibly a terror of awe creeps over
every one that has to pass through this far and wide-known
gorge or death chasm of the river.
While a lad of the name of Porter (a son of Porter a farmer on the Lachlan), was
shepherding a flock of his father's sheep, near the rocky gorge, an inhuman
, unearthly looking being was seen by the lad coming directly towards him from the
high, rugged, and precipitous rocks.
The dogs on observing such an unknown monster would not attack, became
timid, and crouched around the lad's legs, who became so horror struck with fear
that he left the sheep to their fate, and ran, together with his collies, for home.
On relating the inhuman sight he had seen, which was not credited by the
father and others at home, they however, at last, mustered courage, and went
to the exact place described, but could not find or see
anything of the hairy man.
On Saturday, last however, a fishing party, of young men and young women
went to the Rocky Bridge water-holes for a night's sport.
These water-holes are famed far and near for quality and quantity of fish.
It is customary for those bent for good sport to remain for the night,
and, as a matter of course, a large fire is made.
On the evening of this memorable day, two hours before sun-down, the
young men and some of the women went to set their lines, leaving one of their
young friends to boil the billie, and prepare supper.
While engaged, the young woman was suddenly startled by observing a man,
who, as she naturally imagined at first sight, was one of their party coming towards
the fire, but on walking closer, discovered the appearance to be unsightly and
inhuman, bearing in every way the shape of a man with a big red face,
hands and legs covered with long shaggy hair.
From fright she became almost spell-bound, screamed and screeched
but unable to run. The men, on hearing such unearthly cries, left their fishing
lines and ran towards their comrade. On reaching the fire, the monster, the cause
of the alarm was only distant some fifty yards.
On their appearing it stood, for a minute or two, and turned away and made
for the rocks. Two of the men armed themselves with a tomahawk and cudgel,
and followed this extraordinary phenomenon of nature for a short
distance up the rocky and rugged mountain , when suddenly it turned round,
and stood viewing the men as they were approaching.
They also halted being then about sixty yards from the object of terror,
commanding a full view of his whole shape and make, which resembled that
of a big, slovenly man. The head was covered with dark greasy hair, the face with
shaggy, darkish hair, the back and belly and down the legs covered with hair
of a lighter color. This devil-devil, or whatever it may be called, doubled
round, and hurriedly made back towards the women and fire again.
On seeing him coming, a fearful commotion amongst the females, and a
kind of supernatural terror amongst the men, took place.
In the meantime, before reaching the camp, it sided away towards the
inaccessible rocky mount.
The names of the two men who witnessed and took part in the scene are
Porter and Dunn, well-known settlers on the Abercrombie and
Lachlan Rivers. Mr. Lannes, another settler of the Lachlan has informed me,
The other day that the neighbours all round organized a party to go in
search of the human monster, and hunt him down, dead or alive.
It is not many weeks ago that I recorded the remains of a similar animal or creature
being found in the Walla Walla scrub. It is well known to the old settlers for the last
thirty odd years that the blacks will never camp within a mile of this death like chasm
of the Lachlan, though they come long distances every year to fish in the adjoining
water-holes, but leave before sundown to camp miles away.
Whether this be the blackman’s veritable Yahoo, devil- devil
or the white man's hairy man of the wood ,time, it is hoped, will now shortly tell.
Goulburn Evening Penny Post
NSW Sat 17 Sep 1887
Another Yahoo.
FROM time to time we (The Braidwood Dispatch) hear of the appearance
of an extraordinary creature between a man and a beast in several parts
of the bush in this district, and those who have observed these appearances
being generally men of bush occupations and liable to be joked about their
stories when they come into town, have not had much credence attached to their tales.
Nevertheless from the different statements made to us we are not disposed
altogether to laugh at them, remembering Hamlet's wise injunction about
there being "more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in our
philosophy." About a fortnight since one John Mahony, in the employ
of Mr. Thomas Lee, who has a contract for erecting a bridge at Gilbert's Creek,
on the road to Cooma, and about a couple of miles out of town, was engaged
cooking his and his mate's supper just after dusk, when he saw a hairy individual,
7 feet high at least,marching down without the least concern for anybody, and
striding across 5 feet drains and 5 feet high fallen trees without the slightest
trouble, and proceeding on his way wholly oblivious of anything
around him. John Mahoney cleared without asking any further questions of the
strange intruder. It was a full moonlight night, and the figure was not more than
twenty yards away from him. Numerous stories of the same kind are current of a
man or animal showing himself in the bush, and we could mention names to
show the credibility of our information and the possibility of there being animals
in the bush even yet, with all the settlement that has taken place, of which
people are wholly ignorant. The appearance is described as that of a guerrilla,
about 7 feet high, all hairy from head to toe, and of a light colour.
Other persons have seen the creature, whatever he be, in various parts
of the district, viz., at Monga, Parker's Gap, and the Sassafras, in every instance
to their utter terror, most of them being carriers, who avow that they will never
pass over the same part of the road again unless in company with someone else.
The Kiama Independent, and Shoalhaven
Advertiser NSW Tue 29 May 1888
THE YAHOO.
RUMOURS of a strange animal (called the "Yahoo") frequenting the mountains
west of Wellington, have been heard for many years past. On Sunday week,
about 5 o'clock in the evening, the Mayor (Mr. O'Shea) and Mr.Porter were riding
on horseback down Bushranger's Creek, when they saw a strange looking
creature, sitting on its haunches. They both exclaimed "What is that !"
Mr. Porter thought it was a tiger about to spring forward, and as the way was
narrow and rocky, was put in bodily fear. The animal sat gazing at them till they
came quite close, when it turned round, showed a long tail, and hopped away,
proving to be a kangaroo. The Mayor exclaimed—"It has a bear's head !"
It was a large blue-grey kangaroo, very hairy, the hairs long about the face;
but it had a flat face like a tiger, or as the Mayor thought, a head like a
bear. This is probably the kind of tiger supposed to have escaped in one
of the southern districts, a year or two ago.
Had the animal seen in Bush ranger's creek been at a little greater
distance, and sat still till the persons passed, there would yet be doubts as to
what it was.
Northern Star Lismore NSW, Fri 17 May 1878
A CORRESPONDENT in a western district sends the following strange story to
the 'Freeman's Journal :
About thirty years ago a shepherd in W. Sutton's employ stated, that he had
seen a hairy man in a scrub north of Cunningham's Creek, but the story was
treated as childish. However, he persisted till the day he died that it walked
upright and was covered with air, and the dogs that hunted everything else ran
back from this frightened with their tails between their legs.
A few years ago young Tim Wring, a shepherd, in Mr. Price's employ, while his
pot was boiling for dinner, saw something unusual walking through the
scrub about two miles from where the first shepherd reported,
but Tim could give no description, as he ran home for his life to be laughed
at as a dreamer. Later still, in the last mentioned locality, Pat Wring, a younger
brother, heard his kangaroo dogs bark from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., down the
inaccessible cliffs. He intended to go and help to kill what he supposed to be an
old man wallaroo, as the dogs could kill any other kind of marsupial.
Pat's surprise may easily be imagined when his eyes looked down on a hairy monster
standing upright, a body apparently as round as a horse, arms as round as a
man's thigh,three claws on each foot. It stood, to the best of his belief, about
4 feet high. The head resembled a pig's, but turned upwards,
and he threw into the air the only dog that ventured within its reach.
Pat could not see the milk white hair under his armpits.
