Given that spirit lights usually flash from the centre of
the spirit’s chest, I deduced that the spirit who had come to
greet me was a child. Judging by the positioning of the orb, it appeared that the spirit was no more than four and a half feet tall. Since Eloise would be sleeping alone in the schoolroom,
I kept the experience to myself, lest she felt uneasy about her invisible room mate. I had no doubt that the presence was
friendly, so I had no qualms about keeping this little secret private.
The first night was uneventful and we all woke up
refreshed after a peaceful night’s sleep. We decided to go for a drive after breakfast; our destination being a historic local inn.
Despite being a ten-roomed, gracious two storey building, it
was on the market for a suspiciously low price. I couldn’t help thinking that this was because it was haunted.
The Greenbark Inn was a solitary monolith on a deserted
stretch of country road. It had obviously been breathtaking in its Victorian heyday.
Now it was looking tired and run-down, with a network of
cracks running along most of its walls. Its wallpaper and carpets were no doubt original; its hallways perfused with a mustiness that only comes with age. Not surprisingly, there was the familiar atmospheric denseness that I associate with ghosts.
As we wandered along its hallways, I had the feeling that
we were being watched.
Convening at the bar a short time later, the waitress was
quick to confirm our suspicions that the hotel was haunted.
“We had a film crew here not long ago,” she said. “Some
ghost show from a cable TV network.”
94 The Boys
I asked if they’d managed to capture anything significant,
to which she replied that they certainly had. She also spoke
of some of her personal encounters with the resident ghosts, including being locked out of rooms and having doors slam in
her face.
The waitress went on to tell us about some recent house
guests who inexplicably checked out of their room at two in
the morning. The couple later recounted how they would
never stay at the hotel again, as they repeatedly heard some-
one bustling in their bedroom. And worse, they felt an unseen
presence sit down at the end of their bed. The weight of the entity was so palpable that the bedsprings squeaked as the
ghost settled at their feet.
In spite of deliberately hunting down haunted locations for
the purposes of paranormal research, even I felt uneasy at the Greenbark and was eager to get away. There was an oppressive
air about the place, and the ghosts within its walls didn’t feel hospitable.
I was aghast when Stu suggested we came back to spend
the night some time. He thought that a night at the inn would
provide great material for another chapter. For once I was putting my sense of well-being and safety before a potential ghost story, there was no way I wanted to be anywhere near the
place as darkness fell. I instantly dismissed the suggestion (at least for the time-being …)
We headed back to the schoolhouse for lunch and what we
hoped would be a lazy afternoon. We were soon to discover
that we needn’t have driven the twenty mile trip to Greenbark, as there was enough ghostly activity to keep us busy at home.
As soon as we sat in the classroom, my friend by the fire-
place began flashing his spirit light. I suggested that we get out The Boys 95
the pendulum, to see if we could ascertain who was trying to
get my attention.
The answers to our questions came thick and fast. The
ghost I’d encountered the day before was quick to make con-
tact, identifying himself as a thirteen year-old boy. He con-
firmed that he had been a student at the school in the 1940’s, until his death in 1947.
We discovered that he was not alone, as his ten year old
brother was also in tow. Together they remained within the
confines of the schoolhouse, thriving on the frequent influx of house guests. They were happy to remain in the environment
they had happily inhabited in life, and felt no desire to leave.
Thinking of my friend, Paula, whose gift is helping spirits
to cross over, I asked if they would like me to introduce them to a lady who would help them go into the light. I suggested
that perhaps their parents were already there waiting for them.
But the youngsters were adamant, assuring us that they were
happy and felt no need move on.
Although they had no idea where there parents were, they
didn’t seem particularly perturbed. Time had become inconse-
quential, and the sixty odd years they had spent inhabiting the schoolhouse felt like just another day. They expected that they would meet up with their parents in due course, and didn’t
feel as though they needed to be hurried along.
Further questioning revealed that the boys were buried
locally, in the old cemetery a little over twelve miles away.
When I asked if they would like us to visit their graves, they answered with a strong and undeniable “YES!”
We agreed to head to the cemetery immediately, eager to
find some proof that the two boys had really existed. We also
wanted to honour them by visiting the site of their graves.
96 The Boys
“Are you coming too?” I asked them.
As soon as I asked the question, I was overwhelmed by
heat spreading over the middle of my back. It was intense yet
comforting, and felt as though a hot water bottle had been
placed halfway down my spine.
Since the air conditioner was directly behind me, my first
thought was that one of the children had changed the setting
from cold to hot. As the outside temperature was nudging
a hundred degrees, I sprung up to switch it back. It was hot
enough without having the heater on!
