1 00:00:04,360 --> 00:00:07,200 Speaker 1: I mean, what fashionable woman about to come into a 2 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:12,080 Speaker 1: small fortune would first to cut her hair very short 3 00:00:12,119 --> 00:00:15,440 Speaker 1: and wouldn't be fashionable in Tasmania at the time, I'm 4 00:00:15,480 --> 00:00:19,239 Speaker 1: quite sure or carry boomerang. 5 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:22,040 Speaker 2: I'm Jen Kelly from The Herald Son and this is 6 00:00:22,079 --> 00:00:25,000 Speaker 2: in Black and White, a podcast about some of Australia's 7 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:28,800 Speaker 2: forgotten characters. Today we're heading back to the eighteen hundreds 8 00:00:28,840 --> 00:00:32,440 Speaker 2: to the story of a girl called Leticia Leek, who 9 00:00:32,440 --> 00:00:36,320 Speaker 2: has a seven year old child. Inherited the vast Glencoe 10 00:00:36,440 --> 00:00:40,760 Speaker 2: Station in South Australia. She grew up running wild with 11 00:00:40,840 --> 00:00:44,880 Speaker 2: the local Aboriginal children, but then as an adult, became 12 00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:49,760 Speaker 2: caught up in a saga of alleged murder, infidelity, corruption 13 00:00:50,080 --> 00:00:56,360 Speaker 2: and contested wills. Eventually, Letitia inherited an enormous family fortune, 14 00:00:56,720 --> 00:00:59,400 Speaker 2: and during World War One she and her husband turned 15 00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:03,120 Speaker 2: their grand and English a state into a hospital that 16 00:01:03,240 --> 00:01:08,959 Speaker 2: treated thousands upon thousands of Australian soldiers. Letitia's story has 17 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:13,319 Speaker 2: been told in a book called The Accidental Heiress Journey 18 00:01:13,400 --> 00:01:17,119 Speaker 2: of a Glencoe Squatter's Daughter. It's by John Berger and 19 00:01:17,200 --> 00:01:20,880 Speaker 2: Professor Carol Gerbich, who are volunteers with the National Trust 20 00:01:20,880 --> 00:01:24,240 Speaker 2: of South Australia. Carol joins us now to share part 21 00:01:24,400 --> 00:01:27,600 Speaker 2: one of the incredible story. Make sure you return on 22 00:01:27,680 --> 00:01:35,440 Speaker 2: Thursday for part two. Welcome to the podcast, Carol. 23 00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:38,679 Speaker 1: Thank you. It's lovely to be here now. 24 00:01:38,840 --> 00:01:42,360 Speaker 2: The story that you've uncovered really does have a little 25 00:01:42,400 --> 00:01:48,120 Speaker 2: bit of everything. It's got last alleged murder, infidelity, corruption, 26 00:01:48,520 --> 00:01:52,800 Speaker 2: a family fortune, a vicious court case. I mean, you 27 00:01:52,880 --> 00:01:55,480 Speaker 2: must have thought that you'd struck gold when you began 28 00:01:55,600 --> 00:01:56,880 Speaker 2: researching this story. 29 00:01:58,440 --> 00:02:01,960 Speaker 1: Absolutely did. I had no idea what was going to 30 00:02:01,960 --> 00:02:05,040 Speaker 1: come out, because I started just writing a little leaflet 31 00:02:05,120 --> 00:02:10,519 Speaker 1: for the National Trust property, which was just the Glencoe Woolshead, 32 00:02:10,560 --> 00:02:14,160 Speaker 1: which a beautiful woolshead with a couple of paddocks over 33 00:02:14,240 --> 00:02:17,000 Speaker 1: from where we just bought a property where we wanted 34 00:02:17,240 --> 00:02:20,880 Speaker 1: to build this large garden. And I thought, oh, you know, 35 00:02:20,919 --> 00:02:24,959 Speaker 1: a couple of page pamphlet and then I'll just pull 36 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:28,080 Speaker 1: away from this. And this little girl just sort of 37 00:02:28,120 --> 00:02:31,840 Speaker 1: popped into the story and disappeared, and then she came 38 00:02:31,880 --> 00:02:35,560 Speaker 1: back as an adult and then disappeared again, and I thought, 39 00:02:35,919 --> 00:02:39,520 Speaker 1: good heavens. When I finally finished, I had a book 40 00:02:39,560 --> 00:02:42,480 Speaker 1: of about one hundred and forty pages rather than a 41 00:02:42,480 --> 00:02:46,880 Speaker 1: two page leaflet, and it seemed to have become her story, 42 00:02:47,200 --> 00:02:48,400 Speaker 1: so she took over. 43 00:02:50,440 --> 00:02:54,079 Speaker 2: Now, tell us where does Letitia's story begin? In your mind? 44 00:02:55,880 --> 00:03:01,400 Speaker 1: I think his story probably begins, have to say with 45 00:03:01,560 --> 00:03:05,880 Speaker 1: her birth, because that in itself was quite complicated enough, 46 00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:09,560 Speaker 1: and then things just seemed to go from there. 