When Pat was tired of looking on, and fearing the dog would be killed
, as it fell on the rock about sixty yards away each time it was thrown up,
he threw about 14 lbs. weight of a stone, which struck the mark without
doing any damage. The animal was at the foot of the rocks on which
Pat stood, and in two springs or strides it sprang or strode in an upright
position and then commenced to climb monkeyfashion.
Pat saw no more,as he thought it was time to run for his life ,he never looked back.
His heart beat so audibly that he fancied it was the quick stamping of the
strange thing behind him. The dog died shortly after, but not a hair of
the strange creature could be found, though the dog's hair and blood was
plentiful on the rocks. We now hear that some splitters on the flat lands north of
Cherry Tree Hill have become terrified by hearing unearthly screams
or sounds at night. There are thee caves in the vicinity of the above ,
The Mail Adelaide, SA Sat 27 Feb 1932
ARMED MEN HUNT STRANGE MONSTER
"SHAGGY BEAST LIKE HUGE GORILLA"
Prowls Mountains: People Terrified ,Attacks three.
MELBOURNE, Today.
Armed bushmen are hunting for a mysterious beast, shaggy and powerful, that
has attacked three men in the mountainous region between Blight and
Yackandandah. The people are terrified.
Its footprints have been found, but opinions vary as to the identity of the
animal. Some say it is 7 ft. high and is hairy-headed, and looks like a clumsy
deer, and that it has razor like claws and four white tusks. Those who have seen
the beast were too terrified to know exactly what they saw. They say variously
that it is an old-man kangaroo, grizzly bear, and a mad gorilla.
It is the pivot of a dozen different theories,but the countryside is
unanimous that the strange animal lurks in the shadows and
leaps on passing horsemen.
HUNTERS ATTACKED
A farmer, on a recent moonlight night,was riding home about 10 o'clock.
Just as he bent over the saddle on the horse, there was a grunt and a
scuffle, and a heavy, lumbering figure leapt at the head of his horse.
The animal bolted with the farmer holding on for his life.
Later an inspection disclosed foot marks like those of a grizzly bear.
A few nights later the farmer heard the strange visitor lumbering and
grunting around his hut. Outside the horses whinnied in terror.
Three of the most daring men in the district went out to hunt through the
mountain wilderness for the prowling terror.
With guns ready they spent the night out in the open, but found no trace.
Later they were passing through the eerie shadows on the Running Creek road,
talking of their exploit, a shade sceptical, when, in the twinkling of an eye, the
thing that they had been seeking was on them.
HORSES TERRIFIED
The horses were scared, and rearing ,broke the shafts of the buckboard, on
which the men were riding. The three men were thrown to the roadway.
Grabbing their guns they fired, but in their confusion the mystery animal
Scuttled back into the bush, apparently unharmed.
When daylight came, the men found the prints of the animal, but could
not guess what it was. On Thursday William Nuttall, a 21
year-old drover, with some women and men friends, was riding home to Myrtle
ford. The moon was shining. Young Nuttall got off his horse to tighten the
girth, and the others went on slowly.
Those ahead heard him shout, "Ride like mad! Some strange beast is attacking me."
The mysterious animal had hidden in the shadows and made a sweep
at him with its paw. It ripped Nuttall's shirt to ribbons, but missed his body.
Nuttall's horse took fright and bolted, but he stuck to the saddle.
When Nuttall looked round he saw a large hairy creature.
A sudden swerve by the horse unseated him, and he dashed
for the wire fence which divided him from the railway line.
He raced for life, along the rails with the animal close on
his heels. About 20 or 30 yards ahead he saw his horse standing on
the roadway, shivering with fright. Nuttall leapt the fence with
a bound and, regaining the saddle, and urged the horse on.
This is the history of the mystery terror of the mountains so far.
Some of the Myrtleford folk think that it is an old man kangaroo which
was caught in a recent bushfire, and is wandering about
the country half blind. Nuttall does not accept that theory.
He thinks it is a gorilla.
This afternoon a party of armed horse men left Myrtleford to search
for the creature.
Queanbeyan Age NSW Tue 24 Aug 1886
The Jingera Yahoo.
Whilst a young man named Flynn was looking after stock at the back of the
Bredbo station one afternoon last week, he was surprised to observe a
hairy human form, about seven feet in height, walking in the bush.
The wild man walked with an unsteady, swinging, and fast step, his arms being
bent forward and nearly reaching the ground, whilst the colour was described
as "bay," between a red and chestnut. Flynn did not take a second look at the
uncanny creature, but rode as fast as he could to the homestead of Mr. Crimmings,
nearly two miles away, to whom he reported the strange, mysterious affair.
Since then,Mr. Crimmings himself has interviewed the monster, and his account
tallies exactly with that given by Mr. Flynn. But Mr. Crimmings heard the animal
make a cry that sounded very like "Yahoo." We hear that Mr. Joseph Hart,
of Jingera, also saw the "Yahoo" as he was returning home one afternoon.
The strange being is, no doubt, the "Wild man" that has been so often talked
of about Jingera for so many years past. It is the intention of Bredbo and Jingera
residents to scour the bush in a strong body and capture the monster alive or dead.
For this purpose they will meet at Mr. Kelly's hotel Little Plain on Monday next
to organise their forces and obtain a supply of ammunition.
Should they capture the wild man alive, it is to be hoped the men of Bredbo and
Jingera will feed him up and keep him till the Centennial Exhibition is open.
The Blue Mountain Echo NSW : Fri 27 Feb 1925
SEEN AT COX'S RIVER
Last week-end a party of shooters set forth from' Medlow to seek: foxes
and rabbits on the banks of Cox's River. The members of the expedition were
Messrs. Murk Foy, A. J. Blaney, Hugh Mckinen and Dr. Fitter.
They did not experience much luck with the game but they saw an apparition
which completely destroyed their night's rest, and made them wonder whether
the crystal water of the river did not possess Intoxicating properties.
The party had reached the foot of Black Jerry, a well known mountain in the
Valley of Megalong, in the vicinity of the river, when suddenly a form leapt from
a tree, and sped swiftly into the security of the neighbouring scrub.
It was absolutely nude, and hair a yard In length streamed from its head.
The visitors scarcely had time to ascertain that the apparition was a well framed
man, about six feet In height, with a hairy torso, before it had vanished
into the shadows of the undergrowth.
Investigations revealed the tracks of a splayed foot, with toes set
wide apart, In the manner of a man unaccustomed to boots.
There were several Imprints of the bare foot in sandy patches, and the party are
agreed that the foot was abnormally large, even for a six-foot man of heavy build.
What Is the explanation of the mystery only can be a matter for conjecture but
the affidavit of four, reputable eye-witnesses cannot be dismissed lightly.
There can be no doubt that a nude man did leap from a tree, and vanish
into the bush. He may be some unfortunate whoso head Is affected, and
who is subsisting upon rabbits and the spoil of handy potato or cabbage plants.
On the other hand the apparition may have been a 'hatter' or fossicker, who had
been indulging in a sun bath, and felt the natural urges of modesty on hearing human
voices In' the vicinity. A party Is to be formed this week, which will proceed to the
locality and endeavour to solve the mystery
Truth Sydney, NSW Sun 19 Jul 1896
The Lion,The Sea Serpent, The Hairy Monster.
A FEW months ago the country was startled by the news that a most extraordinary
Wild animal had been seen by more people than one in the vicinity of Braidwood.
