- 7/2/2025
#CinemaJourney
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00:00Yeah, I'd be headed for play arts at an early age. I was a melancholy kid, so being that way,
00:10you look at the world a little differently. But I wanted to write from a very early age,
00:16that's really what I wanted to do. Nothing to do with acting or filmmaking.
00:20Actor Matt Nable is known for his gritty, tough guy roles.
00:27So I think it's wise that you leave now. On international and Australian screens.
00:33You're going up for a quickie, are you? Nable.
00:37Matt fell into acting after starting out as a professional rugby league player.
00:44From unconventional beginnings, he's now a director and writer,
00:48with several published novels to his name.
00:50I've been very goal orientated and that's why I've been prolific. I've been good at that.
00:58But that's not what fulfils me.
01:02What Matt values most is family.
01:06My mother had five kids under the age of seven when she was 27, so we all came very, very quickly.
01:12My father was in the army for 20 years, so we were moving every two years.
01:19But because we had each other, we became very close. And to this day,
01:23all the siblings are remarkably close.
01:30But 10 months ago, the close-knit Nable clan were rocked by some devastating news.
01:36When Matt's youngest brother, Aaron, was diagnosed with motor neuron disease.
01:40He's very ill. There's no cure for people who have MND, so it's difficult to bear witness to,
01:50because it's just that disease.
01:52It just takes everything. His mind's still there, but his body's failing him.
02:03He's always been interested in where we all sort of came from anyway,
02:06and so it'd be nice for him to know a little bit more about, or a lot more about, where we all came from
02:15before that disease takes its toll.
02:18STRIPPING BACK HIS FAMILY'S PAST
02:24So he just deserted. He left. With 14 kids.
02:27Matt uncovers tales of desertion and hardship.
02:31He's lost everything again. Okay, so he's going to jail.
02:35And a scandalous secret.
02:37None of these guys seen anything like my father. Nothing.
02:40That will upend... Jesus.
02:43...his whole family story.
02:45Did not see that coming at all.
02:48ες
02:54music
02:56熱湯
02:59As
03:05.
03:13Matt Nabel lives on the northern beaches of Sydney
03:29with his wife Cassandra and their three teenage children.
03:35Jos, are you going to go to the gym?
03:36Yes.
03:38I might go up there with you later.
03:40My family is my compass.
03:42My family is everything.
03:46I came into the world as a son and then you're a sibling
03:49and then you're a partner and you're a father.
03:52You're going to drop her to school?
03:53Well, I'll drop her to the bus stop.
03:55Okay.
03:56None of the stuff that happens outside of those things really matters.
04:01Born in Sydney in 1972, Matt is the second oldest of five children
04:06to Christine Jeffrey and David Nabel.
04:12On my father's side, you know, very significant Jewish side.
04:18His father, Lewis, somehow left the Jewish faith and married my grandmother.
04:24But beyond that, it's all really quite unknown.
04:28On my mother's side, I don't know a great deal about where they came from or how they got here.
04:35With very little knowledge of his maternal line, Matt's beginning his deep dive into his ancestry
04:41with his mum, Chris's family story.
04:45My mother, yeah, she's an angel.
04:47You know, going through what she's going through now with her youngest son.
04:51You know, she's at the coalface of it.
04:54She's there every day with him.
04:55So, yeah, it's difficult.
04:57It's heartbreaking to watch.
05:02I think my mother will be energised to get the leg out.
05:05I think that'll, you know, give her a little bit of a distraction with what she's going through at the moment.
05:11So, yeah.
05:12Hoping to shed some light on his genetic make-up, Matt's taken a DNA test.
05:22I'm not hoping for anything.
05:23I'm just really intrigued.
05:30To begin his journey, Matt has come to Sydney's Observatory Hill in the Historic Rocks area.
05:37Max, how are you, mate?
05:38I'm good.
05:38Good to meet you.
05:39To meet historian Max Burns-McCruvey, who's been looking into the origins of Matt's maternal line in Australia.
05:46So, Matt, let's look at your family tree on your mother's side.
05:51We'll start with you and move our way through.
05:54All right, so it's my mum and dad.
05:57It's my grandmother, grandfather.
05:59I don't know anything on that side.
06:01Okay.
06:02Really, what we're trying to get back to is this fellow here.
06:05Frederick.
06:06Frederick Henry.
06:07Right.
06:08Ever heard of him before?
06:09No idea who he is.
06:10Okay.
06:11Well, he's your four-times great-grandfather.
06:13Right.
06:14Okay.
06:14We're going to go all the way back to his life story.
06:17Right.
06:17And that's in London.