47 00:03:10,040 --> 00:03:12,400 Speaker 2: Yes, well, where and when was she born? 48 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:17,520 Speaker 1: Well, she was actually born in Nelson, just over the 49 00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:23,080 Speaker 1: Victorian border from South Australia in eighteen fifty nine, and 50 00:03:23,160 --> 00:03:27,760 Speaker 1: she was born to two very eccentric parents. Her father 51 00:03:27,880 --> 00:03:31,160 Speaker 1: was Edward Leek and he was abround about forty five 52 00:03:31,240 --> 00:03:33,320 Speaker 1: when she was born, and he was one of two 53 00:03:33,400 --> 00:03:37,960 Speaker 1: brothers that had come from Tasmania, South Australia in order 54 00:03:38,040 --> 00:03:41,800 Speaker 1: to basically set up a property, a sheep property, and 55 00:03:41,840 --> 00:03:44,480 Speaker 1: they set up, over a number of years a huge 56 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:48,080 Speaker 1: property which was about three hundred and fifty square miles 57 00:03:48,560 --> 00:03:52,560 Speaker 1: or two hundred thousand acres of for sheep and cattle 58 00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:56,160 Speaker 1: and horses and so on. And around about the time 59 00:03:56,240 --> 00:03:59,960 Speaker 1: of the teacher's birth, the two brothers were not speaking. 60 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:04,880 Speaker 1: King and Edward Leek, who was Letitia's father, it was 61 00:04:05,120 --> 00:04:08,040 Speaker 1: the reason they weren't speaking was because he just got married, 62 00:04:08,640 --> 00:04:11,560 Speaker 1: and he just got married to someone who the family 63 00:04:11,640 --> 00:04:15,840 Speaker 1: disapproved of totally, because not only was she Irish and 64 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:19,960 Speaker 1: Roman Catholic, but she had also married to somebody else 65 00:04:20,200 --> 00:04:24,480 Speaker 1: and pregnant to that other person, and somehow her husband 66 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:29,799 Speaker 1: had just vanished and everyone suspected Edward Leek was probably 67 00:04:29,839 --> 00:04:32,560 Speaker 1: the problem. So that was going to be a bit 68 00:04:32,600 --> 00:04:35,960 Speaker 1: of an issue. So the brothers at this point were 69 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:38,960 Speaker 1: not speaking, and one of them was living down at Nelson, 70 00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:42,480 Speaker 1: the other was on the estate, and Edward was being 71 00:04:42,520 --> 00:04:45,159 Speaker 1: paid about one thousand pounds a year basically to keep 72 00:04:45,200 --> 00:04:48,960 Speaker 1: away off the property because his brother had just become 73 00:04:48,960 --> 00:04:51,680 Speaker 1: a member of parliament. So that was a sort of 74 00:04:51,760 --> 00:04:57,600 Speaker 1: tricky situation. But the mother, this Irish Catholic girl called Amanda, 75 00:04:57,760 --> 00:05:02,159 Speaker 1: was only eighteen and she was rather happy to marry 76 00:05:02,160 --> 00:05:05,200 Speaker 1: a very wealthy man. But then I think she discovered 77 00:05:05,240 --> 00:05:08,320 Speaker 1: he was not all that nice a person and was 78 00:05:08,520 --> 00:05:12,440 Speaker 1: very overweight, and she really preferred younger man, so she 79 00:05:12,600 --> 00:05:16,000 Speaker 1: started having quite a lot of affairs. So it became 80 00:05:16,160 --> 00:05:19,839 Speaker 1: very interesting to know whether or not this child was 81 00:05:19,880 --> 00:05:23,920 Speaker 1: the child of Edward Lee, the man with all the money, 82 00:05:24,400 --> 00:05:26,920 Speaker 1: or whether or not he was perhaps the child of 83 00:05:27,760 --> 00:05:30,720 Speaker 1: some of the other lovers that she'd been having. So 84 00:05:31,200 --> 00:05:33,520 Speaker 1: it was a complicated verse. Shall we say. 85 00:05:33,760 --> 00:05:36,320 Speaker 2: The scandals come very thick and fast in his story, 86 00:05:36,360 --> 00:05:38,480 Speaker 2: don't they. It takes takes on the feel of a 87 00:05:38,560 --> 00:05:39,920 Speaker 2: soap opera very early on. 88 00:05:41,080 --> 00:05:46,800 Speaker 1: It does. Well. Things were a little calm for about 89 00:05:46,839 --> 00:05:50,400 Speaker 1: a year, shall we say? And then the brother died, 90 00:05:50,440 --> 00:05:52,880 Speaker 1: the one who was still living on property, and left 91 00:05:53,080 --> 00:05:56,600 Speaker 1: the whole of the Glencoe estate to Edward. So Edward 92 00:05:56,680 --> 00:05:59,440 Speaker 1: it now moves back on to the Glencoe Estate property 93 00:05:59,680 --> 00:06:03,960 Speaker 1: with his wife and his daughter Letitia, where he creates 94 00:06:03,960 --> 00:06:07,239 Speaker 1: this beautiful wall shed which is architect designed, and still 95 00:06:07,640 --> 00:06:14,280 Speaker 1: lives there under the National Trust. And then he dies 96 00:06:14,720 --> 00:06:17,880 Speaker 1: as well. Now she's during that time, from about one 97 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:22,040 Speaker 1: till about seven until her father dies, Letitia is pretty 98 00:06:22,080 --> 00:06:26,480 Speaker 1: much living wild on the estate. The estate employs one 99 00:06:26,560 --> 00:06:31,120 Speaker 1: hundred and twenty Bo Indick Aboriginal families, actually employs them 100 00:06:31,160 --> 00:06:35,240 Speaker 1: and pays them. They're not slaves, And she spends most 101 00:06:35,240 --> 00:06:38,000 Speaker 1: of her time just playing with the bo Anddick children. 