From the recent account it was described as a terrible creature, with long, shaggy
mane, tail, and ferocious aspect, and could not be mistaken for anything but a
lion, and a full grown lion of the first degree at that. But the animal ' vanished,
disappeared, and Braidwood once more breathed freely, and their world
moved along just as if the mysterious visitation had not been chronicled.
For a time after this episode the colonies were all free from
frightful and ferocious freaks. Only a few days ago, however, the southern
world awoke to find the sea serpent had been rediscovered, and
to read the appalling adventures of those who saw this terrible fish reptile or
devil, made one's blood chill in the veins.Some of the more sceptical newspapers were
unkindly straight in saying that it was another case of 'got em again' and expressed
regrets that such bad whisky or rum should be kept so as to raise up hallucinations of
this kind. Still all they could write did not shake the belief of those who saw
the sea-serpent. And there the matter rests, although others are anxiously
on the look out to experience the shock ot seeing the mystery of the century.
With the sea serpent once more back in his lair ,or cave, or whatever it is, life
looked promisingly serene and nothing more unearthly or distorted than
the bullfrog was anticipated. But New England has again produced its
large hairy' monster, which a day or two ago attacked a well known Tenterfield
citizen, frightening him out of his wits and setting him 'seeking' for home
at a pace. After escaping in this miraculous manner he did not take long to
arouse the populace, and an armed party set forth to do that large hairy
monster an injury, or die in the attempt. The vicinity where the monster was
last seen was scoured for miles around, and not a stone was left unturned to
discover his whereabouts.
Alas, the hairy monster had also vanished, disappeared without leaving any
impressions as to when or where he was likely to be re-discovered.
A police constable with all the majesty of the law, whom had been despatched to
the scene, could not induce that large hairy monster to show his ugly features again.
Naturally the most aggrieved and injured personage over the whole affair is the
Tentetfield citizen. He has had every thing done for him by his brother citizens,
although some of them are inclined to ' wink the other eye,' now the first
flush of excitement is over. In any case, however, many New Englander's
are firm believers in the hairy monster, especially as this is not the
first or second time he has been seen, and these said believers are armed
to the teeth to give his hairy majesty a warm reception and cold eteel at the very
first opportunity.
The Singleton Argus and Upper Hunter General Advocate
NSW Sat 30 Mar 1878
An Australian Hairy Man ofthe Woods.
A correspondent in a western district sends the following strange story to the
Freeman's Journal :
About thirty years ago a shepherd in W. Suttor's employ averred that he had seen a hairy
man in a scrub north of Cunningham's Creek, but the story was treated as
childish. However, he persisted till the day he died that it walked upright
and was covered with hair, and the dogs that hunted everything else ran back
from this frightened, with their tails between their legs. A few years ago
young Tim Wring, a shepherd, in Mr.Price's employ, while his pot was boiling for
dinner, saw something unusual walking through the scrub about five
miles from where the first shepherd reported, but Tim could give no description,
as he ran home for his life to be laughed at as a dreamer. Later still, in the last
mentioned locality, Pat Wring, a younger brother, heard his
kangaroo dogs bark , from 10 a.m., to 4 p.m., down some inaccessible cliffs,
he determined to go and help them to kill what he supposed must be an old
man wallaroo, as the two dogs could kill any other kind of marsupial. Pat's
surprise may easily be imagined when his eyes looked down on a hairy monster
standing upright, a body as apparently round as a horse, arms as round as a
man's thigh, three claws on each hand,two large claws on each foot.
It stood ,to the best of his belief, about 4 foot high.
The head resembled a pig's but turned upwards, and he threw into the air the
only dog that ventured within reach Pat could see the milk-white hair under his armpits.
When Pat was tired of looking on, he feared the dog would be killed, as it fell on
the rocks about sixty yards away each time it was thrown up, he threw about 14lb.
weight of a stone, which struck the mark without doing any damage .
The animal was at the foot of the rocks on which Pat stood, and in two springs or
strides it sprang or strode in an up- right position and then commenced to
climb monkey-fashion. Pat saw no more, as he thought it was time to run
for life; he never looked back. His heart boat so audibly that he fancied it
was the quick stamping of the strange thing behind him.
The dog died shortly after, but not a hair of the strange creature could be found,
Though the dog's hair and blood was plentiful on the rocks. We now hear that
Some splitters on the flat lands north of Cherry Tree Hill have become terrified
by hearing unearthly screams or sounds at night. There are three caves in the
vicinity of the above, into one of those the dogs never follow the rock wallaby.
Goulburn Evening Penny Post NSW Sat 16 May 1885
HOW WE SAW THE " HAIRY MAN."
I read in your issue of Saturday last, with some emotion, an account of a
" hairy man" who is supposed to live in the vicinity of the Big River.
The report goes on to say that he has been seen often, and sometimes
under "lonely and trying circumstances." We have no doubt of it, as we once
saw him ourselves, and we don't mind telling you how it was .
Growing some what sick on a protracted run of griddled "jew-lizard," and suddenly
developing a relish for fresh fish, we decided to go and procure some of the latter.
Arming ourselves with a bag full of frogs and a square bottle of rum,
which, with that forethought which so distinguishes us, we procured from a
neighbouring shanty before starting, we sailed down to a romantic little stream,
ironically called the Fish River, and finding a suitable stand commenced operations.
Our line wasn't long in the water, when we saw signs indicative of a
bite. We hauled it in, but with it nothing in the shape of fish-not even a toad.
Setting another frog down on our hook we flung him away out on the limpid
waters, where he disappeared as mysteriously as his predecessor.
At last we cameto a conclusion, and that was that if that sportive
old cuss, popularly alluded to as " do devil," has any agents in the Fish River
they most certainlyn move about in the form of despicable turtles.
So annoyed did we at last become that, uttering a wild yell of rage, we rushed
over to the bottle of rum,and drawing the cork, deliberately spilt out a
portion of its contents; where we spilt it is a matter of no consequence, and has, of
course, nothing to do with this narrative. After we had continued the" spilling" business
for a while we suddenly lost all interest in the fish, and retiring to the shade
of a convenient gum-tree, we emptied out the last drop in the bottle.
After this we began addressing a large gathering of "mosquitto’s," who
, attracted by our eloquence, or something, hovered around us with murmurs of
silvery applause. We don't remember what we said ; but we suspect that our
utterances consisted for the most part of sanguinary adjectives.
While thus engaged we noticed a large green snake coming towards us,
with his mouth open, from the bank of the river. Seizing the empty rum bottle,
we hurled it at him and knocked him clean over the rushes into the water,
where, owing probably to one of his hind legs being fractured, he sank,
and was drowned.
Whilst recovering from this little event, and calculating as to the amount of stamina
Which would be required to carry us to the nearest shanty, we happened to cast
our eye down the river, and there beheld a sight that caused the hair on our
venerable head to rise with such precipitance as to send our well greased " cady"
flying, not only off our head,but away clean over the big "narrawa," in the
vicinity of which, as we subsequently heard, it took a prominent part in the manufacture
of some very indifferent soup. But to return to the apparition.
Pledging up the middle of the stream, and playing with demoniacal satisfaction an instrument
which we took for a concertina, there came towards us a monster such as'human eyes
probably never gazed on before. Now, we're not at all good at describing
things. We once essayed to describe a bush races,and the amount of misanthropy
and murder which the attempt occasioned causes us now to pause in
doubt and tribulation. To say that the creature now under notice was hairy is
to give but a very general description of him indeed. He was hairy and hideous, and
came as near to realizing our private conception of the devil as we could wish.