06:19Now, he's born in 1810, but we don't really see him appear on any documents until he's 20 years old.
06:26So, Frederick Henry was indicted for stealing on the 3rd of June.
06:37One handkerchief value, three shillings, the goods of John Lawford from his person, prisoner's defence.
06:45Oh, it's intoxicated.
06:48Guilty, age 20.
06:49He's going to be transported for life.
06:52He's going to be transported for life.
06:53They sent him to Australia.
06:55Correct.
06:55For that?
06:56Correct.
06:57To be sent here for stealing a handkerchief and getting life, it's hard to get your head around.
07:02Absolutely.
07:02I mean, the punishment just doesn't fit the crime.
07:04The government just doesn't have time for petty criminals, and they're seeing people like that as very useful to use as a labour force.
07:15So, one strike and you're out, down to Sydney, put them to work.
07:19Yeah, that seems excessive.
07:21We start to see a little bit more about his life as we get the passenger list.
07:27So, this is a convict ship.
07:28A list of male convicts by the ship.
07:31Lady Harwood arrived from England, 4th of March, 1831.
07:36There he is.
07:37Beauty.
07:38Right.
07:39Mm-hmm.
07:40Single R&W education.
07:43So, he can read and write.
07:43So, he can read and write.
07:44So, he's literate.
07:45Great.
07:46And here's his profession.
07:49He's an actor.
07:50There you go.
07:53What a clown.
07:55Aaron Stable.
07:56He's the only actor that appears on there.
07:58That's bizarre.
08:01Wow.
08:01Coach Cedric.
08:02And then, 1831, arrival.
08:04And he's arriving here in Sydney.
08:06Right.
08:07They're assigned to work parties or to masters.
08:12And we now know he was assigned to a guy called Lawrence Miles as a labourer.
08:19Yep.
08:19And who was Lawrence Miles?
08:21He was a landowner, was he?
08:23That's something you're going to have to find out.
08:24Okay, cool.
08:25No more acting for you, Freddie.
08:27All right, well then, let's go.
08:32The fact that he was an actor, yeah, it was a real shock.
08:36I'm the only actor I know of in my family, so it was a real surprise.
08:40He's an actor, yeah.
08:48Tracing the story of his convict ancestor, has brought Matt to the New England region of New South Wales.
08:58Historian David Roberts has information about Frederick Henry's life in servitude to wealthy settler, Lawrence Miles.
09:06OK, now Lawrence Miles has only been in the colony for a couple of years.
09:09He gets a very large number of convicts to work on his property in Dungog,
09:14on the Williams River in the Hunter Valley.
09:16And Frederick Henry is very much one member of a labour force
09:20responsible for clearing that land.
09:22So it's hard work.
09:22It's hard work for a 20-year-old Londoner.
09:24Yep.
09:25And an actor to do.
09:27I like doing that.
09:30Now, we don't know much about Frederick's career as a convict.
09:35He doesn't appear to have run afoul of his employer.
09:38He didn't come to the notice of the magistrates.
09:41Yep.
09:42And one of the benefits of that is that after 10 years,
09:44he's entitled to a little indulgence.
09:47A ticket of leave, which is 18th July 1841, is he free or...?
09:53No, he's not free.
09:54A ticket of leave is a type of parole,
09:56meaning that he no longer has to work as a convict for his employer.
10:00Yep.
10:01And it means that for the first time now,
10:02he can actually seek permission to marry.
10:06Right.
10:06OK.
10:07And he strikes it lucky.
10:08Oh.
10:08OK, Freddie.
10:09So I have another document here.
10:11Church of England Marriages, Parish of Dungog.
10:15Bride, Cecilia McGowan.
10:19OK, so Cecilia McGowan is your four-times great-grandmother.
10:23Right.
10:23She's Irish.
10:24She's about 15 years of age.
10:26So he's 33 and she's 15.
10:27She's 15.
10:29Frederick, what's going on?
10:31She comes out here with her sister.
10:33They're both teenagers.
10:34And they're part of this policy to bring more women into the colony.
10:37They need women to work and they need women...
10:39Build a population.
10:40Build a population.
10:41That's exactly what it is.
10:43In fact, they have a daughter,
10:45we think about eight months after the marriage.
10:47OK.
10:48Yep.
10:48So we'll skip forward the next stage of his career.
10:50Yeah.
10:51He receives a conditional pardon.
10:53OK, so he's free.
10:54He's free.
10:54That's it.
10:55And that brings us to the Tamworth region,
10:58to the Dungowan area.
11:00Right.
11:01That you see before you.
11:01And that's why we're here.
11:02OK.