102 00:06:38,480 --> 00:06:41,479 Speaker 1: I understand she learned how to speak the language she 103 00:06:41,600 --> 00:06:44,599 Speaker 1: came and went with them. She learned how to fish 104 00:06:44,640 --> 00:06:48,120 Speaker 1: and catch things in the lakes, and I think she 105 00:06:48,200 --> 00:06:50,880 Speaker 1: had a really lovely childhood, the sort of childhood you 106 00:06:50,960 --> 00:06:55,400 Speaker 1: dream about. And then suddenly her father dies of a 107 00:06:55,440 --> 00:07:01,240 Speaker 1: heart condition and the family from Tasmania immediately hot footed 108 00:07:01,279 --> 00:07:03,599 Speaker 1: onto the next fairy and come up because this is 109 00:07:03,600 --> 00:07:07,080 Speaker 1: a very large estate portfolio. 110 00:07:07,160 --> 00:07:09,880 Speaker 2: But do we know any more about these early years 111 00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:13,200 Speaker 2: of Letitia's life, And do we know any more about 112 00:07:13,200 --> 00:07:16,080 Speaker 2: her relationship with her father and how close she was 113 00:07:16,160 --> 00:07:19,559 Speaker 2: with him and whether she was devastated by his death 114 00:07:19,560 --> 00:07:23,679 Speaker 2: for example, No, we don't. 115 00:07:24,080 --> 00:07:28,160 Speaker 1: It's tiny little snippets of information that keep popping in 116 00:07:28,200 --> 00:07:30,520 Speaker 1: her relationship with her father, I think would have been 117 00:07:30,560 --> 00:07:33,480 Speaker 1: a good one, because a number of people reported to 118 00:07:33,560 --> 00:07:36,280 Speaker 1: him they didn't think it was his daughter, and his 119 00:07:36,320 --> 00:07:40,080 Speaker 1: response always was was his hair. I like her, I'm 120 00:07:40,120 --> 00:07:42,640 Speaker 1: going to look after her, and that was his line 121 00:07:42,760 --> 00:07:46,840 Speaker 1: on that argument. Now, there was a second child born 122 00:07:47,080 --> 00:07:51,080 Speaker 1: two years after Letitia, and it was very clear that 123 00:07:51,160 --> 00:07:55,360 Speaker 1: it was not Edward's a son. It was a little boy, 124 00:07:56,160 --> 00:08:02,120 Speaker 1: and unfortunately he he was looked after, but he was 125 00:08:02,120 --> 00:08:04,880 Speaker 1: not accepted as being part of the family because it 126 00:08:04,920 --> 00:08:07,520 Speaker 1: was very well known that Amanda was having a fairly 127 00:08:07,520 --> 00:08:10,520 Speaker 1: long term affair with the manager of the estate at 128 00:08:10,560 --> 00:08:14,320 Speaker 1: that time. So she did have a brother, but I 129 00:08:14,360 --> 00:08:18,080 Speaker 1: mean he got wished away very quickly when she turned seven, 130 00:08:18,480 --> 00:08:22,080 Speaker 1: So their relationship seems to have been a little bit distant, 131 00:08:22,480 --> 00:08:24,720 Speaker 1: and her relationship does seem to have been much more 132 00:08:24,760 --> 00:08:29,360 Speaker 1: with children closer to her own age. Her mother insisted 133 00:08:29,400 --> 00:08:32,959 Speaker 1: on sleeping in the children's room, so that at least 134 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:35,680 Speaker 1: she shared a room with her mother. But the reason 135 00:08:35,720 --> 00:08:38,720 Speaker 1: her mother did that was because just to avoid to 136 00:08:38,720 --> 00:08:42,280 Speaker 1: prevent rather Edward from coming in and having sex with her. 137 00:08:42,480 --> 00:08:43,680 Speaker 2: Oh my goodness joy. 138 00:08:44,080 --> 00:08:48,480 Speaker 1: Yeah, Aly, we didn't know about that. But the relationship 139 00:08:48,520 --> 00:08:52,040 Speaker 1: with the parents I would say overall was distant because 140 00:08:52,200 --> 00:08:54,440 Speaker 1: as she grew up she never seemed to refer to 141 00:08:54,480 --> 00:08:56,760 Speaker 1: them or to miss them. 142 00:08:57,160 --> 00:09:00,520 Speaker 2: And I wonder how unusual it was during this period 143 00:09:00,679 --> 00:09:04,640 Speaker 2: in Australian history for kids like Letitia to have these 144 00:09:04,880 --> 00:09:08,080 Speaker 2: really close relationships with Aboriginal kids in this way. 145 00:09:09,440 --> 00:09:13,640 Speaker 1: Almost never, I would say, I think the family, the 146 00:09:13,720 --> 00:09:18,600 Speaker 1: Leak family themselves were a very interesting family because the grandfather, 147 00:09:18,720 --> 00:09:21,680 Speaker 1: the people who were done in Tasmania were very much 148 00:09:21,800 --> 00:09:26,959 Speaker 1: anti slavery, anti convicts, and very concerned about the Aboriginal situation. 