His eyes glowed like balls of brass, and as he came nearer we noticed that he had a black snake
tied around his neck in a swagsman's knot. No sooner did he observe us than, uttering a wild howl
of rage, he made " at us," bounding across the water with the greatest speed and displaying, to our
unutterable horror, a set of fangs that seemed especially designed for our destruction.
Of course, we fled, but ere we had gone a dozen paces he caught us, and springing above
on our shoulders rode us "full rip" through some of the roughestcountry in the whole
territory. Roaring like a fiend, he urged us madly on, slashing us with a snake and spitting
fire and bluestone over our neck and bald head. Thus goaded,we rushed madly on,
upsetting two or three logs and a flukey sheep in our wild gallop. At last,unable to
stand it longer, we dashed headlong down into a deep cutaway creek, at the bottom of
which we got so mixed up with mother earth that our friends were digging mud off
us for half-a day before our identity became anything like a matter of certainty.
Thus ended our adventure with the hairy man.
Of course, a few sceptics will not believe us.
Nevertheless, we would not go fishing there again not for fifty square bottles.
Zeehan and Dundas Herald Tas Wed 8 Jan 1913
THE MONARO MONSTER SEEN 38 YEARS AGO.
'HAIRY MAN' MUST NOW BE 100.
Sydney, Tuesday Evening.
Another story has cropped up in connection with the hairy man, supposed to have
been seen on Creewah station, about six weeks ago.
James Allen, says he saw a hairy man at Creewah 18 years ago.
He was very powerful looking, and was crawling round a steer.
He made off into the jungle when disturbed.
He should now be about 100 years old. He looked fully when Allen
saw him, and was covered with long, grey hair.
Molong Express and Western District Advertiser NSW
Sat 11 Nov 1893
A Wild Monster.
Mr. Arthur Marrin, cordial manufacturer,met with a rather awkward reception
as he was going into Captain's Flat on Friday last with a load of cordials
(says the Braidwood Dispatch). Shortly after getting upon the turn-off road
from the Cooma road, within two or three miles of the Flat township, he
noticed his dog running up out of the bush at full tear, and clear off down
the road in a terrible scare. Hd got down to see what hadfrightened him,
when a formidable animal,with which he was entirely unacquainted,
jumped up the lower bank on to the road.It frightened him quite as much as
it did the dog, as it was standing up on its bind legs with its fore feet stretched
out like the arms of a man. The road, being a outing on a hill side, was narrow,
and the animal was making for him, either to follow the dog or
spring upon himself. Being unarmed, having only the whip in his hand, which
would have very little impression upon such an antagonist, he dropped the whip
and picked up a stone which lay close to him, and threw it at the beast, striking it
on the temple and bringing it to the ground. He then ran up and
finished it with the but end of the whip. On his return to Braidwood he put its body in
the cart and brought it home with him. We paid a visit to Mr. Marrin's factory on Satur
day, and inspected it. It was four feet long,11 inches across the forehead, and had
a face very much like a polar bear. It weighed over seven stone. Its forearms were very
strong with great paws that would be capable of giving a terrible grip.
It was a tan colour like a 'possum, with strong hair on its skin.
When Mr. Marria encountered it it stood between 6ft. and 7ft. high.
Some people think it is identical with a beast which has frightened several teamsters
Travelling through Parker's Gap on the Cooma road at various times, so much so
that they have left their horses and ran away. Such an animal has been reported as
visiting selectors' places at Molonglo and Foxlow, and there have been reports
of the presence of similar ones in the Budawang and Sassafras ranges.
It has gone by the name of the hairy man. Other persons maintain it is merely a
wombat, and perfectly harmless. Met under such circumstances as those which Mr. Marrin
met it most persons, however, would be inclined togive it a wide berth if possible,
but as Mr.Marrin could not get away he had to face it,the beast was a female.
Goulburn Evening Penny Post NSW Thu 17 Oct 1912
A MONSTER FOOTPRINT.
Bombala, Tuesday.There is considerable excitement in the district over the
reported discovery of a hairy man on Creewah Station, 18 miles from here,
owned by Mr. Sydney Jephcott. Mr. Jephcott telephoned here this afternoon that
yesterday, while mustering stock,he observed tracks like human footprints nearly 20in.
in length and 8in. across. He sent to a Bombala storekeeper for a quantity of
plaster of paris, with which to take an impression of the tracks.
A selector named Summerell, living on an adjoining holding to Creewah, states that in
the thick bushyesterday he saw an enormous creature, resembling a man, covered with long
black hair. The animal was carrying a big stick, and with long leaps made off through
the bush. A report has just been received to the effect that the creature has been
captured today.
-
paulmcleod67
Re: Long Term Missing Person's, recovered Human remains & Yo
FROM WIKIPEDIA
"The word "gorilla" comes from the history of Hanno the Navigator, (c. 500 BC) a Carthaginian explorer on an expedition on the west African coast to the area that later became Sierra Leone. Members of the expedition encountered "a savage people, the greater part of whom were women, whose bodies were hairy, and who our interpreters called Gorillae".
The word was then later used as the species name, though it is unknown whether what these ancient Carthaginians encountered were truly gorillas, another species of ape or monkeys, or humans.
The American physician and missionary Thomas Staughton Savage and naturalist Jeffries Wyman first described the western gorilla (they called it Troglodytes gorilla) in 1847 from specimens obtained in Liberia. The name was derived from Ancient Greek Γόριλλαι (gorillai), meaning 'tribe of hairy women', described by Hanno."
Whilst the account detailed below has been clearly embellished and doctored by the alleged author (reputedly an old sailor) ,the physical description of the creature and elements of its behavior that I find intriguing given the date of it's ultimate publication in 1871.
The appearance of the "Gorilla" indicates to me a possibility that the tale might be the result of an original encounter that has been blow out of proportion as a result of multiple re-telling by subsequent people.
It also makes purely for an entertaining read...
Australian Town and Country Journal in April 1871
“I have kept my secret for many years, and I doubt if it would have ever been divulged, for reasons I will give before I finish this paper, had it not been for the confirmation of my experience contained in several paragraphs in the Evening News during the last week or two about the Curl Curl monster and the Illawara gorilla. The paragraph respecting the latter said “A supposed Gorilla,” and that “supposed” has set me in motion… There is generally too strong a disposition to ridicule anything unusual, and frightened people are only too ready to believe what they will call supernatural. Now, I do not believe in the supernatural, and if I had been at Curl Curl the other day, I have the impudence to believe that I could have turned that nondescript monster to account, and with sufficient help I would have had the fellow in a caravan by this time, and knocked out something decent. But I have to tell you about the Illawarra gorilla, and I might as well drop into it first as last.
It was about twenty years ago, when Sydney was a very different place to what it is now, and there was fun to be had before the town became busy and bustling, that I was on board the little surveying craft called the Alligator. That wasn’t her name, you see, but I don’t want to be identified, although my name is well-known to Mr. Editor, who has given place to not a few of my old colonial yarns. Well, let’s call her the Alligator–that name will do as well as anyother for my purpose–and, as I was saying, surveying was our game, and a rare game it was–like a pleasure trip, and very few questions asked.
