The Myths of St Johns

 

St John's Cemetery and the reformatory ruins have attracted a great deal of attention over the years, from ghost stories in True Barossa Ghosts (gathered with good spirit) by Valerie Laughton to documentaries by Warwick Moss, plus websites, Facebook pages, you-tube videos and newspaper stories.

Research is being conducted by many paranormal teams, genealogists, independent researchers, paranormal enthusiasts and a myriad of journalists, reporters, and authors. Many of the stories currently found, particularly on the internet, are grossly distorted, personal points of view or lies. It isn't hard to dig for the truth about the place or its people, one only needs to venture into the Kapunda Public library or the museum archives to find the facts.

 

 Sorting fact from fiction. 

It is my goal to educate the masses of people interested in this location with facts not rumours, innuendo, or fiction.

Here are some of the rumours and fiction I have come across on the internet and through hearing stories from the public at the Cemetery.

 

·       Father Martin Murdered Ruby Bland - Myth

·       Father Martin Got Ruby Bland Pregnant - Myth

·       Babies were thrown in the reformatory furnace - Myth

·       Ruby hung herself - Myth

·       Vera was in the reformatory - Myth

·       A girl hung herself from the palm tree - Myth

·       A girl hung herself on the large tree in the field - Myth

·       The Girls were placed in the reformatory for being pregnant - Myth

·       Father Martin and nuns conducted abortions - Myth

·       Father Martin became crazed and killed everyone on-site, then himself - Myth

·       Nuns were killed - Myth

 

Obviously, some of these rumours are farfetched, some plain ridiculous, but all fuel the urban legend being perpetuated by misinformed individuals. I believe it is part of our job as Paranormal Investigators to educate people about the truth of this, and other locations, and to instate a feeling of respect for the cemetery and the people buried within, who all once lived, and now only have a tombstone to mark their life story.

The Truth:

• FACT - Father Martin did not kill Ruby Bland - Ruby died in the Kapunda Hospital from complications of what equates today to "gall bladder stones".
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• FACT   - No Girls died whilst in the reformatory.
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• FACT   - Ruby DID NOT die from hanging.
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• FACT - Vera was born after the reformatory had closed and was a local celebrity of sorts whose life can easily be traced in the Museum.
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• FACT - No one was hung from the palm tree - it would be mighty difficult to do so.... think about it.
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•  FACT - The large tree in the middle of the field has been estimated to not be old enough to have been there at the time of the reformatory, this rules out that tree being a "hanging tree".
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• FACT - There are no records of girls being placed in the reformatory for being pregnant, girls in such a state would have been placed in the Women's Asylum ( now the Migration Museum), instead girls in the Reformatory were usually in for breaking curfew and petty crimes.
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• FACT - Father Martin died of Senile Inertia, meaning, he became so senile he could no longer fend for himself, letters held by Peter Swann show that the Father lived on in the Presbytery of the Reformatory for another ten years after it closed, Former interns (girls) often came to check on him and help feed him, he died alone in his bed. He killed no one, although his state of mind is questioned in newspaper reports, it is because of his senility, not because he was a crazed schizophrenic madman, he was a man slowly losing who he was.
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• FACT - Nuns were never killed at the reformatory, however at least one Nun is buried in the Cemetery who had worked at St John's, but she died of natural causes and also worked at St Rose of Lima and the local Nunnery.
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• FACT - Ruby Bland was not one of the 87 Reformatory Girls who resided in the Reformatory over a span of 20 odd years.
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• FACT - Ruby Bland was a NURSE in Kapunda hospital. (documented in her sister's diary).
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• FACT - The Reformatory had been earmarked to close on the date of its closure 6 months previously, as stated publicly in South Australian Parliament records!

 

If you hear of any other crazy rumours or stories, please let me know by emailing eidolon@live.com.au and I will get to the bottom of it!