11:03Dungowan is where he lays down his roots.
11:06And so he comes up here and what we know he does
11:08is he takes out a big lease of land...
11:09Yeah.
11:10..in order to run cattle.
11:11It seems as though he worked really, really hard.
11:13Yeah.
11:14And he did all right for himself.
11:16But that's the end of his story.
11:17But he is, of course, survived by children,
11:19including Elizabeth Henry,
11:20and she's your three-times great-grandmother.
11:23Right.
11:24And I think that's the next stage of your story.
11:26And so to find out more about her,
11:28I'd head into Tamworth over the hills
11:30and do some research in there, right?
11:32OK, that sounds great.
11:33OK.
11:33Well, I feel quite honestly quite proud of Frederick Henry,
11:44starting the way he did as a 20-year-old
11:46and having been given a life sentence
11:49for the petty crime that he committed
11:51to turn his life around and make a go of it in Australia.
11:54So I'm interested to see if that same sense of pride
12:01is going to apply to Elizabeth Henry.
12:04I've no idea.
12:07Tamworth is on Camilleroy country,
12:09one of the largest Indigenous nations.
12:13Camilleroy traditional lands
12:14cover around 75,000 square kilometres.
12:17Hi, Alicia.
12:19Hi, Matt.
12:20Matt's meeting with historian Alicia Simmons.
12:25Elizabeth Henry, at the time that you pick her up,
12:28she's a free settler.
12:29Yep.
12:30So she's living here and she meets a lovely man,
12:33your three-times great-grandfather, John Morgan.
12:35Right.
12:36John Morgan has just come from Ireland,
12:39and they're farming people, you know,
12:41so they start farming here.
12:43And they would have lived probably in a similar shack
12:46to something like this.
12:47Yep.
12:48And they have quite a few children.
12:50Right.
12:51So I've got a great document here from your family tree.
12:56Oh.
12:57Wow.
12:58Good word.
13:00OK, so there's one, 11, 12, 13, 14 kids.
13:05So, yeah, she's pregnant for a long time.
13:08She's from 1872 to...
13:10Yeah, wow, 17 years.
13:14I'd like to say that it's all a big, happy family.
13:18Yep.
13:19But we found something else in the archive.
13:21Right.
13:22If you want to have a little read of that.
13:26OK, New South Wales Police Gazette,
13:29Wednesday, 6th of June, 1888.
13:33Deserting wives and family.
13:36A warrant has been issued by the Tamworth Bench
13:39for the arrest of John Morgan,
13:41charged with leaving his youngest six children
13:44without adequate means of support.
13:47Left Tamworth by train for Sydney.
13:50His wife and family are unprovided for.
13:52So he just deserted.
13:53He left.
13:54He left.
13:55And left her with these...
13:57With 14 kids.
13:5814 kids.
14:01In mid-19th century Australia,
14:04it had become increasingly common for men
14:06to abandon their families.
14:10Newly arrived immigrants or former convicts
14:13often had limited ties to their new communities,
14:16allowing them to move on,
14:18leaving little trace.
14:19For the women and children left behind,
14:23there was no welfare net.
14:25To rectify this, in 1840,
14:28the New South Wales colonial government
14:30introduced the Deserted Wives and Children Act,
14:33compelling men to pay maintenance.
14:36In fact, the reason why there is legislation
14:40is because this is hitting epidemic proportions at this stage.
14:44People just deserting, right.
14:45Yeah.
14:46Gold hits and suddenly men go,
14:48wow, you know, with a bit of like, yeah,
14:51like luck, I can suddenly get very wealthy.
14:54But in this case, they actually find him in Melbourne.
14:58He's trading under his mother's name.
15:00Yep.
15:00OK, so he's given himself a false name.
15:02Right.
15:03OK.
15:04Bring him back to Tamworth,
15:05where he has to then provide maintenance
15:07for Elizabeth Henry.
15:09Does he do this?
15:11Absolutely not.
15:12Right.
15:13You know, he then leaves again.
15:16Yeah.
15:17You know, she's got infants and she's got young children,
15:22then she's got toddlers, then she's got teenagers.
15:25I've got three children and it ties me in knots.
15:29Yeah, it's just really hard on women.
15:31Really, really hard.
15:34Well, there's such a great story still here with John Morgan,
15:37so I reckon you should follow him west to Western Australia
15:41to a place called Southern Cross,
15:45kind of around the Kalgoorlie area,
15:47and that's where we pick up his story again.
15:49Right.
15:50Way, way out.
15:54I'm not real fond of John Morgan at this stage.
15:57I think that's a really unsavoury thing to do
16:00to a woman who's bore your 14 children.