One night, after a pretty long spell in Farm Cove, we dropped out of the harbour, going south, and next morning, for some purpose or other unknown to us, we went into Wollongong, and a few of us got liberty for a run ashore to explore the beauties of the country round about. You may well suppose that we had a freshener in the town before we strayed into the bush away beyond Dapto, and there we came across a fellow doing nothing, so far as I could judge ; but he seemed a decontish chap in his way, and we soon discovered that he had some strongish stuff upon which the Customs gaugers had never set their mark ; and we wont in pretty deep for it, until at length we proceeded on our way, singing “Rule Britannia,” “Hearts of Oak,” and such like, getting well away into the bush. I began to feel independent of the Admiralty and all its works ; the trees began to waltz, and the crisp pure air had such an effect upon me that I tried to join in the fun, until I caught my foot in the stump of a grass tree, and down I went. Luckily, the bottle in which I had taken a pint, or thereabouts, of the real dew of the valley, was not broken, and although I was prostrated by circumstances beyond control, I took another wet and soon forgot my troubles. “O’er all the ills of life victorious.”
How long I slept I don’t well know, but when I woke up the trees were all as quiet and orderly as possible, and the shades of evening were commencing to close in. I was comfortably ensconced among some long soft grass, and above me, through the chinks of the trees that arched and met overhead, I could see that the sun was pretty well down, and left only a red reflection on the now rather dusky thicket about me. I am not naturally disposed to fear, but that evening I felt rather strange-like, and by no means clear in the think. The preoious stumps, some charred and others split into happy fantastic shapes, took forms in my imagination, and here I saw two desperate ruffians holding an unfortunate down ; and there seemed to see a beautiful young girl kneeling before a tomb. Of course it was all a delusion, but some of the delusions were pleasant, and others rather uncomfortable. I have often pictured the same kind of thing in the Australian bush, but I never saw those illusions so complete as upon the occasion I am referring to, and never in any other country, do what I would to conjure them up. I tried to calculate how far I could be away from the beach, and was rather uneasy about my leave. I was so fogged that I couldn’t even make out the lay of the place, and there I was lost as certainly as though I had been 500 miles away in the country. I shouted, coooyed and made myself hoarse, and the only reply I got was the soft twitters from a few disturbed birds, followed by that peculiar crackling of the trees only noticed by fellows who are out in the bush at night alone for the first time. Left alone in the quiet, I thought of many matters I had up to that time forgotten ; and I verily believe I was disposed to say my prayers that night– honestly, humbly and heartily–as I did when a child at my mother’s knee ; and I fell to thinking about my mother and my boyish days, and the loneliness seemed to do me good. I did not care much about the stuff in the bottle, but took a good pull from a little stream near at hand, using my old wide-awake as a goblet. It was getting rightdown dark now, and all I could see above me was the glorious stars shining out as they only do shine in an Australian sky. I had no weapon of any kind about me, but this did not trouble me, because I had heard that no animals of a ferocious nature were to be dreaded in Australia.
I trudged on without purpose, every footfall proclaiming to me that I was alone, and every step I took seemed to din the fact into my ears. The bush was getting thicker ; the giant trees were now more crowded, and the festoons of lovely vines draping the trunks of these forest monsters added to the frowning look they seemed to fasten upon me for my rashness in invading their solitude. In nautical language, I brought to–what use could there be in going on. I was in for it for that night, and all I could do was to wait for morning ; but sleep was quite out of the question, the snooze I had in the afternoon had settled that. The only solace I could master was a chew of tobacco, so I took a bite and began to think again of all the things I didn’t want to think about, when all at once I saw two distinct lights, near to each other approaching towards me. The lights were so close to each other, that they could hardly be anything so common as a lantern, and besides, although they were always close to each other, they appeared to sway irregularly from side to side. On came the lights, and I began to congratulate myself that at last deliverance was at hand, and I gave a loud cooey which brought what ever it was to a dead stand. I gave another, and away they went into the thickest of the bush. I followed, and they receded, and so I went on double quick time, and I gave another shout, answered this time by a most unearthly noise, something between a groan of pain and a yell of defiance, and away went the lights up a big tree.
Looking up, I saw–and, oh Lord ! there was the most extraordinary animal in the world surely :–About five feet high, long arms, legs something like mine, but not so handsome, feet about eighteen inches long, long toes covered with long hair, and as much like a gigantic monkey as possible. The begger mouthed at me in a very savage fashion, but so long as he was up the tree I didn’t care much about him, so I thought I’d keep him there. I put my back against the tree, and remembering that savage animals are afraid of the human voice I struck up “Rule Britannia,” much to the disgust of the beast, for he joined chorus in dismal yells and muttering growls. I had just got to the third verse, and was beginning to fancy how I should got on–because I couldn’t well sing all night–I had just got to the chorus of the third verse, in that part where we all agree to “Never, never, never,” when I found myself seized by the hair of my head, of which I always had a good share – of course its hair I mean. Well, as I was saying, just as the last “never” was coming out from my mouth up I went, with no more ceremony than you would show in pulling up a cat by the tail. Up he went and across a branch in no time, sticking me in front of him. I never did like having my hair pulled, so I let drive at him just between the eyes ; but it made no impression on the beast ; he merely passed his paw over the place, and sneezed as coolly as though I had handed him a pinch of Macaboy, and he turned to and pulled my hair again. I was wild, and fisted him until I was nearly off my porch. “Let me alone, you ugly thief,” says I. “No I shan’t,” says he, in tones that terrified me more than anything he had yet done. “No I shan’t.”
“I want to go down,” says I.
“Very well, go down,” says he.
” How can I go down ?” I said.
” The same way as you came up !” he says.
“What,” I says, “by the hair of my head ?” He nodded. “If I do,” says I, “may I be,—–”
” Wait a bit,” says he, “drop it !”
“What,” I says, “eighteen feet?–that’s a drop too much.”
“Oh, all right,” he says, “come on;” and grasping me by the middle, he had me down in no time, and I was on terra firma, wondering what was to follow.
“What are you,” he says, after looking at me very closely, and feeling me all over and examining my clothes with a look of the deepest disgust. “I’m a stranger,” says I.
“Are you what they call a man ?” says he. “I am” said I, “and an Englishman, and I’m proud of it.”
“Are you ?” says he, “then it’s a bad job for you. Whenever I meet a man I always finish him. You’re one of those cunning trap-laying, gun-shooting villains, who are best rooted out and got rid of. Our tribe always kill a man whenever we meet one. You don’t take much killing for all your banging and flashing. Just give their heads a spin or two like this,–so and so–and they’re as dead as door nails.” And the hideous wretch gave my head a half screw round that made my neck creak and made me look over my loft shoulder for a month or two.
“I should have screwed you so as soon as I caught you,” said he, “only you are such a happy looking wretch, that I wanted to get some fun out of you. Is there any fun to be got out of you, eh? If not, you’d better tell me and there’ll be an end of you.”
“Well, sir,” I said, (for I thought it best to butter him up a bit), “the fact is, sir,”–
“Fact !” says he, “fact ! What’s a fact ?”
“Well, sir,” I says, “a fact is something that’s not something else.” He got into a horrible passion, and made a move towards my neck ; but I ducked and he missed me.
“What,” he said, “do you mean to say you would tell me something that is something else. You miserable wretch, is that what you men do !”
“I was only going to ask you what and who you are,” I said, “since this is the first time I have had the pleasure of meeting you.”
“I,” said he, “am a gorilla, and owner of the forest upon which you are now trespassing. This is my garden, I laid it out and I have held it throughout its length and breadth over since it was first planted.”
“Well, sir,” I says, “if I may be so bold as to ask a question. I would like to know one thing.”
“Speak,” said he, with a gracious wave of his paw.
