Executioners were once a critical component of the justice system in New South Wales. In an era when judges handed down death sentences as easily as they toasted the good health of the monarch, someone had to do the dirty work of the authorities. Join Rachel Franks for the story of Robert ‘Nosey Bob’ Howard, one of Australia’s longest serving hangmen. Today, the noseless hangman who sparked fear and fascination everywhere he went between 1876 and 1904 is largely forgotten, yet Howard is vital to understanding attitudes towards capital punishment in Australia. Howard’s story is also a critical chapter in the history of how generally enthusiastic spectators at early executions were overtaken by campaigners for the abolition of the death penalty. In this workshop, hear about some of the challenges, and a few of the surprises, of researching and writing a biography about a man most people wanted to forget.

Rachel Franks holds PhDs in Australian crime fiction from Central Queensland University and true crime texts from the University of Sydney. A qualified educator and librarian, her extensive work on crime fiction, true crime, popular culture and information science has been presented at numerous conferences as well as on radio and television. An award-winning writer, her research can be found in a wide variety of books, journals, magazines and online resources. She is the author of An Uncommon Hangman: The Life and Deaths of Robert ‘Nosey Bob’ Howard (NewSouth, 2022).

Zoom option:
Meeting ID: 849 0058 9945
Password: 630803
Join Zoom Meeting:bit.ly/BioWorkshop2022