Attacked (and eaten) By Wild Cats

 Well.

There's certainly nothing of the subtle about ye old timey newspaper reporting.

9 June 1887 

The Gippsland Farmers' Journal and Traralgon, Heyfield and Rosedale News 

ATTACKED BY WILD CATS

Lady Ann Rylah 1911 - 1969

 Lady Ann was, from all contemporary accounts, a very nice, kind person.

She was the first female of the species to enroll at the Uni of Sydney School of Veterinary Science, and she continued her vet practice right up until her death.
An odd death; she'd not long separated from her husband, a fierce gate-keeper of everyone's morals who was busy banning books, plays, films all over the shop whilst his pile of Playboys kept his desk drawer cosy.
Sir Arthur Rylah was definitely punching above his weight, such a shame his wife was cremated so quickly without an inquest. It left people wondering, and an inquest could have easily answered so many questions...

Further reading -

Ann Rylah

Cars, crashes and cover-ups

Lady Chatterley and Alexander Portnoy: Narrowing the Limits of Censorship in Australia

The Books Australia Banned 

Australian Princess Rani of Pudukota aka Molly Fink 1894 - 1967

 Molly met and married Marthanda Bhairava Tondiman in a whirlwind romance in Australia in 1915.

Although welcomed by the people of Pudukota, there was some question of Molly being poisoned, alongside the rudeness of the British Govt who refused to recognise her title, nor later would they recognise their son as heir to the principality.

Another Royal love story, Netflix...!

Further reading -

The rani from Down Under

Biography

The Indian Royal who gave up his throne to marry an Australian socialite

Robert Francis Burns 1840 -1883 serial killer

 Well, here's another garden variety arsehole; convicted of one murder Burns confessed to the hangman he'd killed seven more people.

Why confess to the hangman? Is it an attempt to impress a bloke who's paid to kill people for the government?

Anyway, the seven further victims are based on speculation; although the useless mongrel gave clues he didn't give names (said he was useless) but this is well-considered with much evidence.

Further reading -

Robert Francis Burns

Australian Princess Her Highness Princess Melikoff aka Pauline Curran 1893 - 1988

 HH Princess Melikoff was born as Pauline Curran into a Tasmanian family that benefited greatly as part-inheritors of the Tattersall's fortune.
When Pauline was old enough to do as she pleased - this was when her father had passed away and she was allegedly past her first bloom of youth *ahem* - she found herself a handsome Russian aristocrat Prince Maximilian Melikoff and put on a Royal Wedding in Hobart in 1926 where police had to halt traffic for three hours.

Again, Netflix, here's a true Royal wedding story.

Princess Melikoff established a trust fund on her death which supports marine conservation and rescues of stranded marine mammals.

Further Reading - 

Princess Melikoff

Biography

How charitable trusts impact the community

Frank Butler aka Richard Ashe The Blue Mountains Murderer 1858 - 1897

 Serial killer Frank Butler aka Richard Ashe was a garden variety prick; he's been incorrectly labelled "Australia's First Serial Killer" - nah, plenty of those mongrel bastards came before Frank. 

It was Australia's First Serial Killer MANHUNT.

Gutless mongrel; he shot his victims in the back after he'd got them to dig their own graves.
Plenty all over the net about this piece of vile canker.

His victims were 

Captain Lee Weller

Arthur Preston

Charles Burgess

Further details - 

Five of a Kind

Forgotten Australia podcast 

Australia's first serial killer manhunt

Australian Princess Her Highness Begam Jahana of Palanpur nee Joan Falkiner 1915 - 2003

 We don't often connect Aussies with Royalty - unless they're claiming to be Richard III's 14th generation granddaughter... - but there have been plenty of times Aussie-born ladies have caught the eye and hearts of Royalty.

Today is a quick run-down on Joan Falkiner, whose real life romance with Taley Muhammed Khan, Nawab of Palanpur, out-did any Barbara Cartland novel = 

They met while he was recovering from a polo injury resulting in a real-life elopement to another country against her wealthy parents wishes to a man much older than herself, of a different religion, with a living first wife, a son her same age, scorned by the British (yeah, looking at you, Mountbatten!) denied her rightful title until the last.

Seriously, Netflix, this is oozing more romance than some of your latest offerings...!

Her granddaughter, Aaliya Suntana Babi is a celebrated Paleontologist known as "Dinosaur Princess".

Further reading -

Wikipedia

Aaliya Suntana Babi aka Dinosaur Princess 

Joan in India