Team Niklas

In his hometown of Berlin, Germany, Niklas Wagner is a super star and when the Saints� pay the big bucks to sign him up and bring him to Santa Ana, California, Nik takes a shine to his new life. When he meets the Saints� media officer, Sasha Saxon, sparks fly literally.� But Sasha is not your average girl�by day she is a journalist who looks after the media for the national champion soccer team and at night she designs for her personal fashion label. She had big dreams and they don�t include a boyfriend.� Nik has never had to chase the girls but now he has met his match�Sasha is about to lead him on the biggest chase of his life. Meet the people who were often unwilling participants in the events that made headlines. In cemeteries throughout Australia, gravestones hint at our history - tales of early settlement, unsolved murders, love lost, mystery, tragedy, health epidemics, scandal and sacrifice. 'Grave Tales' reveals more than the headstone can ever convey by tracing the tumultuous journeys that lead to these final resting places. Journalists Helen Goltz and Chris Adams have taken a walk through some of Sydney's oldest cemeteries to get an insight into the incredible lives of personalities that may have lived in the same suburbs, streets, and even the same houses as exist now, or unexpectantly came to rest, in Sydney. Using gravestones as their starting points some highlights include: The story of Henry O'Farrell, our first would-be assassin who in 1868 tried to kill Queen Victoria's son. He failed and was executed with indecent haste, despite the fact he had long been suffering from a mental breakdown. The story of Australia's own 'Titanic' - the tragic deaths of all but one of the 122 passengers of the 'Dunbar', which crashed and sank as it pulled into Sydney Heads, at the end of its long journey from London. The sole survivor, James Johnson was found clinging to the rock ledges of The Gap amidst the debris of body parts in the sea below. The unremarkable grave of Patrick Brady - the man linked to the bizarre Coogee Shark Arm Murders of 1935 which gripped the country and remain unsolved today. Also featuring missing person Juanita Nielsen, poet Dorothea Mackellar and 'Mr Eternity' Arthur Stace, the book paints an incredible picture of Sydney's past; history colliding with the now. These are just some of the stories and personalities featured in the Grave Tales series. (c)2018 Helen Goltz and Chris Adams Annotation. Have we learnt anything from the ordinary people who were caught up in extraordinary Australian events and circumstances, and now rest in Sydney cemeteries?A recent report spotlighted the housing affordability crisis in Sydney where workers were being forced to live hours from their work. Was this forewarned by Juanita Nielsen and Mick Fowler 40 years ago when they campaigned to save areas for working class locals? Juanita lost her life as a result. Maggie Oliver trod the boards all over Australia in the 1860s. But when the curtain fell, her home life was one of domestic violence at the hands of husband, John. His employer, Mr Gougenheim, hearing of John's shameful treatment of Maggie, discharged him. Do we need more Mr Gougenheim's stepping up as Male Champions of Change against domestic violence?Henry O'Farrell was our first would-be assassin - he tried to kill Queen Victoria's son but failed and was executed with indecent haste. Today we would have recognised his mental illness ... wouldn't we? Are we more tolerant?History colliding with the now; these are just some of the stories and personalities featured in the Grave Tales series. Grave Tales: Sydney visits cemeteries to feature people who willingly or unwillingly were participants in events that made local and national headlines. They may have lived in the same suburbs, streets, and even the same houses as exist now, or unexpectantly came to rest in Sydney