“I hope you won’t be offended.” I said, feeling my sore neck rather tenderly; “but I’ve heard of monkeys, apes, and gentlemen of your sort, but I never heard or read of one talking before.”
“And pray,” said he, in a sneering tone, “did you never hear any rumour as to the reason for that same?”
“Well, sir,” I said, “I can’t deny that I have heard a reason given, and without offence to you, I have heard that monkeys can speak and won’t for fear they might be set to work, but that of course, I know is a mistake, because I have had the honour of hearing you talk.”
“It’s perfectly true,” he said, winking one of his great green eyes in a very cunning manner ; “perfectly true. That’s our great secret, and we always keep it under all circumstances.”
At this I laughed outright. “Well,” I said, “that’s a rum start, you never let out your secret, and yet you’ve blabbed it to me straight away, and we haven’t been together half an hour.”
“And where’s the danger of telling you? ” he said, with a horrible chuckle that went to my marrow. “The secret is as safe with you as with this dead bough.” As he spoke he seized me by the hair of my head with one paw, and putting out the other broke off a limb from a tree, grasping it with as much ease as a school-master would a cane. “You don’t suppose,” said he, “that I should have been fool enough to let out the secret if there was the least chance in the world of it going any further.” And the bare idea tickled him so prodigiously that he fell into a horrible gutteral laugh of such long duration that I began to hope he would have a fit, but he presently recovered.
“It’s many a long day since I had such a laugh as that,” he said, “you are much funnier than the two legged black sort we generally fall in with about here : but there’s more mischief in you, and that’s why we never let you escape. Blabbed my secret did I ? Ho ! ho !” and off he went again as bad as before, roaring over the pleasant joke. All at once he screwed up his ugly mug and let out a yell denoting great pain.
I ventured to ask if he felt at all poorly. “Oh, no,” he said, “it was only those infernal rheumatics.” I ventured to say that I wondered that a gentleman of his experience had not discovered some means of relief, and told him that I was subject to the same disorder and always carried with me a specific, which I would willingly administer if he would give me some information as to the habits and life of his people.
His impatience was very great to have my remedy and his manner became decidedly unpleasant, so much so that I feared he would take effectual means to put me out of the way in order to keep his secret, as he called it. At length he said, “Well if you want to know why I came down upon you I will tell you, not that it will do you any good, because your game’s about played. The truth is, that I took you for a census collector. Those fellows are awfully inquisitive, and we are rather afraid of them, because if they found us they would at once take means to leave their precious papers with us, so whenever we see one we frighten his life out, and you white wretches are afraid to come into the bush, and that makes us pretty safe ; but,” said he, “what about the rheumatics?”
Upon this I produced the bottle, and informed him that it must be taken in very small quantities. He insisted upon my taking some, and he then followed my example. At the first sup he smacked his ugly lips, and water streamed from his eyes, and he had another drop, and another ; he first got regular jolly, and at length grew spitefully inclined. He danced about until he became frantic, and at last fell off the branch on which he had been sitting, drunk as blazes. I was afraid to venture on flight, and waited patiently for some time. At length I felt rather sleepy, and soon dropped off into a sound sleep, from which I awoke when the sun was well up. I looked round for my friend and found that he had decamped, leaving the empty bottle. My head was one large ache, and my neck was stiff and sore. I limped on as well as I was able and at length fell in with a cart track and following it had the satisfaction of once more facing the ocean and seeing the Alligator.
Well, of course, no one believed me, and my leave was stopped. They tried to make out that I had partaken too freely of unexcised spirit, that I had slept in the bush and got a stiff neck. As a proof, they called my attention to the fact that I had finished the bottle I took with me, and then tried to throw the blame on the gorilla. I knew better then, and I know still better now. The gorilla has been again seen at Illawarra, and it’s not quite certain that the Curl-curl monster is not a gentleman of the same kidney. I have no doubt at all that the census collector was the cause of my Illawarra friends re-appearance there. The spot where he was seen, confirmed me in my opinion, and after the report published the other day, I hope my veracity may be henceforth regarded as established.
It is said that Mr. Rixon saw a gorilla at the Cordeaux River some years ago, and the query suggested is, “Where did it come from?” My answer is simply :–At that time the census was being collected. I am the more confirmed in my supposition that there is great fear on the part of the gorillas of being degraded to the level of humanity by the census collectors, from having met with the following paragraph in a Californian paper I received by the last mail, from a friend in San Francisco. I need hardly remind the intelligent readers of this journal that the census was being collected in California in December last, when the following singular confirmation of my story was published there. It is due to the ladies of the gorilla race to say that I was not introduced to them, and saw nothing of them, or of their domestic manners and customs ; probably they are very particular and exclusive, as regards etiquette and social life. I should not, if I were a census collector, like to ask a lady gorilla in the tenets of what religious sect she intended her youngest infant to be trained, or whether any of her family were suffering from an incurable infirmity of temper, or what not. Here is what the Californian paper says about the Californian gorillas :
“It has been rumoured for some time in California that in the mountains at Orestimba Creek are to be seen occasionally either gorillas, or wild men, so devoid of personal attractions that they may fairly be classed as gorillas. A correspondent of the Ledger, writing on the 16th ultimo, gives a description of one of these animals or persons, as the case may be :- ‘It was in the image of a man, but it could not have been human. The creature, whatever it was, stood full five feet high, and disproportionately broad and square, with arms of great length. The legs were very short and the body long. The head was small, and appeared to be set on the shoulders without any neck. The whole body was covered with dark brown and cinnamon coloured hair, that on the head standing in a shock and growing close down the eyes like a Digger Indian’s. As I looked he threw his head back and whistled again, and stooped and grasped a stick from the fire, this he swung round until the fire on the end had gone out, when he repeated the manouvre. Fifteen minutes I watched him as he whistled and scattered my fire about. I could easily have put a bullet through his head, but why should I kill him ? Having amused himself, apparently all he desired with my fire, he started to go, but naving gone a short distance he returned, and was joined by another–a female unmistakably when they both turned and walked past me, within twenty yards of where I sat, and disappeared in the bush.’
Story supplied by Trove.
"The word "gorilla" comes from the history of Hanno the Navigator, (c. 500 BC) a Carthaginian explorer on an expedition on the west African coast to the area that later became Sierra Leone. Members of the expedition encountered "a savage people, the greater part of whom were women, whose bodies were hairy, and who our interpreters called Gorillae".
The word was then later used as the species name, though it is unknown whether what these ancient Carthaginians encountered were truly gorillas, another species of ape or monkeys, or humans.
The American physician and missionary Thomas Staughton Savage and naturalist Jeffries Wyman first described the western gorilla (they called it Troglodytes gorilla) in 1847 from specimens obtained in Liberia. The name was derived from Ancient Greek Γόριλλαι (gorillai), meaning 'tribe of hairy women', described by Hanno."
Whilst the account detailed below has been clearly embellished and doctored by the alleged author (reputedly an old sailor) ,the physical description of the creature and elements of its behavior that I find intriguing given the date of it's ultimate publication in 1871.
The appearance of the "Gorilla" indicates to me a possibility that the tale might be the result of an original encounter that has been blow out of proportion as a result of multiple re-telling by subsequent people.
It also makes purely for an entertaining read...
