The Hunt for Hanco(s)
Hanco, an Australian Houdini, travelled the Australian and New Zealand show circuit, thrilling crowds with his skill and daring deeds.
Hanco, an Australian Houdini, travelled the Australian and New Zealand show circuit, thrilling crowds with his skill and daring deeds.
The rare photograph above, taken by Newcastle girl Doris Schuck in about 1919, shows Shelley Beach, on the Hunter River at Mayfield. Shelley Beach and its adjoining park were treasured by Newcastle people until overwhelming pressure from the BHP steelworks led to the public reserve being handed over to the corporate giant for reclamation and industrial expansion. These days the former park and beach are buried under tonnes of industrial fill in the approaches to the Tourle Street bridge, leading to what is now Kooragang Island.Shelley Beach fronted “Platt’s Channel”, once a broad arm of the…
Seems just about everybody fantasizes at some time or another about being in a band. The limelight. The sense of belonging. Adoring audiences. Sex, drugs, glamour, fame. Or maybe some people just like playing music. I don't know really. I mean, I'd have liked to be in a band too, except I can't sing or play any musical instruments. Not that that stops some people. Anyway, I was thinking about this recently when I was given a couple of big boxes of band photos that used to be in a newspaper library, along with thousands of…