In Victorian London, a persistent rumour spread of a murderer who could leap between the city’s alleyways to avoid detection. Newspapers called him spring-heeled jack—one of the first ever urban legends. 

He wasn’t real, but the fears that inspired him were. Fears of rapidly changing urban spaces and the upheavals of industrialization.  

This week, we’re bringing you stories about similar mythical monsters—and what they reflect about the societies that create them.



Featuring stories by Joseph Sadlier, Milla Richardson, Azka Taruna, and Louis Murdoch.

In Victorian London, a persistent rumour spread of a murderer who could leap between the city’s alleyways to avoid detection. Newspapers called him spring-heeled jack—one of the first ever urban legends. 
He wasn’t real, but the fears that inspired him were. Fears of rapidly changing urban spaces and the upheavals of industrialization.  
This week, we’re bringing you stories about similar mythical monsters—and what they reflect about the societies that create them.
 
Featuring stories by Joseph Sadlier, Milla Richardson, Azka Taruna, and Louis Murdoch.

The Yarn is a podcast showcasing work from The Centre for Advancing Journalism at the University of Melbourne.  It features original reporting by students, content from The Citizen publication, as well as talks and events held by the Centre.  

The Yarn is a podcast showcasing work from The Centre for Advancing Journalism at the University of Melbourne.&nbsp; It features original reporting by students, content from The Citizen publication, as well as talks and events held by the Centre.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Yarn

The Yarn is a podcast out of the Centre for Advancing Journalism at the University of Melbourne.  It is mixed, produced and edited by students, and showcases student work at its best. 

 

 

The Yarn is a podcast out of the Centre for Advancing Journalism at the University of Melbourne.&nbsp; It is mixed, produced and edited by students, and showcases student work at its best.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
&nbsp;

Sci-Fi: Myths and Monsters

After President-elect Donald Trump's landslide win and a federal election looming, Australian politicians have lessons to learn from the US election.  

The Yarn spoke to two US political analysts, on different sides of the political aisle, to get a breakdown of the Republicans' success. 

Tim Lynch is a professor of American politics at the University of Melbourne.

Cory Alpert is a former Biden-Harris White House staffer, now a PhD student at the University of Melbourne. 

James Costa is a journalist at The Citizen. 

Elliot Rodriguez was the producer of this episode. Louisa Lim was the executive producer. 

American Flag image by Gordon Johnson, Pixabay. 

Map of Australia image by Free Vector Maps.

After President-elect Donald Trump's landslide win and a federal election looming, Australian politicians have lessons to learn from the US election.  
The Yarn spoke to two US political analysts, on different sides of the political aisle, to get a breakdown of the Republicans' success. 
Tim Lynch is a professor of American politics at the University of Melbourne.
Cory Alpert is a former Biden-Harris White House staffer, now a PhD student at the University of Melbourne. 
James Costa is a journalist at The Citizen. 
Elliot Rodriguez was the producer of this episode. Louisa Lim was the executive producer. 
American Flag image by Gordon Johnson, Pixabay. 
Map of Australia image by Free Vector Maps.

Special Report: US Election Postmortem 

The Harry Brookes Allen Museum is one of many collections at the University of Melbourne. The University has collected artefacts that has contributed to a wealth of knowledge that is vital to Melbourne, Australia and the world. 

But the way University scholars collected these artefacts was not always done in an ethical way. Reporter Haoyue Deng learns how a rare marsupial mole is the key to the forgotten people behind some of the University's collections. 

INTERVIEWEES: 
Rohan Long, Curator of the Harry Brookes Allen Museum at the University of Melbourne 
Emma Kowal, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology at Deakin University 

Inspiration for this episode was informed by the recently published book Dhoombak Goobgoowana: A History of Indigenous Australia by Ross L. Jones, Dr. James Waghorne, and Professor Marcia Langton of the University of Melbourne. If you would like to know more about The University of Melbourne’s response, you can download the book for free here.  

MUSIC CREDITS

Bird(Magpie) sound from Freesound

Bush walking from Freesound 

Mouse squeak from Pixabay 

Snake from Pixabay 

Eternality by Nathan Zammit from the Living Instruments Project 

Tundra by Jack Burmeister from the Living Instruments Project 

Marimba by Olivia Marsh from the Living Instruments Project 

The Harry Brookes Allen Museum is one of many collections at the University of Melbourne. The University has collected artefacts that has contributed to a wealth of knowledge that is vital to Melbourne, Australia and the world. 
But the way University scholars collected these artefacts was not always done in an ethical way. Reporter Haoyue Deng learns how a rare marsupial mole is the key to the forgotten people behind some of the University's collections. 
INTERVIEWEES: 
<ul>
<li>Rohan Long, Curator of the Harry Brookes Allen Museum at the University of Melbourne </li>
<li>Emma Kowal, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology at Deakin University </li>
</ul>
Inspiration for this episode was informed by the recently published book Dhoombak Goobgoowana: A History of Indigenous Australia by Ross L. Jones, Dr. James Waghorne, and Professor Marcia Langton of the University of Melbourne. If you would like to know more about The University of Melbourne’s response, you can download the book for free <a href="https://www.unimelb.edu.au/dhoombak-goobgoowana" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.unimelb.edu.au/dhoombak-goobgoowana&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1730522621986000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1gQVFQZpHXW1K-ZcqsX52H">here</a>.  
MUSIC CREDITS
Bird(Magpie) sound from Freesound
Bush walking from Freesound 
Mouse squeak from Pixabay 
Snake from Pixabay 
Eternality by Nathan Zammit from the Living Instruments Project 
Tundra by Jack Burmeister from the Living Instruments Project 
Marimba by Olivia Marsh from the Living Instruments Project

Uncurated: COLLECTORS

What would Australia look like if we had monkeys swinging around our cities? In the late 19th Century, a number of associations called “acclimatisation societies” sprung up across Australia with the goal of bringing familiar plants and animals to what the British colonists saw as an impoverished landscape. 

