Friday 5 November 7.30 pm
Lyn O’Grady
The Silver King and the Countess
This talk is about a significant 12 room mansion in Medindie and the story of Charles Rasp and his wife Agnes who lived there between 1887 and 1936. It includes a mystery that took 80 years to reveal, and a tragic love story – a tale like no other.
Most of us know about the founding of the Broken Hill Proprietary Co and that extreme wealth rewarded those who invested in the early stages of its then unknown prospects, and that it continued to reward others in later years.
It was Charles Rasp who found the outcrop that became the basis of such investments. He became rich, married a German waitress who worked at his favourite coffee house in Rundle Street and began the life of a gentleman of means.
Agnes found her way into the hearts of the social set of Adelaide with lavish balls and parties.
But – there is always a but in such stories – there was no happy ending for this epic love story! This confirms that every building has a story, if not a wealth of history, to enthral, inspire, and entertain.
Amateur historian and oral historian, Lyn O’Grady founded the Walkerville Historical Society in 1999, was on the committee for 18 years (until the society closed) and editor of its newsletter for that time. Awards include Walkerville’s Citizen of the Year, Heritage Hero and Walkerville’s Volunteer of the Year. Currently honorary local historian for the Walkerville district, she is historian and archivist for ketch FALIE in Port Adelaide, and council member of HSSA.