As I moved towards the air-conditioner, I was met with a
continuous stream of cold air. So then where was the heat coming from?
Of course my know-all inner voice answered the question
straight away.
It’s the boys! They’re coming with you!
I asked Vlasta if she could feel the heat radiating off my
back. She placed her hand to where I indicated and confirmed
it right away. It seemed the boys were ready for the car trip.
“Right then,” I said. “Let’s go and find your graves!”
We bundled into the car and made the twenty minute trip,
full of expectation. The boys indicated that they were buried in the Anglican section, which narrowed down our search.
We scoured headstone after headstone, studying every
grave. We looked for the key dates they had given us; for graves which held two brothers. The longer we searched, the more dis-heartened we became. We just couldn’t find their graves.
The smattering of unmarked plots made our goal seem
even more improbable. What if they were lying in one of the unmarked graves? What if we’d passed by them without a glance, oblivious to their final resting place?
The Boys 97
After an hour we conceded defeat and headed back to the
schoolhouse to work out what we should do next. We hoped
the boys were pleased that we had at least visited the grave-
yard and weren’t upset that we didn’t find their graves.
On the way back to the schoolhouse we decided to let the
boys prove
themselves in another way. We would let them
move the table!
We set up the table as soon as we got back. We lit a white
candle and prayed for God’s protection, after which we invited the boys to draw in close to us. In no time at all the table
began rocking; the boys’ delight was palpable! The table shud-
dered and rocked, light taps came from within. There was no
doubt that our ghostly friends were in their element, relishing the attention they had been denied for sixty years.
When we asked the boys to try and blow out the candle,
it instantly leaned to one side.
After a raucous few minutes, their energy began to die
down. The table began to resume its stillness as it came to
98 The Boys
a gentle stop. We thanked the boys for joining us and asked
whether they had the energy to fulfil two final requests.
Firstly, I asked whether they would be able to blow out the
candle. Camera poised, I counted to three …
I saw a spirit light move to the left of the candle and on
three it leaned towards the right. Whilst not managing to
extinguish the candle, I still praised our friend for his obvious attempt at fulfilling my request.
To conclude I asked the boys if they would be good
enough to appear beside us in a photo. Not surprisingly, they
once again complied. My daughter Claire took the photograph
of Vlasta and I sitting at the table; the boys shining behind us as large, unmistakable orbs. The older of the two seemed to
be a more vivid, dominant energy, as the photos we took that
weekend invariably show a larger, more radiant orb with a less distinct energy close by.
Upon asking the boys to stand behind me for a photo,
they were happy to present themselves as orbs. In all the photos we took during the visit, the older boy seemed to consistently manifest more vividly than his younger brother.
The Boys 99
For the rest of the weekend we felt as though we had two
extra housemates, as the boys’ energy remained obvious for
the duration of our stay. We continued chatting to them via
the pendulum, which led to many mirthful exchanges. At one
point they informed me that they didn’t particularly like my
music and thought that we drank too much wine! By the time
we were set to leave, I felt as though I was saying goodbye to two dear friends.
My family were already waiting in the car when I ran back
into the school house for a final goodbye.
“Thanks for everything darlings, I’ve really loved meeting
you! Can you make a noise for me to say goodbye?”
A noise came from the ceiling immediately after I’d asked .
Crack!
“Again?”
Crack!
“I know you don’t want to cross over, but can I at least
bring my friend, Paula to come and talk to you?”
I waited for a sign.
“If you’d like me to come back with Paula, please make
another noise …”
CRACK!
I could barely contain my happiness as I promised that I’d
be back. And as a final request, I asked for one last photo.
“Please give me a last little sign,” I asked. “Just one more
photo before I go …”
I pointed the camera towards the fireplace where we first
met, with no doubt at all that the boys were close by. And as
much as I expected to see them in the photo, I was overcome
with emotion to see their shining orbs.
100 The Boys
I felt a wrench as I walked out of the schoolroom. And just
as I reached the doorway, I turned towards the emptiness, sur-
prising myself by the words which flew from my mouth.
“I love you!” I called out. “I promise I’ll be back!”
As I ran inside for a final farewell, I asked the boys to
show themselves one last time. With one quick snap,
there they were; sitting on the floor in front of the lounge.
