|
Ghosts act up at the Old Melbourne Gaol Presenter: Helena Webb Wednesday, 19 May 2004 
| Not only Ned Kelly's ghost roams these corridors. |
|
Dead women crying for help and footsteps at the door are part of the atmosphere at the old goal where Ned Kelly was hanged. Richard Berman once described himself as "an ardent skeptic". But not any more. Not since he was visited by the a rather pushy ghost at the Old Melbourne Gaol. As manager of the historic complex, Richard has witnessed and heard about a number of odd happenings at the Old Gaol, enough to change his mind about the paranormal.
The gaol was built in 1840 and is the oldest in the state of Victoria . 136 people were hanged there over a period of 100 years. Richard has worked there for the last six or so years and loves the building and history. Which is one of the reasons that he's still there. That and because, he says, he still has some vestiges of skepticism left.
The first event which began his conversion happened during a corporate function. Richard was standing up on the landing where he could survey those below. Suddenly, he felt the floor shake. Then something pushed him violently in the small of the back. He nearly fell. At first, Richard wasn't about to share his story but when concerned staff asked about his shaken appearance, he fessed up. Much to his relief, the staff member didn't laugh. He had had the same experience.
The second occurence happened at night. Richard was glad he had a witness. He and his wife had occasion to visit the office one evening at around 8pm. They were standing in the tiny, cramped cell that doubled as an office. The only light came from the computer screen as it booted up. The couple heard footsteps. They ignored the noise at first, thinking it was bird on the roof or some other rational explanation. The footsteps became louder and more purposeful. They stopped outside the cell door, a scratching sound was heard and someone seemed to be playing with the lock. Only person in the world scared of going into his own office Richard and his wife were not moving. Perhaps it was someone who'd followed them in and was going to rob them. Finally after an agonising wait, his wife yelled out. Silence. The energy "dissipated". Nowadays, Richard perfers to work when other staff are around.
The history of the Old Melbourne Gaol has attracted the attention of people interested in the paranormal. One team spent a night in the building, taking photos and making recordings. One of the tapes captured the sound of a female calling for help. It's not good quality, says Richard, but it is audible. When reseachers on the staff heard it, they did some digging. A woman in that cell block, Lucy R, had committed suicide on the 21st of June, 1865. The very date in 2003 that the parapsychologists had spent overnight in the goal.
ABC |
