Great Australian swindler, Mrs Livesey - 8 marriages 40 aliases and a prolific fraudster

Freda Marnie Nicholls reveals the life of a notorious fraudster and con-artist from 20th Century AustraliaFreda is a NSW sheep farmer and a former journalist.She was introduced to the story of Mrs Ethel Livesey by her friend, Ethel's grand-daughter. Freda quickly became consumed by mapping Ethel's extraordinary life.Ethel was at the centre of a major scandal in 1940s Sydney when her lavish society wedding was cancelled just hours before the ceremony.It was discovered that Ethel Livesey had eight official marriages, over forty aliases, and a long list of outstanding fraud charges against her.In her time she'd claimed to be a cotton heiress, a wartime spy, an opera singer, and a friend of the King's. She was none of those things. But she was a gifted imposter and a dangerous con-artist.Further information and listeningThe Amazing Mrs Livesey is published by Allen & UnwinA Conversations playlist: Crime, Criminals and the LawTo binge even more great episodes of the ‘Conversations podcast’ with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

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