This episode explores the massive ecological transformation that shaped what the university’s environment looks like today, and how Indigenous knowledge about land preservation was ignored for decades.

INTERVIEWEES

Dr Pete Minard (historian of colonial science and environmental history)

Prof Lynette Russell AM (historian of Indigenous Australians and colonial anthropology)

SOUND ATTRIBUTIONS

axe chopping (in the forest) by Selector, accessible at www.freesound.org/s/410768, License: Creative Commons 0 1.0

Pied Currawong Strepera graculina by Sunny Tseng, accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/871215, License: Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commerical Share Alike 4.0

Grey Butcherbird Cracticus torquatus by Peter Boesman, accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/859826, License: Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commerical Share Alike 4.0

Australian Raven Corvus coronoides by Zebedee Muller, accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/801431, License: Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commerical Share Alike 4.0

Laughing Kookaburra Daceolo novaguineae by Ken George, accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/858185, License: Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commerical Share Alike 4.0

Common Myna Acridotheres tristis by Greg McLachlan, accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/331396, License: Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commerical Share Alike 4.0

Peace Piano song by Calvin Clavier. https://pixabay.com/music/modern-classical-peace-piano-song-216338/

Birds and Insects near Dam - Cathedral Ranges by Sassaby, accessible at freesound.org/s/427877, License: Creative Commons 0 1.0

180081 Sheep Farm 01 by FST18008, accessible at https://freesound.org/s/441801, License: Attribution 4.0

Cinematic rythmline by SamuelFJohanns from Pixabay

What would Australia look like if we had monkeys swinging around our cities? In the late 19th Century, a number of associations called “acclimatisation societies” sprung up across Australia with the goal of bringing familiar plants and animals to what the British colonists saw as an impoverished landscape. 
This episode explores the massive ecological transformation that shaped what the university’s environment looks like today, and how Indigenous knowledge about land preservation was ignored for decades.
INTERVIEWEES
Dr Pete Minard (historian of colonial science and environmental history)
Prof Lynette Russell AM (historian of Indigenous Australians and colonial anthropology)
SOUND ATTRIBUTIONS
axe chopping (in the forest) by Selector, accessible at<a href="http://www.freesound.org/s/410768" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.freesound.org/s/410768&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1729928023037000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3L8OuuMlw_rXDBdNk_yoId"> www.freesound.org/s/410768</a>, License: Creative Commons 0 1.0
Pied Currawong Strepera graculina by Sunny Tseng, accessible at<a href="http://www.xeno-canto.org/871215" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.xeno-canto.org/871215&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1729928023037000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1vzRQtCgH2rKkn_6ADQDtL"> www.xeno-canto.org/871215</a>, License: Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commerical Share Alike 4.0
Grey Butcherbird Cracticus torquatus by Peter Boesman, accessible at<a href="http://www.xeno-canto.org/859826" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.xeno-canto.org/859826&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1729928023037000&amp;usg=AOvVaw051vSLht5IomKGbpusxdwP"> www.xeno-canto.org/859826</a>, License: Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commerical Share Alike 4.0
Australian Raven Corvus coronoides by Zebedee Muller, accessible at<a href="http://www.xeno-canto.org/801431" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.xeno-canto.org/801431&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1729928023037000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2T5nu02qr12K95YdEARGrI"> www.xeno-canto.org/801431</a>, License: Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commerical Share Alike 4.0
Laughing Kookaburra Daceolo novaguineae by Ken George, accessible at<a href="http://www.xeno-canto.org/858185" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.xeno-canto.org/858185&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1729928023037000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2onlmRsTzJBhs-kswrdj1J"> www.xeno-canto.org/858185</a>, License: Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commerical Share Alike 4.0
Common Myna Acridotheres tristis by Greg McLachlan, accessible at<a href="http://www.xeno-canto.org/331396" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.xeno-canto.org/331396&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1729928023037000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2yeqVpyzOJcGuMVFGg5bYG"> www.xeno-canto.org/331396</a>, License: Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commerical Share Alike 4.0
Peace Piano song by Calvin Clavier. <a href="https://pixabay.com/music/modern-classical-peace-piano-song-216338/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://pixabay.com/music/modern-classical-peace-piano-song-216338/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1729928023037000&amp;usg=AOvVaw106sYOyK2AYh-pPI2px5U2">https://pixabay.com/music/modern-classical-peace-piano-song-216338/</a> 
Birds and Insects near Dam - Cathedral Ranges by Sassaby, accessible at <a href="http://freesound.org/s/427877" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://freesound.org/s/427877&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1729928023037000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1UJDrC9O4gF27ZJmZbEQVT">freesound.org/s/427877</a>, License: Creative Commons 0 1.0
180081 Sheep Farm 01 by FST18008, accessible at <a href="https://freesound.org/s/441801" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://freesound.org/s/441801&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1729928023037000&amp;usg=AOvVaw37YRLziPH1PsQrgZzFW1SC">https://freesound.org/s/441801</a>, License: Attribution 4.0
Cinematic rythmline by SamuelFJohanns from Pixabay

Sci-Fi: Myths and Monsters

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