149 00:09:27,720 --> 00:09:30,440 Speaker 1: So I think the relationships that started out in South 150 00:09:30,440 --> 00:09:35,400 Speaker 1: Australia would have been a much more respectful, appreciative relationship. 151 00:09:35,440 --> 00:09:38,200 Speaker 1: I remember once when all the men went to the 152 00:09:38,240 --> 00:09:43,439 Speaker 1: gold Rush and they were looking for sharers to come 153 00:09:43,480 --> 00:09:46,720 Speaker 1: and share their they actually looked toward the Aboriginal women 154 00:09:46,800 --> 00:09:50,160 Speaker 1: and decided they were the best at sharing. And then 155 00:09:50,200 --> 00:09:53,280 Speaker 1: the Aboriginal men were next, and then the German woman 156 00:09:53,320 --> 00:09:57,000 Speaker 1: from the Bossa came next in the line. So they 157 00:09:57,000 --> 00:10:00,240 Speaker 1: were actually very open to what was going to work 158 00:10:00,280 --> 00:10:02,880 Speaker 1: and what was respectful to the people who are involved. 159 00:10:02,920 --> 00:10:05,679 Speaker 2: So why were the Aboriginal women the best at sharing? 160 00:10:05,720 --> 00:10:06,520 Speaker 2: That's fascinating. 161 00:10:07,040 --> 00:10:09,800 Speaker 1: Yes, it fascinated me when I read it, because it 162 00:10:09,840 --> 00:10:11,600 Speaker 1: was in a letter that he wrote to his father 163 00:10:11,640 --> 00:10:15,600 Speaker 1: in Tasmania saying, I am considering taking on the Aboriginal 164 00:10:15,640 --> 00:10:19,760 Speaker 1: women as sharers because they are very gentle and very careful, 165 00:10:20,000 --> 00:10:23,360 Speaker 1: and especially good with the rams, which of course you 166 00:10:23,360 --> 00:10:25,640 Speaker 1: don't want to cut off an important part of the. 167 00:10:25,640 --> 00:10:32,719 Speaker 2: Ramb Amazing Okay, So what has happened now after the 168 00:10:32,800 --> 00:10:33,720 Speaker 2: father has died. 169 00:10:35,280 --> 00:10:37,760 Speaker 1: Yes, well we've got, as I said, one of the uncles, 170 00:10:37,800 --> 00:10:40,480 Speaker 1: the six males in the family, one of them came 171 00:10:40,520 --> 00:10:45,120 Speaker 1: hot footing it up from Taz and he immediately passled 172 00:10:45,240 --> 00:10:49,280 Speaker 1: Letitia off to boarding school in Melbourne. I should her 173 00:10:49,320 --> 00:10:53,040 Speaker 1: mother and the other little boy off the estate with 174 00:10:53,120 --> 00:10:55,559 Speaker 1: a very large genuity, and said goodbye. I don't want 175 00:10:55,559 --> 00:11:00,160 Speaker 1: to see you again, and didn't. And so she became, 176 00:11:00,520 --> 00:11:03,720 Speaker 1: in the sense of a property of the Tasmanian family, 177 00:11:03,760 --> 00:11:06,920 Speaker 1: but particularly of this uncle, who had no children of 178 00:11:06,960 --> 00:11:09,440 Speaker 1: his own, and who eventually adopted her. 179 00:11:10,320 --> 00:11:14,000 Speaker 2: I'm just imagining Letitia in Melbourne at boarding. So she 180 00:11:14,080 --> 00:11:17,360 Speaker 2: was at boarding school in Melbourne, and this was presumably 181 00:11:17,440 --> 00:11:20,120 Speaker 2: her first schooling experience whatsoever. 182 00:11:21,240 --> 00:11:25,439 Speaker 1: Well, she'd actually had a governess just prior who actually 183 00:11:25,520 --> 00:11:29,240 Speaker 1: became one of Mary mckillops nuns. So she was a 184 00:11:29,280 --> 00:11:34,120 Speaker 1: proper good Roman Catholic person, suitable for the mother. And 185 00:11:35,840 --> 00:11:38,240 Speaker 1: apart from that, and I think that had been very recent. 186 00:11:38,360 --> 00:11:42,400 Speaker 1: You're quite right, it would have been a very isolated experience. 187 00:11:43,280 --> 00:11:45,960 Speaker 1: But apparently I picked up a letter that she wrote 188 00:11:46,000 --> 00:11:48,880 Speaker 1: to her uncle. You know, I'm learning French, I'm learning 189 00:11:48,880 --> 00:11:52,439 Speaker 1: how to dance, and I am quite enjoying school. It 190 00:11:52,440 --> 00:11:55,600 Speaker 1: would be lovely if somebody came and visited me. So 191 00:11:55,640 --> 00:11:58,520 Speaker 1: you can see she was actually probably feeling quite lonely too. 192 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:01,840 Speaker 2: I'll be back in just a moment to find out 193 00:12:01,840 --> 00:12:10,520 Speaker 2: what happened next and what happened from there. 194 00:12:11,960 --> 00:12:14,760 Speaker 1: Well. From then, as she became a bit older, she 195 00:12:14,840 --> 00:12:18,280 Speaker 1: had a governess, and the governess became a lady companion, 196 00:12:18,600 --> 00:12:21,880 Speaker 1: and that lady companion eventually became the wife of her 197 00:12:22,040 --> 00:12:25,000 Speaker 1: uncle as well. But the three of them did a 198 00:12:25,040 --> 00:12:28,800 Speaker 1: lot of traveling, and what they were doing were basically 199 00:12:28,800 --> 00:12:31,400 Speaker 1: filling in time until tis she should be twenty one, 200 00:12:32,040 --> 00:12:36,320 Speaker 1: in which time the estates then would become available and 201 00:12:36,400 --> 00:12:38,760 Speaker 1: she could cash in on her inheritance. 