The latest episode of The Daily Advertiser's new podcast series, which examines the people at the heart of some of the incredible stories and events that have shaped the Riverina over the past 200 years, is available on Thursday.
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In the second installment of the six-part series, titled The Riv: A Podcast About People, listeners will hear about a story that has captivated audiences for centuries - the butcher from Wagga who claimed to be an Englishman that was heir to a fortune.
The Tichborne Claimant first came to the attention of writer Robyn Annear when she began researching the origins of the street names in Castlemaine, Victoria.
There was one road, Wimble Street, that she could not find the backstory on.
"The legend was that it was named after a carter, that is somebody who drove a cart on the government camp, and that his name was Wimble, the name of this street," Ms Annear tells The Daily Advertiser reporter Annie Lewis.
"The question was why would anybody name a street after them? And the answer supposedly was, well, he was really the Tichborne Claimant.
"That was just one of his aliases from an earlier time ... the question came to mind 'what or who is the Tichborne Claimant'."
Soon, Ms Annear found herself in the 19th century equivalent of a binge television series, as the case of the butcher from Wagga followed a path of crazy plot twists.
"What's most compelling to me in the story is about people's ability, including the Claimant's, to trick themselves and to enjoy being tricked,' she said.
"People would go in their thousands to see a foundation stone laid. So imagine the free entertainment that the Tichborne Claimant's story offered.
"Of course people were happy to pay a few pence or a few pounds to keep the entertainment going."
Ms Annear said she would have likely believed the Claimant if she had been alive when his case was in court.
To hear the full interview with Ms Annear, listen to episode three of The Riv: A Podcast about People, head to The Daily Advertiser's website.
New episodes will drop weekly on Thursdays at 1pm.
Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or your preferred podcast platform. Just search The Riv.
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