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Here I am in Western Australia on family business, but otherwise it’s still business as usual.
I am hoping to return to my beloved Tasmania before the end of the year so that I can catch up with all my friends and clients. I miss the island terribly and I am looking forward to settling in Hobart.
In the meantime, I am still doing past life and personal readings and my books are still available.
Here’s a gift for you: my eBook, Teabag Reading.
It shows how the humble teabag can act as a guide through life’s journey — and it has lots of offbeat and interesting facts about tea, dowsing and how pendulums have been used down the ages.
You can download it here free. Read it on screen or on a portable device, or print out just the sections you want.
Convict gravedigger Mark Jeffrey was, and still is, a very unpleasant character though his comments about the worms were unintentionally funny. Mark spent most of his days alone among the headstones on the horrific Isle of the Dead off Port Arthur. After claiming he saw the Devil one night, Mark was relieved of his caretaking duties.
So you think my face is grim? So would yours be if you had the life I had. Being the gravedigger on the Isle of Dead was no picnic.
The only thing I ever received for such a rotten job was the odd shot of rum and no-one knew I had an extra bottle hidden amongst the graves.
This I did to keep out the chills as it could be dastardly cold on the isle.
Try digging a grave when the ground is frozen and you will soon see what I mean.
You say I claimed to have seen the Devil. Well, there was no claim about it—I did see him.There was a time I saw his very likeness staring at me through a window, but that wasn’t the only time I saw him.
One evening I had a grave to dig for a burial next morning, and up and out of the ground rose the Devil himself as I was halfway through digging.
My new book, Spirits of Tasmania, is coming along well and will be released before Christmas. Here’s another tale to whet your appetite.
The Lisping Colonel
Sitting on a park bench outside Anglesea Barracks one evening, I met a handsome man in an officer’s uniform dating from the late 1800s. Colonel Edward spoke perfectly in a beautiful accent, which proves that physical handicaps disappear in the spirit world.
My name really is Edward but my friends called me Ted. I was sent out in the very first days of establishing an army quarters in Hobart. Which year it was befuddles me and perchance you may be able to check the records; what I do recall is that the town was in its infancy and very small compared to now.
When I arrived from England the amount of organising and work was daunting. The soldiers who were sent out from England were a smart bunch, but the ones recruited here were an unruly mob with no discipline. My job was to whip them into shape and get some organisation into the regiment.
Here’s another story from my forthcoming book, Spirits of Tasmania, which will soon be going to press. Famous bushranger Martin Cash tells his story.
During a chase through Hobart Town, bushranger Martin Cash mistakenly ran into a dead-end street then shot a policeman near the hotel at the bottom of Brisbane Street. Amazingly, Martin wasn’t hanged and died of old age in his apple orchard in Glenorchy.
I hear you ask about Port Arthur but my memory of that terrible place has dulled, I am pleased to say. You are right, I did escape on a number of occasions and I did swim the dreaded shark-infested waters at Eaglehawk Neck. Only a fool would have believed whole-heartedly the story of the sharks.
Bessie was the love of my life and without her life would have been very empty. I have been with Bessie on the astral planes, but for now she has gone onto a higher learning. I will also reach this point very soon and I strive towards this as I wish to be with my Bessie again.
Here’s another tale from my book Spirits of Tasmania, which is well on the way to completion ready for a Halloween launch. It’s the story of Minnie, a jovial fat lady.
Opposite Narryna in Battery Point, Hobart, is the old Queen Alexandra Hospital, birthplace of Hollywood film star Errol Flynn on June 20, 1909. My spirit Errol, who has a lot in common with his famous namesake, offered to check out the old hospital before the existing apartments were built. Especially memorable is the image of Minnie stuck in the doorway.
The first story concerns a young lady who was rushed here on a dark wintry night back in the 1930s. The child she produced was a boy but unfortunately he died not long after birth and the young mother died shortly after.
Her name was Anna and she frequents these hallowed halls in search of her dead child. She wanders about sobbing, enough to send a chill down even my spine.
After she wanders about a bit, a guide will come and gently remove her and take her away. They say she does this to herself as a form of self punishment because, rumour has it, she was an unmarried mother and suffered the shame she brought upon herself and family.
