“GIRLS ON PYLON SEX MACHINE”– it’s gotta be the weirdest newspaper headline of the 1930s. So what’s the strange story behind it? Join me for a plunge into the "Pashometer" craze that had Australians going bonkers to have a go on the machine that scientifically measured their all-important Sex Appeal! Change.org petition to fully fund Trove - https://www.change.org/p/fully-fund-trove Contact Tony Burke - https://www.tonyburke.com.au/contact Support Forgotten Australia: Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustralia Contact email forgotten ..read more

It’s July 1950 and Sydney detectives have Arthur Graham - aka Fred Stevens, aka Thomas Croft, aka Lionel Thomas – cornered in Perth. But can the man they suspect of multiple murders escape justice again? Support Forgotten Australia: Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustralia Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information ..read more

It’s winter 1950 and Sydney detectives are criss-crossing Australia as they try to piece together the whereabouts of Blacktown widow, Phyllis Mary Page, last seen in the company of Fred Stevens – aka Thomas Croft – aka Lionel Thomas. Support Forgotten Australia: Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustralia Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information ..read more

It’s 1945 and Lionel Thomas - aka Thomas Croft – looks set to pay for one of the most heinous murders in Melbourne’s recent history: the cold-blooded shooting of a railway stationmaster. Support Forgotten Australia: Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustralia Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information ..read more

Lionel Charles Thomas went by a lot of aliases. But by any name, he was one nasty character. In this instalment, we chronicle his early criminal career and piece together the evidence that made Sydney and Melbourne suspect him in a handful of murders. Support Forgotten Australia: Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustralia Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information ..read more

With the true horror of the pay car outrage revealed – but buried ever-deeper in the war-time newspapers – Sydney police follow promising leads, conduct sweeping interviews and utilise the skills of the scientific squad in the hope of cracking the case. Eventually they’ll come up with a prime suspect – but where is he? Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustralia Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information ..read more

Just hours after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, cold-blooded bandits staged a ruthless ambush on a railway pay car crew south of Sydney. In the aftermath of this ambush, homicide detectives faced an unprecedented task. How could they get the public’s attention – get the information they needed to catch these killers – when all anyone could talk about was the new and unprecedented threat to Australia? Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustralia To help save Trove, please sign and share these petitions: Government petition (sign by ..read more

With Australia's biggest manhunt at an end, Kevin John Simmonds faced the darkest fate imaginable. New episodes are on the way! To support the podcast: Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustralia Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information ..read more

In November 1959, after eluding authorities for nearly one month, wanted killer and gaol escapee Kevin John Simmonds disappeared into harsh bush on the NSW Central Coast, with 500 heavily armed police scouring the terrain for any signs of him in what was the largest manhunt in Australian history. But the fugitive had plenty of tricks up his sleeve, leading to an outpouring of public sympathy, political showdowns and even an assassination threat against the state premier. To support Forgotten Australia, and get early ad-free access and exclusive bonus episodes: Apple - http://apple.co/fo ..read more

Determined not to serve 15 years for his incredible crime spree, Kevin John Simmonds broke out of Long Bay Jail in October 1959. What followed was a tragic and senseless killing, the biggest manhunt in the nation's history and the first media circus of Australia's television era. Parts 3 & 4 will be released next week but are available now to Apple subscribers and Patreon supporters. Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustralia Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information ..read more