Untold Stories of Perth

Few entrepreneurs have left a physical legacy in Perth like Claude Albo de Bernales.

He built his fortune supplying mining equipment to Western Australia’s goldfields, then as a mining promoter, but today he’s best known for his most visible project, the mock-Tudor London Court shopping arcade.

Listen to the latest Untold Stories of Perth podcast episode to discover the story of this flamboyant and controversial character.

Episode produced by Two Feet and a Heartbeat for the City of Perth Cultural Collections.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meet James Pinakis, the Porn King of his computer programming class at UWA during the early 90s.

For a young, geeky student of computer science during the early days of the internet, working out how to write a program to make and distribute porn meant you were scientific royalty.

This is a special Barefaced Stories episode produced for the City of Perth Cultural Collections.

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Did you know that cameleers from present-day Afghanistan, Pakistan and India helped to found Perth’s oldest mosque?

Join us for the latest Untold Stories of Perth episode, revealing our multicultural heritage and how one thousand cameleers were essential in transporting supplies through outback Western Australia, then helped to found the Perth Mosque which is now the oldest in the city.

This episode was produced by the Centre for Stories for the City of Perth Cultural Collections.

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Let’s look back to a little-known story from the University of Western Australia.

It took eighteen years for women, particularly from regional areas, to have a dedicated residential college to live in as they undertook their studies. St Catherine’s College opened in 1948, and they had a safe and dedicated home away from home at last.

Until three arson attacks in 1976.

This episode was produced by the Centre for Stories for the City of Perth Cultural Collections.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Emergency Department at Royal Perth Hospital is a “wild zoo of love” according to Dr Michelle Johnston. She treats people at their most vulnerable and, once in a while, animalistic, and shares what it is like to come face to face with a wild rhinoceros of a human.

Stay tuned until the end of the episode for a special interview with Dr Michelle as she recounts some of the history of Royal Perth Hospital and the land it sits on today.

This episode was produced by Barefaced Stories for the City of Perth Cultural Collections.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This story takes place in one of Perth’s most colourful neighbourhoods – Northbridge, where our storyteller Sarah Jane Erickson takes a trip down memory lane, recalling her shenanigans as a bartender at the Blue Room Theatre many many years ago.

In a special interview after, Sarah Jane shares how her experiences of Northbridge have changed now with a young family.

Join us for a special episode produced by Barefaced Stories for the City of Perth Cultural Collections.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ve explored Perth’s heritage through people, places, and now… punk!

It was half a century ago that Perth musicians developed a culturally isolated and unique punk sound. Western Australia’s music scene would never be the same.

This episode was produced by the Centre for Stories for the City of Perth Cultural Collections.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hear the stories of Aunty Irene and Uncle Albert McNamara, two of the City of Perth’s Elders who overcame injustices to bring Aboriginal culture back to systems that previously worked against them.

This episode features oral history interviews from the City of Perth Cultural Collections. 

Episode produced by Elsa Silberstein for the City of Perth Cultural Collections.

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Meet Aunty Margaret Culbong and Aunty Muriel Bowie, two of the City of Perth's Elders who have played an important part in the fight for empowerment of Aboriginal people in this city.

This episode features oral history interviews from the City of Perth Cultural Collections. 

Episode produced by Elsa Silberstein for the City of Perth Cultural Collections.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who was Aboriginal man Tommy Windich, and why did two of Western Australia’s most successful explorers and prominent leaders, John and Alexander Forrest, regard him as indispensable?

Tommy Windich brought his bush skills to the Forrests’ inland expeditions, and his skill at finding fresh water in hostile country was a key part of their success.

Hear the story of this highly sought-after Aboriginal explorer...

Episode produced by Two Feet and a Heartbeat for the City of Perth Cultural Collections.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1870, a hospital stay could leave you more sick than when you went in.

The transformation of Perth’s major Colonial Hospital, now Royal Perth, can largely be attributed to one woman, Sister Mary Ann Nicolay. Inspired by Britain’s pioneer nurse, Florence Nightingale, Matron Nicolay introduced trained nurses and standards of infection control which began the evolution of the profession in Western Australia to the standards we depend on today.

Hear the story of this remarkable and determined woman…

Episode produced by Two Feet and a Heartbeat for the City of Perth Cultural Collections.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.