This was all very heart-wrenching, so I looked for a happier story and found a rotund cheerful soul called Minnie. She was assistant cook and a funnier soul I have yet to find.
Work on my next book, Spirits of Tasmania, is going well and I plan to release it in time for Halloween. Meet one of the many ghosts I have contacted and whose stories are told in the book.
Every small town has a busybody like Mrs Buscombe. Since channelling her story, I have learned that her husband owned the Richmond store and post office, plus many other buildings, in the 1830s. Mrs Buscombe has been seen many times at Prospect House, which is now a hotel, and she still travels far and wide in the town listening to gossip.
I like to be called Mrs Buscombe, as I am not a believer in being called by one’s first name. It shows no respect for one’s elders and is not considered to be good manners.
My fondest memories of Prospect House, and Richmond in general, was the mail, with letters and cards of all description arriving from locally and overseas. There would be an air of excitement when the coach pulled into our store with a lovely bag of mail and goods sent from Hobart Town.
With American politics so much in the news, I decided to take a look at the Democratic contenders, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. I had already dealt with the Clintons in Celebrity Past Lives, so here is their story together with Barack Obama’s past life.
They have been married once before, with Bill as president – of a village glee club! It was in Wales just over 100 years ago.
Bill had a great voice and led the choir from town to town performing at concerts. Hillary supported Bill and often travelled with him.
One morning, Bill awoke and found his voice had gone hoarse. It was soon obvious that Bill’s singing voice had gone forever so he couldn’t remain as club president.
Hillary offered to take over, but the other members would not accept a woman as president.
Hillary still has this unfulfilled ambition. She has a salmon spirit for determination while Bill is a typical Leo who loves being the centre of attention.
Barack Obama was born into a very wealthy white family in America’s South in the early 1820s. His parents owned many farms and had once been slave owners.
He never worked a day in his life despite being given the best education. He was highly intelligent but the only motivation he had was to gamble.
Mr Howard was born into a middle-class family in Wales in the 1800s. All the family, except John, had beautiful singing voices and could play any musical instrument. Whenever his father tried to teach John a new piece of music he would get furious and slam down the piano lid.
John left school early and set out to become a leader of men. He formed a union and held meetings to spread his ideas. But his lack of education and political skills were obvious and he was booed off the stage.
In this life, John achieved his ultimate goal when he became Prime Minister of Australia but, if he stays in power too long, the boos and insults will get louder.
John has a jackal spirit for cleverness.
Mr Rudd was born in Wales around the mid-1800s, the only child of wealthy parents who doted on him. He was a brilliant student and his parents hoped he would become a lawyer or a doctor – but Kevin had other ideas.
He was a loner who whiled away his time designing odd-looking contraptions and building small models. But nearly everything he invented was ridiculed by others, or laughed at by his parents.
Kevin became quite eccentric and very quick-tempered, so people thought he we was mad and tended to leave him alone.
One of Kevin’s inventions was a double-headed toothbrush that brushed top and bottom teeth at the same time. But, of course, it was no good for the back teeth.
Kevin spent most of that life inventing things that no one wanted, but he didn’t care.
In this life, Kevin is shrewd, methodical and clever, but under pressure he can become very critical. The spirit of the black crow is with him for counsel, wisdom and resourcefulness.
These two photos were taken late last year by an American couple who were visiting Oatlands.
The second photo shows quite clearly a ghostly figure walking along the main street. I made contact with the ghost and took down his story in automatic writing. He claimed he was a former convict-turned-constable named Thomas Burbury who died in 1870.
I have since found out quite a lot about Thomas. I now have a photo of him when he was alive, and I have also visited his grave in the Oatlands cemetery. Thomas’ story, along with many others, will be included in my book of Tasmanian ghost stories.
There was a third photo in the sequence, which was taken in rapid succession, and it is identical to the first photo. Thomas materialised for just one second or less, cast a shadow, and then disappeared.
She has starred in several Disney movies, including The Parent Trap, but now has a growing reputation as a party girl. She’s been partying so hard that, like that other good-time girl Paris Hilton, she’s facing jail for drink driving.
Born: July 2, 1986
Star Sign: Cancer
Animal Spirit: Cougar
Past Life: It’s not surprising that Lindsay is a liberated young woman. Near the turn of the 20th century, in England, she was the young wife of an overpowering man who thought women were second-class citizens.