Australian Town and Country Journal in April 1871
“I have kept my secret for many years, and I doubt if it would have ever been divulged, for reasons I will give before I finish this paper, had it not been for the confirmation of my experience contained in several paragraphs in the Evening News during the last week or two about the Curl Curl monster and the Illawara gorilla. The paragraph respecting the latter said “A supposed Gorilla,” and that “supposed” has set me in motion… There is generally too strong a disposition to ridicule anything unusual, and frightened people are only too ready to believe what they will call supernatural. Now, I do not believe in the supernatural, and if I had been at Curl Curl the other day, I have the impudence to believe that I could have turned that nondescript monster to account, and with sufficient help I would have had the fellow in a caravan by this time, and knocked out something decent. But I have to tell you about the Illawarra gorilla, and I might as well drop into it first as last.
It was about twenty years ago, when Sydney was a very different place to what it is now, and there was fun to be had before the town became busy and bustling, that I was on board the little surveying craft called the Alligator. That wasn’t her name, you see, but I don’t want to be identified, although my name is well-known to Mr. Editor, who has given place to not a few of my old colonial yarns. Well, let’s call her the Alligator–that name will do as well as anyother for my purpose–and, as I was saying, surveying was our game, and a rare game it was–like a pleasure trip, and very few questions asked.
One night, after a pretty long spell in Farm Cove, we dropped out of the harbour, going south, and next morning, for some purpose or other unknown to us, we went into Wollongong, and a few of us got liberty for a run ashore to explore the beauties of the country round about. You may well suppose that we had a freshener in the town before we strayed into the bush away beyond Dapto, and there we came across a fellow doing nothing, so far as I could judge ; but he seemed a decontish chap in his way, and we soon discovered that he had some strongish stuff upon which the Customs gaugers had never set their mark ; and we wont in pretty deep for it, until at length we proceeded on our way, singing “Rule Britannia,” “Hearts of Oak,” and such like, getting well away into the bush. I began to feel independent of the Admiralty and all its works ; the trees began to waltz, and the crisp pure air had such an effect upon me that I tried to join in the fun, until I caught my foot in the stump of a grass tree, and down I went. Luckily, the bottle in which I had taken a pint, or thereabouts, of the real dew of the valley, was not broken, and although I was prostrated by circumstances beyond control, I took another wet and soon forgot my troubles. “O’er all the ills of life victorious.”
How long I slept I don’t well know, but when I woke up the trees were all as quiet and orderly as possible, and the shades of evening were commencing to close in. I was comfortably ensconced among some long soft grass, and above me, through the chinks of the trees that arched and met overhead, I could see that the sun was pretty well down, and left only a red reflection on the now rather dusky thicket about me. I am not naturally disposed to fear, but that evening I felt rather strange-like, and by no means clear in the think. The preoious stumps, some charred and others split into happy fantastic shapes, took forms in my imagination, and here I saw two desperate ruffians holding an unfortunate down ; and there seemed to see a beautiful young girl kneeling before a tomb. Of course it was all a delusion, but some of the delusions were pleasant, and others rather uncomfortable. I have often pictured the same kind of thing in the Australian bush, but I never saw those illusions so complete as upon the occasion I am referring to, and never in any other country, do what I would to conjure them up. I tried to calculate how far I could be away from the beach, and was rather uneasy about my leave. I was so fogged that I couldn’t even make out the lay of the place, and there I was lost as certainly as though I had been 500 miles away in the country. I shouted, coooyed and made myself hoarse, and the only reply I got was the soft twitters from a few disturbed birds, followed by that peculiar crackling of the trees only noticed by fellows who are out in the bush at night alone for the first time. Left alone in the quiet, I thought of many matters I had up to that time forgotten ; and I verily believe I was disposed to say my prayers that night– honestly, humbly and heartily–as I did when a child at my mother’s knee ; and I fell to thinking about my mother and my boyish days, and the loneliness seemed to do me good. I did not care much about the stuff in the bottle, but took a good pull from a little stream near at hand, using my old wide-awake as a goblet. It was getting rightdown dark now, and all I could see above me was the glorious stars shining out as they only do shine in an Australian sky. I had no weapon of any kind about me, but this did not trouble me, because I had heard that no animals of a ferocious nature were to be dreaded in Australia.
I trudged on without purpose, every footfall proclaiming to me that I was alone, and every step I took seemed to din the fact into my ears. The bush was getting thicker ; the giant trees were now more crowded, and the festoons of lovely vines draping the trunks of these forest monsters added to the frowning look they seemed to fasten upon me for my rashness in invading their solitude. In nautical language, I brought to–what use could there be in going on. I was in for it for that night, and all I could do was to wait for morning ; but sleep was quite out of the question, the snooze I had in the afternoon had settled that. The only solace I could master was a chew of tobacco, so I took a bite and began to think again of all the things I didn’t want to think about, when all at once I saw two distinct lights, near to each other approaching towards me. The lights were so close to each other, that they could hardly be anything so common as a lantern, and besides, although they were always close to each other, they appeared to sway irregularly from side to side. On came the lights, and I began to congratulate myself that at last deliverance was at hand, and I gave a loud cooey which brought what ever it was to a dead stand. I gave another, and away they went into the thickest of the bush. I followed, and they receded, and so I went on double quick time, and I gave another shout, answered this time by a most unearthly noise, something between a groan of pain and a yell of defiance, and away went the lights up a big tree.
Looking up, I saw–and, oh Lord ! there was the most extraordinary animal in the world surely :–About five feet high, long arms, legs something like mine, but not so handsome, feet about eighteen inches long, long toes covered with long hair, and as much like a gigantic monkey as possible. The begger mouthed at me in a very savage fashion, but so long as he was up the tree I didn’t care much about him, so I thought I’d keep him there. I put my back against the tree, and remembering that savage animals are afraid of the human voice I struck up “Rule Britannia,” much to the disgust of the beast, for he joined chorus in dismal yells and muttering growls. I had just got to the third verse, and was beginning to fancy how I should got on–because I couldn’t well sing all night–I had just got to the chorus of the third verse, in that part where we all agree to “Never, never, never,” when I found myself seized by the hair of my head, of which I always had a good share – of course its hair I mean. Well, as I was saying, just as the last “never” was coming out from my mouth up I went, with no more ceremony than you would show in pulling up a cat by the tail. Up he went and across a branch in no time, sticking me in front of him. I never did like having my hair pulled, so I let drive at him just between the eyes ; but it made no impression on the beast ; he merely passed his paw over the place, and sneezed as coolly as though I had handed him a pinch of Macaboy, and he turned to and pulled my hair again. I was wild, and fisted him until I was nearly off my porch. “Let me alone, you ugly thief,” says I. “No I shan’t,” says he, in tones that terrified me more than anything he had yet done. “No I shan’t.”
“I want to go down,” says I.
“Very well, go down,” says he.
” How can I go down ?” I said.
” The same way as you came up !” he says.
“What,” I says, “by the hair of my head ?” He nodded. “If I do,” says I, “may I be,—–”
” Wait a bit,” says he, “drop it !”
“What,” I says, “eighteen feet?–that’s a drop too much.”
“Oh, all right,” he says, “come on;” and grasping me by the middle, he had me down in no time, and I was on terra firma, wondering what was to follow.
“What are you,” he says, after looking at me very closely, and feeling me all over and examining my clothes with a look of the deepest disgust. “I’m a stranger,” says I.
“Are you what they call a man ?” says he. “I am” said I, “and an Englishman, and I’m proud of it.”
