Tale of murder in state archives
PETER McCALLUM
The State Archives hold many fascinating stories. Christine Yeates, Archives Public Access Manager, shared some of these with Waverley’s historians last month. Here is an edited version of one story.
Wartime stress on servicemen sometimes took its toll as they tried to re-adjust on their return home. One example in the archives tells of the tragic consequences of one 1944 evening when the quiet of Birrell Street was shattered by the sound of gunshots. A woman was found dead.
At the subsequent inquest Detective Sergeant McDonald testified that Maurice Rueben Anderson, a Flying Officer in the RAAF, shot his wife, Alice Isabella, twice with his Browning automatic .32 calibre gun.
Det Sgt McDonald described the death scene he had inspected the next day. From his description and the evidence of burnt out saucepans on the stove, it appeared the couple had been about to sit down to their evening meal when a ‘discussion took place which led to the events that followed’.
The archives include witness statements from residents in the same building, and the inquest file contained photographs of the murder scene like the one pictured. These add a human dimension to the tragedy, showing the table set for the evening meal the couple never consumed.
The story of the gold seeker who spotted a more lucrative mineral while entering Sydney Harbour will be told by Ron Powell at the Waverley Historical Society’s next meeting on Monday, August 11 at 4 pm on the 1st floor at Club Bondi Junction (the RSL Club), Gray Street.
