Newcastle Family History Society Podcasts

In this episode of Felonious Females, Mel Woodford tells the story of Mary Stewart, her husband John, and their young daughter Rachael who in 1834, stood together before a Yorkshire court, convicted of theft and sentenced to transportation to New South Wales. Separated by the convict system and sent on different ships, their story became one of hardship, resilience, and unanswered questions.

In this episode of Westy Women, Benita Parker from the West Wallsend District Heritage Group takes on the persona of Violet Harriet Taylor, better known as Vi. Born in West Wallsend in 1906, Vi's life changed forever when she fell in love with returned WW1 soldier Joe Taylor. Together, they forged an extraordinary life on Mount Sugarloaf, turning rugged bushland into a home, cattle property, and popular tourist destination.

Dr Jude Conway brings to life the stories of two extraordinary Newcastle women, Alice Feguson and Hazel Evans, whose talents, generosity, and community spirit left a lasting mark on the city they loved.

Benita Parker of the West Wallsend District Heritage Group continues Ida Viola Bohle’s story in this compelling first-person series celebrating the women who helped shape West Wallsend. In Part 2, Ida reflects on a lifetime of family, community, music, resilience, and change in a town she called home for more than seventy years.

Join Benita Parker from the West Wallsend District Heritage Group as she presents another story of West Wallsend’s pioneering women through vivid first-person narration. In Part 1 of this podcast, we meet Ida Viola Bohle, who arrived in West Wallsend in 1926 as a young teacher and whose connection with the town would endure for more than seven decades.

Society member Sandra Boyd, takes us back to the early 1850s—to a landscape of swamp, scrub, and isolation along the banks of the Hunter River, where her family, the Bakers and others helped shape what would become the suburb of Mayfield.

Benita Parker of the West Wallsend District Heritage Group continues the story of Mary Johnston in this series exploring the lives of West Wallsend’s pioneering women. Set against a time of expanding families, new opportunities, and sweeping change, this episode follows the journey of a miner’s wife who becomes the matriarch of a bustling household as a small settlement grows into a thriving town.

Join Benita Parker from the West Wallsend District Heritage Group as she brings to life the stories of West Wallsend’s pioneering women through vivid first-person storytelling. In this episode, Benita recounts the opening chapter of the extraordinary life of Mary Johnston.