Post by auntym on Jun 14, 2011 23:32:26 GMT -6
www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au/news/local/news/general/more-feature-into-the-dark/2193115.aspx?storypage=0
More feature: Into the dark
KAREN SWEENEY
13 Jun, 2011
The Bendigo Ghosts
TWO grey shadowy figures play hide-and-seek in main passages of Fortuna Villa.
GHOST HUNTERS: Tony and Chris Jordon brave a chilling night at Bendigo Cemetery. Picture: BRENDAN McCARTHY
An elegant woman in a ball gown floats around the Pompeii Fountain and front gardens and a well-spoken young woman asks visitors to leave.
Some people believe in ghosts and paranormal experiences while others brush it off as a load of rubbish.
But the consensus seems to be that while some have experiences that can be explained there are some who simply can’t.
Bendigo is home to hundreds of historic buildings and homes, all here long before the time of any living residents.
Whether you believe in ghosts and the supernatural or not, there’s no denying that many locals have some interesting stories to tell.
Figures make their way through buildings, orbs light up, voices sound, smells waft and then there’s the simply unexplainable “eerie” feelings.
Built along the New Chum gold reef, Fortuna Villa is said to be one of the most haunted places in Victoria.
The mansion was once home to one of the richest men on the goldfields, George Lansell, and more recently to the Department of Defence mapping organisation.
On a hot day in summer, a Sunday in the late 1980s, Patrick Thwaites was working as head of security for the Defence Force at Fortuna Villa.
He was on the top floor of the house, alone in the villa compound, except for the guards on the front gate.
“There was no breeze and it was very hot,” he said.
“I had to keep the windows and doors closed because there were flies everywhere and we didn’t have fly screens.
“Then, all of a sudden, there was a waft of air as if someone had fluffed a blanket.
“With it I got a very strong smell of perfume.”
The smell was so strong he got up and went out to the hallway to see who was outside.
It was empty. He was apparently alone.
“The smell stayed with me for about five minutes,” he said.
Mr Thwaites doesn’t believe in ghosts but said this was one of a number of experiences at Fortuna Villa that he and others couldn’t explain.
He puts it down to a visit from the “perfume ghost” who, he has been told, is a former governess who lived on the top floor with the Lansell children.
Mr Thwaites remains adamant about his non-belief, but said there had been too many experiences he and others couldn’t explain.
“There was something called the Ghost Book where we recorded all the sightings,” he said.
“It had absolutely everything for probably about 25 years, but it has disappeared, it’s been souvenired.”
He’d like to see the book, or at least copies, returned.
TO CONTINUE READING CLICK ON ABOVE LINK
More feature: Into the dark
KAREN SWEENEY
13 Jun, 2011
The Bendigo Ghosts
TWO grey shadowy figures play hide-and-seek in main passages of Fortuna Villa.
GHOST HUNTERS: Tony and Chris Jordon brave a chilling night at Bendigo Cemetery. Picture: BRENDAN McCARTHY
An elegant woman in a ball gown floats around the Pompeii Fountain and front gardens and a well-spoken young woman asks visitors to leave.
Some people believe in ghosts and paranormal experiences while others brush it off as a load of rubbish.
But the consensus seems to be that while some have experiences that can be explained there are some who simply can’t.
Bendigo is home to hundreds of historic buildings and homes, all here long before the time of any living residents.
Whether you believe in ghosts and the supernatural or not, there’s no denying that many locals have some interesting stories to tell.
Figures make their way through buildings, orbs light up, voices sound, smells waft and then there’s the simply unexplainable “eerie” feelings.
Built along the New Chum gold reef, Fortuna Villa is said to be one of the most haunted places in Victoria.
The mansion was once home to one of the richest men on the goldfields, George Lansell, and more recently to the Department of Defence mapping organisation.
On a hot day in summer, a Sunday in the late 1980s, Patrick Thwaites was working as head of security for the Defence Force at Fortuna Villa.
He was on the top floor of the house, alone in the villa compound, except for the guards on the front gate.
“There was no breeze and it was very hot,” he said.
“I had to keep the windows and doors closed because there were flies everywhere and we didn’t have fly screens.
“Then, all of a sudden, there was a waft of air as if someone had fluffed a blanket.
“With it I got a very strong smell of perfume.”
The smell was so strong he got up and went out to the hallway to see who was outside.
It was empty. He was apparently alone.
“The smell stayed with me for about five minutes,” he said.
Mr Thwaites doesn’t believe in ghosts but said this was one of a number of experiences at Fortuna Villa that he and others couldn’t explain.
He puts it down to a visit from the “perfume ghost” who, he has been told, is a former governess who lived on the top floor with the Lansell children.
Mr Thwaites remains adamant about his non-belief, but said there had been too many experiences he and others couldn’t explain.
“There was something called the Ghost Book where we recorded all the sightings,” he said.
“It had absolutely everything for probably about 25 years, but it has disappeared, it’s been souvenired.”
He’d like to see the book, or at least copies, returned.
TO CONTINUE READING CLICK ON ABOVE LINK