In Black and WhiteIn Black and White

The "world's oldest lesbian"

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To the outside world, Monte Punshon was utterly respectable. But her perfect 19th-century diction disguised her wild past as a bad girl who hung out at edgy Melbourne bars and secret drag parties and was monitored in the lead-up to WWII by security services who suspected her Japanese teacher was a spy.

The ANU's Tessa Morris-Suzuki joins the show to talk about the woman dubbed "the world's oldest lesbian" after coming out at the age of 103.

Get the book at:

https://www.mup.com.au/books/a-secretive-century-paperback-softback

Like the show? Go to heraldsun.com.au/ibaw for more.

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In Black and White

From alleyway gangsters to cold war spies to eccentric entrepreneurs, Australian history is full of  
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