The name Pablo Fanque popped up when doing the Burton’sCircus episode – Episode 263

William Darby Banham was born in 1828. It is likely that Pablo Fanque, a renowned circus owner in Britain, born William Darby, was the father of William. William Jr. , and his brothers, worked andperformed in their father's circus.

Astley’s Amphitheatre opened in Melbourne late in 1854 by the entrepreneur GBW Lewis. Lewis’s elephantine company, imported from London, included three ropewalkers, all ‘men of colour’. One of those men was Billy Banham who adopted his father's stage name in Australia.

In October 1911 the Echuca Riverine Herald reported that Albert George McGowen, born Albert Walkerden, was charged with bigamy and sentenced to two years imprisonment.

Major Bidwell was jailed in Victoria Australia for 2 years for bigamy in 1911. This was not the last that Australia nor other countries around the world heard of him!

His aliases included: Mervyn/Mervin/Marvin Wolford Bidwell, Wolford Bidwell, Reginald Bidwell, MervynWollf Bidwell and Major W M Bidwell.

Colin Gardner’s children from his first marriage contested his will where he left a bulk of his estate to his second wife and the children from his second marriage in 1922.

James Hardy Vaux claims the rare distinction of being transported to Australia three times, but what really distinguish him is him being the author of the first full length autobiography and first dictionary written in Australia.

His life is extraordinary on many counts. He was intelligentand, by the standards of the time, well-educated. He used the aliases James Lowe, James Young and James Yonge.

When Isabel Lippe nee Horsfall died in 1921 her husband was not included in her will. He contested it and it went all the way to the High Court.

Why did Isabel omit her husband from her will?

Arnold Resch featured in a breach of promise case in September 1925.

Before the Marriage Act of 1961 in Australia you could enact legal action for "breach of promise to marry",that is, suing for calling off an engagement.

Arnold Resch was 44 when this case was put forward.

Catherine Isabella Webber, known as Kate, was the Female
Blondin. Her stage name was "Ella Zuila" and she was known as the heroine of the high wire. She also used Ella Loyal and Ella Zoila as stage names.
She was the most famous Australian public entertainer in the world in the last two decades of the 19th century - the toast of enraptured audiences across Europe and North America. She was a striking-looking athlete of astounding physical
prowess. Ella matched and often excelled the
daring feats of male aerialists.