202 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:42,280 Speaker 2: Ah. 203 00:12:42,320 --> 00:12:45,640 Speaker 1: And so what I found when she was twenty one 204 00:12:45,760 --> 00:12:50,439 Speaker 1: then had little snippets of information. We were always looking 205 00:12:50,480 --> 00:12:54,640 Speaker 1: for the sort of data which is like letters home 206 00:12:54,840 --> 00:12:58,240 Speaker 1: or things you can actually hear the voice of the people. 207 00:12:59,320 --> 00:13:02,439 Speaker 1: But we have the photo which I have of her, 208 00:13:02,880 --> 00:13:06,640 Speaker 1: and here she is twenty one. It's taken at Lanceston 209 00:13:06,800 --> 00:13:10,720 Speaker 1: in the studio, and it's the most extraordinary photo. They've 210 00:13:10,720 --> 00:13:14,240 Speaker 1: just come back from England and Europe. And she has 211 00:13:14,400 --> 00:13:18,600 Speaker 1: extremely short hair cut like a boy's, like a young boy's, 212 00:13:18,960 --> 00:13:21,840 Speaker 1: you know, nothing over the ears, nothing over the neck, 213 00:13:22,360 --> 00:13:25,600 Speaker 1: and quite high on the forehead. And I hunted and 214 00:13:25,679 --> 00:13:28,199 Speaker 1: hunted to see if I could find out why would 215 00:13:28,240 --> 00:13:31,320 Speaker 1: she have done this? You know, was it illness? Was 216 00:13:31,400 --> 00:13:34,240 Speaker 1: something wrong? Did she have ringworm or something like that? 217 00:13:34,720 --> 00:13:38,359 Speaker 1: And there's no evidence of that, but there was evidence 218 00:13:38,440 --> 00:13:41,560 Speaker 1: that in Europe at the time, when they'd just been traveling, 219 00:13:42,160 --> 00:13:46,800 Speaker 1: that women who were particularly strong in terms of free 220 00:13:46,880 --> 00:13:52,440 Speaker 1: thinking or suffragettes had actually cut their hair short. It 221 00:13:52,480 --> 00:13:55,280 Speaker 1: was actually a sort of signal to the population, you know, 222 00:13:55,360 --> 00:13:58,200 Speaker 1: this is me and this is who I am. And 223 00:13:58,240 --> 00:14:01,160 Speaker 1: the other thing she was doing was lost her chest 224 00:14:01,280 --> 00:14:04,920 Speaker 1: and up to one shoulder was a very large ceremonial 225 00:14:05,200 --> 00:14:08,640 Speaker 1: aboriginal I mean boomerang. Fashionable woman about to come into 226 00:14:08,720 --> 00:14:13,040 Speaker 1: a small fortune, would you know, firstly cut her hair 227 00:14:13,160 --> 00:14:16,600 Speaker 1: very short and wouldn't be fashionable in Tasmania at the time. 228 00:14:16,880 --> 00:14:21,280 Speaker 1: I'm quite sure or her carry a boomerang and what 229 00:14:21,400 --> 00:14:25,680 Speaker 1: she's signaling. Most of the originies have gone from Tasmania 230 00:14:25,800 --> 00:14:29,000 Speaker 1: even before she was born. But she's had a lot 231 00:14:29,040 --> 00:14:32,600 Speaker 1: to do with the bow and deck people in South Australia, 232 00:14:33,080 --> 00:14:36,400 Speaker 1: so we can only assume that that's what was going on, 233 00:14:36,480 --> 00:14:40,080 Speaker 1: that she was actually making a fairly strong political statement. 234 00:14:40,800 --> 00:14:43,120 Speaker 2: Interesting and that's the photo that you've got on the 235 00:14:43,120 --> 00:14:43,880 Speaker 2: cover of your book. 236 00:14:43,880 --> 00:14:47,040 Speaker 1: Of course, yes, I was so fascinated. But I mean 237 00:14:47,040 --> 00:14:50,400 Speaker 1: her closes are terribly fashionable, and lots of lovely satin 238 00:14:50,560 --> 00:14:53,240 Speaker 1: and buttons and things like that and up to the 239 00:14:53,240 --> 00:14:56,720 Speaker 1: neck and so forth. But her hair and a boomerang, 240 00:14:56,840 --> 00:15:00,480 Speaker 1: I can imagine people would just go, who is this warman? 241 00:15:01,560 --> 00:15:05,320 Speaker 1: That's strange. Well, anyway, they did decide to sell the 242 00:15:05,320 --> 00:15:10,320 Speaker 1: Glencoe estate to the Redock brothers, and the amount, of 243 00:15:10,360 --> 00:15:13,920 Speaker 1: course was around about twenty five million dollars in our term, 244 00:15:14,080 --> 00:15:18,080 Speaker 1: so she was quite a substantial heiress. And the next 245 00:15:18,120 --> 00:15:21,920 Speaker 1: ten years they probably spent their time mostly traveling in Europe, 246 00:15:22,320 --> 00:15:27,040 Speaker 1: and also she spent time fighting off hopeful males who 247 00:15:27,040 --> 00:15:28,800 Speaker 1: wanted to marry her, and she said, no, that I'm 248 00:15:28,800 --> 00:15:31,680 Speaker 1: not going to marry them. They're just after my money, 249 00:15:31,840 --> 00:15:34,760 Speaker 1: and that's the end of that. But then, when she 250 00:15:34,960 --> 00:15:38,960 Speaker 1: was thirty and they've lived like this pretty comfortably, her 251 00:15:39,080 --> 00:15:43,960 Speaker 1: uncle dies and leaves most of his Tasmanian fortune to her, 252 00:15:44,720 --> 00:15:47,800 Speaker 1: to the