Podcasts
Westy Women
The stories of West Wallsend's pioneering women
Mary Johnston
Join Benita Parker from the West Wallsend District Heritage Group as she brings to life the stories of West Wallsend’s pioneering women through vivid first-person storytelling. In this episode, Benita recounts the opening chapter of the extraordinary life of Mary Johnston.
Benita Parker of the West Wallsend District Heritage Group continues the story of Mary Johnston in this series exploring the lives of West Wallsend’s pioneering women. Set against a time of expanding families, new opportunities, and sweeping change, this episode follows the journey of a miner’s wife who becomes the matriarch of a bustling household as a small settlement grows into a thriving town.
Ida Viola Bohle
Join Benita Parker from the West Wallsend District Heritage Group as she presents another story of West Wallsend’s pioneering women through vivid first-person narration. In Part 1 of this podcast, we meet Ida Viola Bohle, who arrived in West Wallsend in 1926 as a young teacher and whose connection with the town would endure for more than seven decades.
Benita Parker of the West Wallsend District Heritage Group continues Ida Viola Bohle’s story in this compelling first-person series celebrating the women who helped shape West Wallsend. In Part 2, Ida reflects on a lifetime of family, community, music, resilience, and change in a town she called home for more than seventy years
Violet Taylor - Mountain Maid
In this episode of Westy Women, Benita Parker from the West Wallsend District Heritage Group takes on the persona of Violet Harriet Taylor, better known as Vi. Born in West Wallsend in 1906, Vi’s life changed forever when she fell in love with returned WW1 soldier Joe Taylor. Together, they forged an extraordinary life on Mount Sugarloaf, turning rugged bushland into a home, cattle property, and popular tourist destination.