In Black and White

In 1833, cockney sailor James Porter pulled off an audacious escape – stealing a leaky boat with nine other convicts and sailing all the way to South America and a life of freedom.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After a hefty reward was offered to solve Melbourne’s Gun Alley murder, a parade of shonky witnesses with outlandish claims sent an innocent man to his death.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Sister Vivian Bullwinkel was shot with a machinegun in one of the worst massacres of World War II, a split-second decision to feign death saved her life.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our grand, tree-lined boulevards are a spectacular showpiece, but our city would be a very different place if they served the suburbs beyond the city fringe. What went wrong?   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When wireless pioneer Violet McKenzie realised Australia was short of Morse code operators as WWII approached, she opened a free school and trained thousands of young women. Become a Herald Sun subscriber. Go to www.heraldsun.com.au/ibaw and click on any article to begin   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After fleeing Nazi Germany as a child, Albert Ullin set up Australia's first bookshop specifically for children - and inspired a generation of authors and illustrators. Become a Herald Sun subscriber. Go to heraldsun.com.au/ibaw and click on any article to begin   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From bogus doctor to counterfeit clergyman to US consul-general, Australian con artist Anthony Duerdin adopted at least 26 fake identities. But it was more about chasing thrills than the cash.    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Armed with a trained monkey, a barrel of marbles and a swag of tricks, gang leader “Paddy the Pig” swindled the crowds at Melbourne racecourses with his crafty cons and sleight of hand. Subscribe to the Herald Sun. Go to heraldsun.com.au/ibaw and click on any article to begin   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From street beggar to child prisoner to Australia’s best-known celebrity showman, “Flash Jack” Donovan packed a lot into his remarkable 57-year life, including making a fortune off Ned Kelly’s hanging. Read more here.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ex-convict Smith Brown used a heart-shaped wooden matchbox and one simple trick to fool 1800s Melburnians into handing over their savings, making him one of old Melbourne’s craftiest conmen.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Child of a famous politician turned inveterate fraudster, Charles Jones decided to create his own religion to save on business expenses. Like the show? Become a Herald Sun subscriber. go to heraldsun.com.au/ibaw and click on any article to begin   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Eliza Batman was the wife of controversial Melbourne pioneer John Batman, but in many ways, her eventful and ultimately tragic life was even more interesting than her husband's. Jen is joined by Melbourne journalist and history buff, Jamie Duncan to discuss. Become a Herald Sun subscriber. Go to www.heraldsun.com.au/ibaw and click on any article to begin.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

Journalist and history buff Jamie Duncan joins the show to talk about how a pandemic hit our shores over 100 years ago, and how Australia overcame it. Become a Herald Sun subscriber: go to https://www.heraldsun.com.au/ibaw and click on any article to begin.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How escaped convict who lived with Aboriginal tribe became “double agent”.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why escaped convict William Buckley was welcomed as family into Aboriginal clan and stayed 32 years. Subscribe to the Herald Sun. Go to www.heraldsun.com.au/IBAW and click on any article to begin   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How Tasmanian Aboriginal woman Truganini became an outlaw on the run in Victoria after her companion shot and killed two men   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1944 a man was jailed for the horrific murder of the “Pyjama Girl”. But startling evidence suggests police got it wildly wrong, and now the woman’s identity – and her killer – may never be known. Read more here.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Arthur Stace was a down-and-outer who was lucky to survive a horrendous, brutal childhood. But one remarkable event set him on a quest to spend the rest of his life writing one word.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was always believed bushranger Ned Kelly’s brother, Dan, died in the notorious 1880 police shoot-out at Glenrowan. So who was the mystery man who turned up in Brisbane 53 years later claiming he was Dan Kelly?   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was a grim sign that conjured up images of a sinister mob wielding sledgehammers and wrecking balls. But there was a surprise twist to Whelan the Wrecker’s methods that helped create Melbourne’s beauty as it is today.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Even before journalist Colin Bednall helped introduce TV to Australia and discovered “The King” Graham Kennedy, it was apparent he was a kid destined for great things.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

His party boy lifestyle and taste for gambling, grog and brothels didn’t stop Charles Standish becoming one of the most powerful men in Victoria as chief of police and head of the Freemasons.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From its beginnings in the gold rush, Calisthenics grew to be a uniquely Australian pastime. Joining Jen this week is the State Library of Victoria's Carolyn Fraser to talk about the sport's earliest trailblazer, Vera Hopton. Subscribe to the Herald Sun. Go to www.heraldsun.com.au/ibaw and click on any article to begin.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With its talking birds, live monkeys, hall of mirrors and live bands, the famous Cole’s Book Arcade in Bourke St was more than a bookshop – it was an event. And EW Cole was the eccentric man behind it.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Long Harry Slater was a gang leader, standover man, cop-shooter, house bomber, suspected murderer and gang war adversary to Squizzy Taylor, making him Australia’s most feared criminal until the early 1920s. Subscribe to the Herald Sun.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.