tune of about fifteen million dollars. So now 253 00:15:47,800 --> 00:15:52,000 Speaker 1: she's a forty million dollar aires. And this was written 254 00:15:52,080 --> 00:15:55,200 Speaker 1: up in pretty much all the newspapers along the eastern 255 00:15:55,280 --> 00:15:59,080 Speaker 1: coast of Australia, and it was taken up by a 256 00:15:59,160 --> 00:16:02,760 Speaker 1: young man who was also thirty, a young lawyer by 257 00:16:02,800 --> 00:16:06,880 Speaker 1: the name of Charles Billiard, and his father was the 258 00:16:07,000 --> 00:16:10,280 Speaker 1: Solicitor General of New South Wales. And he'd just been 259 00:16:10,320 --> 00:16:15,040 Speaker 1: involved in a very interesting financial project which he had 260 00:16:15,040 --> 00:16:16,800 Speaker 1: hoped to make a lot of money on, and that 261 00:16:16,960 --> 00:16:20,960 Speaker 1: was building a bridge over Sydney Harbor. So he'd set 262 00:16:21,040 --> 00:16:25,280 Speaker 1: up this company, the North Sydney Investment and Tramways Company, 263 00:16:25,680 --> 00:16:27,720 Speaker 1: to try and get enough money. And he was looking 264 00:16:27,720 --> 00:16:31,560 Speaker 1: for about eighty five million dollars to build a suspension 265 00:16:31,560 --> 00:16:33,720 Speaker 1: bridge over Sydney Harbor. And he had bought lots of 266 00:16:33,800 --> 00:16:36,400 Speaker 1: land on the North Shore and got together a lot 267 00:16:36,400 --> 00:16:40,560 Speaker 1: of investors and pretty much covered the money that was required. 268 00:16:40,960 --> 00:16:44,120 Speaker 1: When the bottom fell out of the economy in eighteen 269 00:16:44,240 --> 00:16:47,760 Speaker 1: ninety and a lot of the investors withdrew and he 270 00:16:47,840 --> 00:16:51,640 Speaker 1: suddenly found he was bankrupt. So he was very much 271 00:16:51,680 --> 00:16:56,359 Speaker 1: in need of an heiress if he could find one. 272 00:16:56,720 --> 00:17:00,000 Speaker 1: So he hotfooted it down to Tasmania on the arreas 273 00:17:00,000 --> 00:17:03,040 Speaker 1: as fast as he could go, and actually managed to 274 00:17:03,280 --> 00:17:07,080 Speaker 1: persuade Letitia that he was her night in Shining Armor 275 00:17:07,480 --> 00:17:12,520 Speaker 1: and they got married, and the wedding again the newspaper. Unfortunately, 276 00:17:12,600 --> 00:17:15,960 Speaker 1: newspapers never took any photos, so I have no photos 277 00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:19,080 Speaker 1: of it, but lots and lots of description of all 278 00:17:19,080 --> 00:17:22,840 Speaker 1: sorts of beautiful gowns and satin and silk and ostrich 279 00:17:22,880 --> 00:17:27,600 Speaker 1: feathers and jewelry, and a wedding cake about two meters high, 280 00:17:27,640 --> 00:17:30,960 Speaker 1: and lovely red carpets from the gate all the way 281 00:17:31,000 --> 00:17:33,800 Speaker 1: to the house, and a special train put on a 282 00:17:33,920 --> 00:17:37,040 Speaker 1: long system down to Ross for the visitors from New 283 00:17:37,080 --> 00:17:42,119 Speaker 1: South Wales, and enough entertainment to go on for a 284 00:17:42,240 --> 00:17:46,080 Speaker 1: week so the local people about three hundred people attended, 285 00:17:46,440 --> 00:17:49,159 Speaker 1: could all just stay and have a lovely time for 286 00:17:49,200 --> 00:17:51,159 Speaker 1: the rest of the week while they went off with 287 00:17:51,200 --> 00:17:54,439 Speaker 1: their honeymoon in New South Wales where they had a 288 00:17:54,440 --> 00:17:57,880 Speaker 1: second wedding, this time with eight hundred people, and they 289 00:17:57,880 --> 00:18:01,840 Speaker 1: went through the whole process again. So it was definitely 290 00:18:02,160 --> 00:18:03,560 Speaker 1: the wedding of the century. 291 00:18:03,840 --> 00:18:10,640 Speaker 2: Absolute goodness, it sounds so extravagant, Carol. One thing I'm 292 00:18:10,680 --> 00:18:14,000 Speaker 2: interested to know, given what we know about Letitia's philanthropy 293 00:18:14,160 --> 00:18:17,000 Speaker 2: later on, what has she been doing with all her 294 00:18:17,119 --> 00:18:20,800 Speaker 2: great fortune up until now, apart from traveling and having 295 00:18:21,040 --> 00:18:24,600 Speaker 2: extravagant weddings. What has she been doing? Has she been 296 00:18:24,760 --> 00:18:28,560 Speaker 2: spending some of her great fortune on charity causes for example? 297 00:18:29,560 --> 00:18:35,440 Speaker 1: Absolutely not. No, there's no indication of anything like that whatsoever. 298 00:18:36,119 --> 00:18:39,520 Speaker 1: In fact, it wasn't quite that much later in life, 299 00:18:39,560 --> 00:18:43,920 Speaker 1: and I think different experiences that perhaps changed to views. 300 00:18:44,520 --> 00:18:49,280 Speaker 2: Things to be interesting. So what about is she involved 301 00:18:49,320 --> 00:18:51,639 Speaker 2: in political causes? I mean, we know she had some 302 00:18:51,680 --> 00:18:53,280 Speaker 2: pretty strident views. 