“Are you ?” says he, “then it’s a bad job for you. Whenever I meet a man I always finish him. You’re one of those cunning trap-laying, gun-shooting villains, who are best rooted out and got rid of. Our tribe always kill a man whenever we meet one. You don’t take much killing for all your banging and flashing. Just give their heads a spin or two like this,–so and so–and they’re as dead as door nails.” And the hideous wretch gave my head a half screw round that made my neck creak and made me look over my loft shoulder for a month or two.
“I should have screwed you so as soon as I caught you,” said he, “only you are such a happy looking wretch, that I wanted to get some fun out of you. Is there any fun to be got out of you, eh? If not, you’d better tell me and there’ll be an end of you.”
“Well, sir,” I said, (for I thought it best to butter him up a bit), “the fact is, sir,”–
“Fact !” says he, “fact ! What’s a fact ?”
“Well, sir,” I says, “a fact is something that’s not something else.” He got into a horrible passion, and made a move towards my neck ; but I ducked and he missed me.
“What,” he said, “do you mean to say you would tell me something that is something else. You miserable wretch, is that what you men do !”
“I was only going to ask you what and who you are,” I said, “since this is the first time I have had the pleasure of meeting you.”
“I,” said he, “am a gorilla, and owner of the forest upon which you are now trespassing. This is my garden, I laid it out and I have held it throughout its length and breadth over since it was first planted.”
“Well, sir,” I says, “if I may be so bold as to ask a question. I would like to know one thing.”
“Speak,” said he, with a gracious wave of his paw.
“I hope you won’t be offended.” I said, feeling my sore neck rather tenderly; “but I’ve heard of monkeys, apes, and gentlemen of your sort, but I never heard or read of one talking before.”
“And pray,” said he, in a sneering tone, “did you never hear any rumour as to the reason for that same?”
“Well, sir,” I said, “I can’t deny that I have heard a reason given, and without offence to you, I have heard that monkeys can speak and won’t for fear they might be set to work, but that of course, I know is a mistake, because I have had the honour of hearing you talk.”
“It’s perfectly true,” he said, winking one of his great green eyes in a very cunning manner ; “perfectly true. That’s our great secret, and we always keep it under all circumstances.”
At this I laughed outright. “Well,” I said, “that’s a rum start, you never let out your secret, and yet you’ve blabbed it to me straight away, and we haven’t been together half an hour.”
“And where’s the danger of telling you? ” he said, with a horrible chuckle that went to my marrow. “The secret is as safe with you as with this dead bough.” As he spoke he seized me by the hair of my head with one paw, and putting out the other broke off a limb from a tree, grasping it with as much ease as a school-master would a cane. “You don’t suppose,” said he, “that I should have been fool enough to let out the secret if there was the least chance in the world of it going any further.” And the bare idea tickled him so prodigiously that he fell into a horrible gutteral laugh of such long duration that I began to hope he would have a fit, but he presently recovered.
“It’s many a long day since I had such a laugh as that,” he said, “you are much funnier than the two legged black sort we generally fall in with about here : but there’s more mischief in you, and that’s why we never let you escape. Blabbed my secret did I ? Ho ! ho !” and off he went again as bad as before, roaring over the pleasant joke. All at once he screwed up his ugly mug and let out a yell denoting great pain.
I ventured to ask if he felt at all poorly. “Oh, no,” he said, “it was only those infernal rheumatics.” I ventured to say that I wondered that a gentleman of his experience had not discovered some means of relief, and told him that I was subject to the same disorder and always carried with me a specific, which I would willingly administer if he would give me some information as to the habits and life of his people.
His impatience was very great to have my remedy and his manner became decidedly unpleasant, so much so that I feared he would take effectual means to put me out of the way in order to keep his secret, as he called it. At length he said, “Well if you want to know why I came down upon you I will tell you, not that it will do you any good, because your game’s about played. The truth is, that I took you for a census collector. Those fellows are awfully inquisitive, and we are rather afraid of them, because if they found us they would at once take means to leave their precious papers with us, so whenever we see one we frighten his life out, and you white wretches are afraid to come into the bush, and that makes us pretty safe ; but,” said he, “what about the rheumatics?”
Upon this I produced the bottle, and informed him that it must be taken in very small quantities. He insisted upon my taking some, and he then followed my example. At the first sup he smacked his ugly lips, and water streamed from his eyes, and he had another drop, and another ; he first got regular jolly, and at length grew spitefully inclined. He danced about until he became frantic, and at last fell off the branch on which he had been sitting, drunk as blazes. I was afraid to venture on flight, and waited patiently for some time. At length I felt rather sleepy, and soon dropped off into a sound sleep, from which I awoke when the sun was well up. I looked round for my friend and found that he had decamped, leaving the empty bottle. My head was one large ache, and my neck was stiff and sore. I limped on as well as I was able and at length fell in with a cart track and following it had the satisfaction of once more facing the ocean and seeing the Alligator.
Well, of course, no one believed me, and my leave was stopped. They tried to make out that I had partaken too freely of unexcised spirit, that I had slept in the bush and got a stiff neck. As a proof, they called my attention to the fact that I had finished the bottle I took with me, and then tried to throw the blame on the gorilla. I knew better then, and I know still better now. The gorilla has been again seen at Illawarra, and it’s not quite certain that the Curl-curl monster is not a gentleman of the same kidney. I have no doubt at all that the census collector was the cause of my Illawarra friends re-appearance there. The spot where he was seen, confirmed me in my opinion, and after the report published the other day, I hope my veracity may be henceforth regarded as established.
It is said that Mr. Rixon saw a gorilla at the Cordeaux River some years ago, and the query suggested is, “Where did it come from?” My answer is simply :–At that time the census was being collected. I am the more confirmed in my supposition that there is great fear on the part of the gorillas of being degraded to the level of humanity by the census collectors, from having met with the following paragraph in a Californian paper I received by the last mail, from a friend in San Francisco. I need hardly remind the intelligent readers of this journal that the census was being collected in California in December last, when the following singular confirmation of my story was published there. It is due to the ladies of the gorilla race to say that I was not introduced to them, and saw nothing of them, or of their domestic manners and customs ; probably they are very particular and exclusive, as regards etiquette and social life. I should not, if I were a census collector, like to ask a lady gorilla in the tenets of what religious sect she intended her youngest infant to be trained, or whether any of her family were suffering from an incurable infirmity of temper, or what not. Here is what the Californian paper says about the Californian gorillas :
“It has been rumoured for some time in California that in the mountains at Orestimba Creek are to be seen occasionally either gorillas, or wild men, so devoid of personal attractions that they may fairly be classed as gorillas. A correspondent of the Ledger, writing on the 16th ultimo, gives a description of one of these animals or persons, as the case may be :- ‘It was in the image of a man, but it could not have been human. The creature, whatever it was, stood full five feet high, and disproportionately broad and square, with arms of great length. The legs were very short and the body long. The head was small, and appeared to be set on the shoulders without any neck. The whole body was covered with dark brown and cinnamon coloured hair, that on the head standing in a shock and growing close down the eyes like a Digger Indian’s. As I looked he threw his head back and whistled again, and stooped and grasped a stick from the fire, this he swung round until the fire on the end had gone out, when he repeated the manouvre. Fifteen minutes I watched him as he whistled and scattered my fire about. I could easily have put a bullet through his head, but why should I kill him ? Having amused himself, apparently all he desired with my fire, he started to go, but naving gone a short distance he returned, and was joined by another–a female unmistakably when they both turned and walked past me, within twenty yards of where I sat, and disappeared in the bush.’
Story supplied by Trove.