Embracing the Spirits: True Stories of My Encounters With the Other Side by Barbara Parks (bill gates best books TXT) 📕

house’s history. She had to make some sense of the terrifying events that had transpired. Perhaps that way she could then finally let them go.

She discovered that an old recluse named George used to

live there, and had in fact died in the master bedroom. Had he been trying to scare off its more recent occupants in the belief they were intruders? Or was he simply evil?

Jodie tells me that she still sees her ex sister-in-law and that she continues to carry the scars of the night she encountered the Michelin Man. The house itself has since been knocked

down and in its place stands a stylish new residence. I’d hate to think what George would make of it, especially since it

superseded his beloved home. I have no doubt that if he disap-

proves, he will waste no time in letting someone know.

chapter twenty-nine

T h e G h o s t o f

G o v e r n m e n t H o u s e

When I tell people that I write about ghosts and the paranor-

mal, my revelation is generally met with one of two responses.

They either become instantly dismissive, or else they are

intrigued by my subject matter. Of the latter group, many

go on to tell me about paranormal experiences of their own.

Their stories are quite often captivating, and many find their way into the pages of one of my books. Others still, capture my imagination to the extent where I am eager to know more,

and they often set me off on a tangent of research. I think of little else for the duration of writing the chapter. The ghosts become so ingrained in my thoughts that it feels as though I

owe it to them to find about their history. It’s almost like a sense of obligation to share their stories with the world and work out why it is that these souls have remained earthbound.

Such was the case when I met Beryl, an elderly patient

with a firm belief in ghosts. She was eager to hear of my expe-243

244Ghost of the Government House

riences, and was just as enthusiastic to share her own. Work-

ing as a tour guide at the 150 year-old Government House

building, gave her quite a selection of stories to choose from.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the building was reputed to be a

stomping ground for ghosts.

One ghost in particular, however, was a doggedly persis-

tent presence. Rare was the tour that somebody didn’t report

encountering the mischievous ghost of Cyril; whose atten-

tions were more often than not directed at the ladies.

“He was quite the ladies’ man, you see,” chuckled Beryl.

“In fact, that’s exactly what got him into trouble!”

As the story went, Cyril’s womanising ways incurred the

wrath of his jilted fiancé, who shot him at point blank range during the annual St John of God Hospital Ball. It’s believed that Cyril has been haunting the ballroom ever since, and Beryl’s stories seem to suggest that this is indeed true.

There are numerous reports of people seeing a darting,

black-dressed figure, and indeed Cyril was dressed in a black

tuxedo at the time of his death. Others still, report being

touched, and of course, these claims invariably come from

women! The cold, ghostly fingers are reported to gently caress one’s cheek, or sometimes Cyril prefers to stroke the person’s hair or their neck. Cyril had also been known to place a definite hand on guests’ shoulders; a manifestation so alarming

that the person in question is often traumatised to the point of leaving mid-tour.

Beryl, however, found Cyril to be charming. Even though

his most spectacular ghostly displays were centred around her, Beryl refused to be frightened. She spoke of him with such

affection that I just had to know more. Who exactly was this

ghost and how long had he been prowling the halls of Govern-

Ghost of the Government House 245

ment House? Was he stuck and unable to move on? Or was he

happy creating mischief amongst the building’s female guests?

I decided to do some research to find out all I could about

Cyril.

Of course the murder had been quite a scandal, and accounts

of Cyril’s untimely demise dominated the news of the day. It

wasn’t hard uncovering the details of Cyril’s story, as the Government House murder was invariably plastered all over the front

page of the Australian papers. The more I delved into the newspaper archives, the more of a connection I felt with this tragic ghost. Given the circumstances of his death, it seemed unlikely he would be anything but earthbound.

Cyril Gidley was a twenty five year old marine engineer

when he met his untimely death in 1925.

This is a photograph of Cyril Gidley.

He was quite a handsome man!

246Ghost of the Government House

In the early hours of August 27th, Cyril’s one time fiancé,

Audrey Campbell Jacob (an attractive, twenty year-old art stu-

dent) approached him as he was dancing with another woman.

Reports from the evening state that Cyril had been pointedly

ignoring the love-sick Audrey all evening; a situation which led to the jilted Audrey feeling more and more incensed.

According to transcripts from the trial, Audrey had attended

the ball with a female friend, unaware that Cyril would be

attending. He had presumably terminated their engagement

some months earlier, by throwing Audrey’s ring into the ocean

in the midst of a heated argument. It is a point of contention as to whether the couple later reconciled, as some sources claim

that they did, whilst others believe that the relationship had been over for months. Audrey herself stated that they were still betrothed following the fateful argument, under the condition

that she kept their renewed engagement a secret.

Despite their supposed reconciliation, Cyril had become

more and more distant. His behaviour, in turn, inspired

Audrey to become what would be today be termed stalker-

ish, to the point where she would turn up on his boat without warning. According to those close to Cyril, she would make

increasingly irrational demands.

At one point, ( barely a week