303 00:18:53,960 --> 00:18:58,400 Speaker 1: No, she was interested in education. She was interested in 304 00:18:58,440 --> 00:19:03,320 Speaker 1: the possibility, I think of setting up at universities in Tasmania. 305 00:19:03,680 --> 00:19:06,560 Speaker 1: She was interested in art galleries and she often donated 306 00:19:07,040 --> 00:19:09,800 Speaker 1: family portraits or pieces of art that they might have 307 00:19:09,880 --> 00:19:14,919 Speaker 1: collected for them, particularly one in Mount Gambia. And but 308 00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:19,040 Speaker 1: apart from that, there's no real evidence. But in fact, 309 00:19:19,240 --> 00:19:22,639 Speaker 1: finding evidence on Letitia right up until quite late in 310 00:19:22,680 --> 00:19:25,000 Speaker 1: her life has been it's been you know, it took 311 00:19:25,040 --> 00:19:27,920 Speaker 1: me a couple of years of digging to actually find it. 312 00:19:28,440 --> 00:19:31,840 Speaker 1: And I'm sure there's a lot more there, but unfortunately 313 00:19:32,320 --> 00:19:35,359 Speaker 1: the few remaining members of the family are not very 314 00:19:35,400 --> 00:19:38,240 Speaker 1: interested in supplying it, so we don't have it. 315 00:19:38,400 --> 00:19:41,760 Speaker 2: Ah, that's interesting, Okay, I'll look forward to hearing more 316 00:19:41,760 --> 00:19:45,040 Speaker 2: about that later and what did she and her husband 317 00:19:45,040 --> 00:19:46,959 Speaker 2: get up to after this incredible wedding. 318 00:19:47,680 --> 00:19:51,840 Speaker 1: Well after this incredible wedding, they returned to Tasmania to 319 00:19:51,880 --> 00:19:54,280 Speaker 1: live in a rather gorgeous house that her uncle had 320 00:19:54,359 --> 00:19:57,760 Speaker 1: left her called Ashby, And I think Charles was a 321 00:19:57,760 --> 00:19:59,560 Speaker 1: bit bored, and so he started having a look at 322 00:19:59,560 --> 00:20:02,159 Speaker 1: her fine answers to see if everything was as it 323 00:20:02,200 --> 00:20:05,280 Speaker 1: should be, and found that, in fact, there was some 324 00:20:05,359 --> 00:20:09,760 Speaker 1: serious anomalies that the trustees of the Glencoe estate and 325 00:20:09,920 --> 00:20:13,280 Speaker 1: the local bank had for over the last twenty years 326 00:20:13,280 --> 00:20:16,639 Speaker 1: been investing a lot of the interest from the estate 327 00:20:16,760 --> 00:20:20,440 Speaker 1: in their own little projects, and they were very reluctant 328 00:20:20,480 --> 00:20:22,720 Speaker 1: to agree that that's what they've been doing, or to 329 00:20:22,760 --> 00:20:27,160 Speaker 1: release the money. So Charles immediately sets in place a 330 00:20:27,200 --> 00:20:30,399 Speaker 1: court case and then starts going around the pub saying, 331 00:20:30,520 --> 00:20:33,200 Speaker 1: you know how terrible these people are. Until they got 332 00:20:33,240 --> 00:20:37,840 Speaker 1: an injunction to keep them silent. But the court case continued, 333 00:20:38,280 --> 00:20:41,040 Speaker 1: and then I think something happened, which it was very sad. 334 00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:45,680 Speaker 1: Very few people left of the Leak family down in Tasmania. 335 00:20:46,200 --> 00:20:49,840 Speaker 1: There was the uncle's wife who'd been the companion and 336 00:20:49,960 --> 00:20:53,320 Speaker 1: governess for Letitia, and there'd been a wife of one 337 00:20:53,359 --> 00:20:55,679 Speaker 1: of the other brothers, so there really only two women, 338 00:20:55,840 --> 00:20:58,520 Speaker 1: and this other woman had been almost like a mother 339 00:20:58,640 --> 00:21:02,080 Speaker 1: to her, as you'd come up gone from boarding school. 340 00:21:02,359 --> 00:21:06,639 Speaker 1: So they decided to side with the bank and the 341 00:21:06,680 --> 00:21:10,680 Speaker 1: trustees and told them, which must have been a real 342 00:21:10,760 --> 00:21:14,359 Speaker 1: slap in the face for Letitia, terribly hurtful because he 343 00:21:14,400 --> 00:21:17,400 Speaker 1: seemed like a very gentle kind person as far as 344 00:21:17,400 --> 00:21:23,320 Speaker 1: we can work out, and anyway, yes, and what they 345 00:21:23,520 --> 00:21:26,480 Speaker 1: decided to do was to tell the other people that 346 00:21:26,520 --> 00:21:28,960 Speaker 1: there had been rumors for many years that in fact 347 00:21:29,200 --> 00:21:33,639 Speaker 1: Lea Titia might not be legitimate, that her father was 348 00:21:33,680 --> 00:21:38,320 Speaker 1: possibly a murderer, and the marriage was probably beggary, and 349 00:21:38,520 --> 00:21:41,240 Speaker 1: therefore La Titia probably wasn't entitled to all the money 350 00:21:41,240 --> 00:21:44,760 Speaker 1: that she already had. So you can imagine, you know, 351 00:21:44,840 --> 00:21:48,479 Speaker 1: how this went on in the papers for weeks and weeks, 352 00:21:48,520 --> 00:21:49,800 Speaker 1: and it was very unpleasant. 353 00:21:50,480 --> 00:21:53,520 Speaker 2: What were the allegations about her father being a murderer? 