As we pulled out of the long, dusty driveway, I had no
doubt whatsoever that the boys and I would meet again. And I
just couldn’t wait to introduce them to Paula
chapter thirteen
H a u n t e d T h e a t e r s
Three months after the investigation in Carinup, I was lucky
enough to have another opportunity to attend a ghost hunt
with Tony G. The evening was arranged by a reporter from
the West Australian newspaper, Matilda. I had met Matilda
a couple of months earlier, when she came to interview me
about the poltergeist encounter in Carinup. That meeting set
into motion several encounters with Matilda’s father, Matt,
who passed away five years earlier. As such Matilda and my
friendship was fast-tracked, we bonded much more quickly
than new friends usually would. Now here we were, ready to
initiate contact with the spirit realms once again.
Completing the investigative team were Tony’s business
manager, Glenda, my husband Stuart and Matilda’s friend Elea-
nor.
Matilda selected two locations for the investigation, both
old theatres with reports of paranormal activity. It is thought that theatres commonly attract ghostly energies, as the ghosts 101
102 Haunted Theaters
thrive on the bustling atmosphere and the steady influx of
patrons. It’s also thought that those who were passionate
about their theatrical pursuits in life, continue to nurture this passion after death. As such, old actors and theatre buffs often choose to remain in the environment which gave them so
much joy.
We met at the Garrick Theatre just as it was getting dark
and were greeted by the president and two young committee
members. They proceeded to tell us about some of the strange
occurrences which seem to frequent the theatre. They were
convinced that it was haunted; possibly due to the fact that one of the star actors had suffered a heart attack and died on the stage several years ago. Their account gained all the more credibility as I photographed the stage; a large orb hovered above one of the young men’s head’s as he spoke of their suspicions.
In accordance with Tony’s usual approach to investigat-
ing a haunting, he set off to scope the building and gauge the energy in each room. He returned some minutes later, confirming that there were numerous entities lingering towards
the rear of the building. Since Matilda would be reporting on the evening’s events in the newspaper, Tony invited her backstage. Her voice-recorder and camera were primed, ready to
capture any evidence of paranormal phenomena.
It was a good twenty minutes later that we heard loud
footsteps, as Matilda hurried back to the front of the stage. She was flushed and breathing quickly.
“He was throwing things off the shelves! And he was
touching me …” she shuddered.
Haunted Theaters 103
Could this spirit orb be connected to the actor who died on stage?
Tony followed Matilda out from backstage and filled us in on
what had happened. The energy who had gravitated to Matil-
da’s side was not pleasant. Jimmy was a slight and wizened Irishman and had been a paedophile and alcoholic. Although he had
passed some seventy years ago, had not shaken his predilection for young girls. As an eighteen year-old, Matilda just managed to squeeze into his preferred age range,
whereas as forty-somethings Glenda and I were seemingly quite safe!
Matilda recounted that a hot uncomfortable energy moved
in beside her and described how her entire right side had felt as though it was burning. She said that the physical sensation was accompanied by an innate sense of creepiness, and the desire to get away. The objects flying off the shelves added to her alarm, and she was torn between staying for the sake of her story and 104 Haunted Theaters
bolting to safety. The latter won out and she returned to the
front of the stage.
Deciding we had fraternised with Jimmy and his cohorts
for long enough we bundled into our cars and set off for our
next destination; the Roleystone Theatre.
Since were running ahead of schedule, we stopped at a
secluded location along the way. We parked at the end of a
cul-de-sac, which led towards a bushland track bordered by a
dry, grassy field. Unbeknownst to Tony, it was where my hus-
band discovered the remains of a murder victim almost three
years earlier. The experience had left Stuart deeply shaken. He often wondered whether the spirit of the young woman in
question had managed to move on.
Tony and Stuart headed down the bush track, whilst the
rest of us remained close to the car. An eerie stillness seemed to settle around us.
Tony made a bee-line to where my husband discovered the
body, describing how Stuart had needed to remove overlying
logs to discover the remains. This was true, as the murderer
had tried to dispose of his victim’s body by placing it in a log-filled pit, which he then proceeded to set alight. Indeed it was his clumsy attempt at covering his tracks which were to be the murderer’s undoing, as the grass-fire which ensued attracted
the attentions of the local fire service.
Stuart was the fire fighter dealing with the smouldering
pit. Just prior to his grisly discovery, he was systematically removing the logs which obscured the body hidden underneath.
Tony went on to describe several details related to the
case, including the first initial of the victim’s name, all of which Stuart confirmed. It was heartening to discover that the Haunted Theaters 105
woman had guided Stuart towards discovering her remains,
and that she was grateful for the role he had played in bring-
ing her killer to justice. Tony also confirmed that although the woman had initially been earthbound, she had now crossed
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