Sarah Bernhardt's Two Princes

Sarah Bernhardt wasn't always 'The Divine Sarah'. She despaired at 18 of ever becoming an actress, let alone a great one. Her mother told her that her acting was ridiculous and the distraught girl resigned from The Gymnase. This was a theatre which showed light comedies.

Bernhardt decided to go on a trip. She may have gone to Spain. She fell in love with the Belgian Prince Henri de Lignes, the great love of her life. He wanted to marry her but his family persuaded her that he would lose his inheritance and be looked down upon by society if she accepted. She gave him up.

She did have his son, however. Bernhardt called him Maurice. When Maurice was much older the prince officially recognised him and offered him his name and a large fortune. He decided to remain 'Bernhardt'.

There is a legend that Maurice and his father were catching a train but they'd lost the tickets. The ticket officer told the prince that he'd never heard of him. However, he knew the name 'Bernhardt' so they got on the train!

The Prince of Wales

Did 'the Divine Sarah' and Edward, Prince of Wales have an affair? Her granddaughter said that they were the best of friends. We will probably never know.
However, his first acknowledged mistress, Lily Langtry, certainly got quite jealous of the frizzy-haired, beautiful Frenchwoman.

The prince and the young actress often dined together in Paris. He also showered her with expensive jewellery and loved to go to her performances. When she went to London in 1879 the air was buzzing with gossip about the couple.

Lady Cavendish complained that Bernhardt was 'shameless' yet she was invited everywhere. She probably wasn't very happy about the speculation that Bernhardt and the prince were involved!

The only evidence of an affair seems to be that they spent many hours together and Bernhardt told her theatre manager that she was late because she was with the prince until the early hours of the morning.

Syria Lamonte, An Australian Opera Singer

A young barmaid working at Rules Restaurant in London was invited to make the first recording on flat disc for His Master's Voice. She had an excellent and large soprano voice. The year was 1898 and the song was 'Coming Through The Rye'. Her name was Syria Lamonte and she was an Australian opera singer. (Please see Tony Locantro's note).

This is the myth. Syria Lamonte worked as a singer at the restaurant, not a barmaid. She is probably turning in her grave at the very thought!

Born in Sydney, Lamonte was trained in opera by two highly skilled teachers, Madame Chambers and Signor Checi. They also taught Nellie Melba. The young and beautiful soprano soon started getting musical engagements. She sang at the Tivoli in Sydney at the beginning of her career. The Sydney Morning Herald described Lamonte as having 'a fine soprano voice.'

Lamonte sang in various opera companies in Australia and visited many capitals and country towns. According to The Brisbane Courier, she made 'a very favourable impression' in the opera 'In Town' and 'her vivacious singing of 'The Gay Parisian' was warmly applauded.'

The young opera singer decided to try her luck in London. She sang at music-halls there as well as the restaurant. She was also engaged for the opera 'Lohengrin' in Berlin. Lamonte sang in many countries, including Russia and America. Eventually she came back to Melbourne where she retired.

(The Tivoli, Sydney from The Dictionary of Sydney.org)

The History of Whiteleys

This is a Victorian story rather than an Edwardian one. However, I am going to include it here anyway. Read about it here: The History of Whiteleys.

Australia's Idol

There was Australian Idol and there was also 'Australia's Idol'. Read about Nellie Stewart.

Buy Attractive Scrubs at Blue Sky Scrubs

Medical professionals worldwide can now buy designer scrubs. These are only available online.  They can be bought in many different and attractive colors, including pink, lilac, and chocolate.  One pretty example is the Poppy hat - this is a bouffant style hat with 'blue sky flare'. Another very popular example is the Pixie hat.

There is no need to wear an unfashionable uniform any more.  If you are a medical professional, you can buy a very fashionable scrub uniform. These uniforms feature a slimming fit and two back pockets on the pants with matching stitching on the pocket of the tops.

You can also buy a fashionable lab coat.  These lab coats are made of wrinkle-free, protected cotton and feature a slimming cut and ample storage for such necessary items as notebooks and pens.  These coats will make you look attractive and confident.

Queensland's Worst Cyclone

Devastated banana plantation after Cyclone Larry

Before Cyclone Yasi and Cyclone Larry, there was Cyclone Mahina.  This cyclone struck with great force, killed hundreds of people and caused much devastation.  Unfortunately, it had been forgotten until the history of cyclones became news-worthy again.

Cyclone Mahina, a Category 5 cyclone, struck Bathurst Bay in North Queensland in 1899.  It brought powerful winds with it - they reached 175 mph.  The cyclone still holds the world record for the biggest storm surge of any cyclone.  This was between 13-14  metres or over 40 feet high.  Constable Kenny, an eye-witness, stated that he was camped on a ridge 40 ft above sea level.  He was inundated to the waist during the cyclone.

Over 400 people were killed by the cyclone.  These included the crews of a whole pearling fleet headed for Thursday Island.  The beach was strewn with dead fish, snakes and birds.  Fish and dolphins were found on top of high cliffs.

It was very lucky that few lives were lost in Cyclone Yasi and that it did not strike a city like Cairns. More preparation is certainly needed for these huge weather systems.

The Great Brisbane Flood of 1893

"Great sawn logs snatched from timber-yards and timber-getters, uprooted trees, tossing and tur ting; dead bullocks, dead sheep, dead horses; haystack after haystack, the half drowned family cat riding on the summit of one, a collection of bedraggled fowls on an- other, a pumpkin vine with a pumpkin at- tached adorning a third; sheds, panels of fencing, outhouses, whole houses, and snakes of all kinds colled on debris, all went floating and whirling past In cotinuous procession round bends, along reaches, away to the wide open bay and its beaches."
This is what Steele Rudd saw from his office window in February 1893.  The raging Brisbane river swept all before it.

After a long period of heavy rain, the river rose and almost 'washed away the city'.  The Indooroopilly Bridge, a strong structure which contained 1272 tonnes of iron, was destroyed.  Its designer, Mr Stanley, placed a loaded train on it and blocked the expansion rollers to prevent swaying but this was to no avail. This was not the only bridge that Brisbane lost in the flood.  Houses, barges, and other debris crashed into the Victoria Bridge which also went.


The business district was submerged. Queen Street was under water.  Businesses were devastated.  Whole suburbs were inundated.  Most of Auchenflower and Toowong were covered in water.  The water rose to the roof of Auchenflower Railway Station and the second level of the famous riverside Regatta Hotel.  People had to be rescued by boats.

The flood even devastated two storey buildings.  One large two storey house was actually lifted away by the force of the wind and rain which beat down on the city.  Telegraphic communication was cut and the ravaged city was practically isolated by the terrible flood.

Luckily, few deaths occurred,  The flood only caused eleven known deaths. Seven of those killed worked in an Ipswich colliery inundated by the Bremer River, a tributary of the Brisbane River.  Two hundred people were admitted to hospital.  


Many people fled their houses with their 'smalls' or belongings, terrified by the wind and rain.  Hundreds were probably left homeless by the incredibly high waters.


The economic cost of the flood reached the huge amount of two million pounds but the emotional loss was even more devastating for most 'Brisbanites'.