354 00:21:53,560 --> 00:21:54,960 Speaker 2: Who was he meant to have murdered? 355 00:21:55,960 --> 00:22:00,440 Speaker 1: Well, the situation was that the first husband of an Amanda, 356 00:22:00,640 --> 00:22:04,359 Speaker 1: the woman who became his wife and Letitia's mother, was 357 00:22:04,400 --> 00:22:07,919 Speaker 1: a bullocky, a bullock driver, and he used to drive 358 00:22:08,240 --> 00:22:10,960 Speaker 1: huge loads of things from the ships down to Portland 359 00:22:11,240 --> 00:22:14,040 Speaker 1: to the Glencoe estate and then carry wool and so 360 00:22:14,080 --> 00:22:17,239 Speaker 1: forth back to Portland. So he actually was attached to 361 00:22:17,280 --> 00:22:21,280 Speaker 1: the Glencoe estate. And one day he came in to 362 00:22:21,640 --> 00:22:25,440 Speaker 1: the Glencoe estate and Edward went down to meet them. 363 00:22:25,440 --> 00:22:27,400 Speaker 1: He was a very sociable sort of man. He took 364 00:22:27,440 --> 00:22:30,800 Speaker 1: one look at Amanda and said to himself, I suspect 365 00:22:32,720 --> 00:22:35,560 Speaker 1: this is a woman I find very attractive. And she 366 00:22:35,640 --> 00:22:43,640 Speaker 1: was a very sprightly, feisty Irish woman, and I think 367 00:22:43,680 --> 00:22:46,840 Speaker 1: they probably fell in love. It was suggested that they 368 00:22:46,880 --> 00:22:50,120 Speaker 1: flirted outrageously, which I'd love to know what that meant, 369 00:22:50,119 --> 00:22:55,280 Speaker 1: but they didn't go into detail. And unfortunately, the next 370 00:22:55,560 --> 00:22:58,760 Speaker 1: she traveled with him a bit, and obviously Amanda and 371 00:23:00,080 --> 00:23:01,920 Speaker 1: would sort a fair bit of each other. And then 372 00:23:02,080 --> 00:23:08,240 Speaker 1: one trip that the Bulaki made he disappeared under very 373 00:23:08,280 --> 00:23:12,600 Speaker 1: suspicious circumstances. They'd stopped for the night halfway. He had 374 00:23:12,640 --> 00:23:15,800 Speaker 1: gone to collect some money. Money of course, wasn't left 375 00:23:15,840 --> 00:23:18,480 Speaker 1: with banks by any sensible people. It was actually left 376 00:23:18,480 --> 00:23:20,639 Speaker 1: with friends, and so they looked after it, and you 377 00:23:20,720 --> 00:23:22,800 Speaker 1: gave them a bottle of something when you picked it up, 378 00:23:23,440 --> 00:23:25,359 Speaker 1: and he had gone off to do that, to collect 379 00:23:25,480 --> 00:23:29,119 Speaker 1: quite a large sum of money, and never returned. Whether 380 00:23:29,160 --> 00:23:32,080 Speaker 1: he was murdered, whether someone took the money, whether he 381 00:23:32,200 --> 00:23:36,679 Speaker 1: was paid to go away by Edward is very unclear. 382 00:23:37,440 --> 00:23:41,000 Speaker 1: But as all the local people got on their horses 383 00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:44,639 Speaker 1: and along with the troopers started looking for the body, 384 00:23:44,760 --> 00:23:49,440 Speaker 1: or looking for the man or whatever and found absolutely nothing, 385 00:23:50,200 --> 00:23:54,480 Speaker 1: they were fairly convinced that some foul play had occurred, 386 00:23:54,840 --> 00:23:59,359 Speaker 1: and particularly when they overheard Edward saying to Amanda, don't 387 00:23:59,359 --> 00:24:03,280 Speaker 1: worry about it, He's not coming back. Marry me. I'll 388 00:24:03,280 --> 00:24:06,280 Speaker 1: look after you, and two months later she did. 389 00:24:10,800 --> 00:24:13,680 Speaker 2: We'll leave part one of the story of Letitia Leek here, 390 00:24:13,880 --> 00:24:16,240 Speaker 2: so come back on Thursday for part two to hear 391 00:24:16,280 --> 00:24:19,520 Speaker 2: how she survived the scandal and went on to create 392 00:24:19,600 --> 00:24:23,000 Speaker 2: a new life for herself in England, including turning her 393 00:24:23,040 --> 00:24:26,560 Speaker 2: grand estate into a hospital for many thousands of Australian 394 00:24:26,640 --> 00:24:30,480 Speaker 2: soldiers during the Great War. Thanks for listening. This has 395 00:24:30,520 --> 00:24:33,040 Speaker 2: been in Black and White a podcast about some of 396 00:24:33,080 --> 00:24:37,639 Speaker 2: Australia's forgotten characters, written and hosted by me Jen Kelly, 397 00:24:37,920 --> 00:24:41,720 Speaker 2: edited by Nina Young and produced by John Tiburton. You 398 00:24:41,760 --> 00:24:44,760 Speaker 2: can find all the stories and photos associated with our 399 00:24:44,800 --> 00:24:50,920 Speaker 2: episodes at Heraldsun dot com a slash ibaw. If you've 400 00:24:51,000 --> 00:24:53,160 Speaker 2: enjoyed this podcast, we'd love you to leave a five 401 00:24:53,200 --> 00:24:57,199 Speaker 2: star rating on Apple Podcasts. Even better, leave a review. 402 00:24:57,760 --> 00:25:00,720 Speaker 2: Any comments or questions please email me add in black 403 00:25:00,760 --> 00:25:05,199 Speaker 2: and white at Heroldsun dot com dot au. 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