Lindsay soon tired of being bullied and being told what to do and think. One night she slipped out and went to a suffragette meeting. These women arranged street marches in their campaign for equal rights.
After one such demonstration, Lindsay was arrested and put in prison. She joined a hunger strike and, after several days, was tied to a bed and force-fed.
Lindsay survived this brutal treatment, left her husband, and spent many years fighting for women’s rights.
The Australian swimming sensation, nicknamed ‘Thorpedo’, has retired from international competition and is now working with fellow Olympian Cathy Freeman to improve the health of the Aboriginal people.
Born: October 13, 1982
Star Sign: Libra
Animal Spirit: Shark
Past Life: Ian had a previous incarnation in Hawaii in the early 1700s. When he was aged 18, there was a big food shortage.
The fishermen blamed a large school of sharks that had moved close to the island, preventing them from catching fish and turtles. Ian had no fear of sharks and volunteered to go out and communicate with them.
From then on, Ian swam with the sharks every day, making sure that they did not take all the fish. There was peace and harmony on the island, and Ian was revered as the protector of the sharks.
This time around, Ian is a brilliant swimmer with a shark spirit for swiftness and strength.
As I promised, here is the information I channeled from the ghost at Callington Mill. I said his name was Thomas Nichols but actually it is his son, William Nichols.
Thomas married Mary Ann Vincent whose father, John Vincent, built the mill in 1836. My former husband, Robert, is descended from Thomas and William and is now doing some more research on his family’s history.
My name is William Nichols and I ran the mill in the mid-1800s. I also ran and owned stores in Richmond and surrounding areas.
When I died I was buried in Oatlands graveyard. I often visit the old mill and am deeply saddened for it has fallen into disrepair.
I can only hope that one day the powers that be will restore it to the way I used to know it. I often wander through the mill and surrounding grounds for I still have a great love of the area.
I know several people have reported seeing me there and perhaps I have even frightened a few people but I am not the only spirit to wander around the area.
There are many others but they are mostly convicts or ticket-of-leave men and women.
—William Nichols
Born: February 17, 1981
Star Sign: Aquarius
Animal Spirit: Horse
Past Life: Sometime in the 1400s, Paris had a miserable life as the fat lady in a travelling band of Romanian gypsies. They went from town to town setting up their tents and entertaining people with juggling, fire eating and other acts.
Paris would sit outside her caravan while people laughed and threw coins at her. She hated this life, but it was the only way she could survive. The horse that pulled her caravan was her only friend and its spirit is with her still.
In this life, Paris has a subconscious fear of gaining weight and she should be careful not to get too thin. Otherwise, she has everything that she wants.
Work on The Simple Life TV series was interrupted in 2004 when Paris fell from a horse and was airlifted to hospital. Maybe her horse spirit was trying to tell her something!
I have a special interest in Crown Princess Mary of Denmark because she was born and raised in Tasmania. Her past life with Prince Frederik was included in Celebrity Past Lives.
Like the rest of us, she has had many other past lives and, not surprisingly, one of them was in Denmark. Mary has just given birth to her second child, an as yet unnamed daughter, and she has the best wishes of all Tasmanians.
Mary was born in Copenhagen in the mid-1800s. She was orphaned at a young age and was raised in a home with many other children.
Life was hard and she was not always treated kindly. The children had to work very hard and there was not always enough to eat or enough warm clothing in the winter months.
Mary made a vow that when she grew up she would find a way of starting her own orphanage and she would make sure all the children under her care would be treated well with enough for their needs, including lots of love.
She had the ability to make every child feel loved and wanted and, through the generosity of Copenhagen business people, her home for unwanted children became the best.
Mary had fulfilled her dream and spread happiness to all who knew her. She never married and made the orphanage her life’s work.
Callington Mill is one of the big tourist attractions in Oatlands. Built in 1837, it is now being restored and will eventually be the only working 19th century flour windmill in Australia.
Peter Fielding visits the mill on his ghost tours and I have already made contact with one of the resident ghosts, Thomas Nicholls.
I have channelled his story in automatic writing and I’ll post it next week.
This is an old photo of Lake Dulverton when there was water in it. My house is right on the edge of the lake and I hope sometime in the future it will be filled again when our long drought breaks at last.
