For archaeologists, broken ginger beer bottles are a dime a dozen in the stratigraphy of the urban centres they excavate. Every now and then, one of those pieces of the past reveals more than just an assumed love of a brewed beverage. While familiarising herself with TMAG’s archaeological collections in recent months, Jody Steele noticed several stoneware objects with the same name emblazoned across them. The next few days sent her down a rabbit hole of research to learn about the man whose name was printed on the bottles. It turns out that he was a man of many hats (both literal and figurative) - a convict, a hatter, a publican, a brewer and a bellringer, an advocate, a racetrack habitué, a son, a husband, a father, and a Champion. This is his story
To view Jody's slide show while listening to her speak, click here