16:04Look, there were five of us.
16:06So that was hectic.
16:07But nothing in comparison to what Elizabeth was confronted with.
16:14So, yeah, just filled with an enormous amount of respect
16:17for, you know, that lady
16:18and remarkable that that's how she lived.
16:21He's been gone now, you know,
16:48just over four months,
16:51so it's still very raw and, you know,
16:54hard to sort of process, you know,
16:57the disease he had and then what he went through.
17:02When he's gone,
17:03then you're left with the hole and the emptiness.
17:07And, you know, he left three little boys,
17:09which is the hardest thing to accept.
17:11They won't have their father.
17:13It's been a really difficult time
17:18and, yeah, we're getting through it the best we can.
17:27But, you know, he was really, really excited
17:29while I was doing this.
17:31So it's nice to be back
17:32and one of the things that was appealing
17:34was doing it for him.
17:35I can't tell him now how it unfolds, unfortunately,
17:41and so that's, you know, that's sad
17:43and it's disappointing,
17:44but I'm excited to find out, you know,
17:48what happens,
17:50where this all leads.
17:51Resuming his journey,
18:01Matt has come to the town of Southern Cross,
18:04370 kilometres east of Perth
18:06on the lands of the Gubberan people.
18:12It's where Matt's three times great-grandfather,
18:15John Morgan,
18:16arrived during the gold rush
18:17that began here in 1888.
18:20Welcome to Southern Cross.
18:21Lovely to be here.
18:23Local historian Monica Fairless
18:25has a pretty good idea
18:27why Morgan came here
18:28after deserting his family.
18:30Southern Cross is actually probably considered
18:32a good place to hide.
18:35In fact,
18:36around the same time that he came to town,
18:39we had a gentleman
18:41by the name of Frederick Deeming.
18:43Now, he was actually arrested
18:45because he had murdered his wife in Melbourne
18:49and he had murdered his wife and children
18:52back home in England.
18:54Right.
18:55Frederick Deeming,
18:56in some people's eyes,
18:58was a good candidate for Jack the Ripper.
19:01Really?
19:02And this is where he was found?
19:03Yes.
19:03He was arrested here in Southern Cross.
19:05But he's of no relation to you,
19:08so you don't have to worry about that.
19:10Southern Cross was just full of good men.
19:14Monica has found a court document
19:16that proves that Matt's three times great-grandfather
19:19was hiding out here too.
19:21OK, in the Supreme Court
19:24of Western Australia, 1894,
19:27between John Guilfoyle
19:29and William H. Morgan.
19:32The court case was about
19:33a sale of horse and harnesses.
19:37So essentially,
19:38William H. Morgan,
19:40we've found,
19:40is actually your three times great-grandfather.
19:43Right.
19:43He's using an alias.
19:45William instead of John, OK.
19:46Yeah, William Henry.
19:48Billy Morgan,
19:49smacks of mischief.
19:52We've got here
19:53as his profession,
19:55as a teamster.
19:56Right.
19:57So that's someone
19:58who's transporting goods and men.
20:01So they would have
20:02like a horse and cart sort of team.
20:03I have actually got a photo
20:05that I can show you as well.
20:07We don't know
20:09if any of these gentlemen
20:12are William Morgan,
20:14but he could very well be
20:15in this photo.
20:16Right.
20:17So this is a photo
20:18of the teamsters loading
20:20for Coolgardie.
20:21And that's around that same time.
20:23Yep.
20:25Well, none of them look like me.
20:27It's a bit hard to tell.
20:30It's OK.
20:30So this is six years on
20:31from when he left his family.
20:34Well, what that's made abundantly clear
20:37is that he didn't have any plans,
20:40I don't think, to go back.
20:41And so he's abandoned
20:42his wife and 14 children.
20:43Probably within two years
20:47the train line
20:48would have extended
20:49to Coolgardie.
20:50So his work
20:52would have diminished
20:53quite a bit.
20:54Yep.
20:54So he then
20:56leaves Southern Cross.
20:57Yeah.
20:57So if you'd like to find more,
21:01I suggest you head to Perth.
21:03Pick up the trial
21:04of Billy Morgan.
21:05OK.
21:08The opinion I have
21:09of my three times
21:10great-grandfather
21:11hasn't improved,
21:13to say the least.
21:15You know,
21:15he's left his wife
21:16and 14 kids
21:17high and dry.
21:18So, you know,
21:19it's a pretty
21:20reprehensible behaviour
21:21in any era.
21:23You've got 14 children,
21:24they all love you.
21:25You brought them
21:26into the world
21:26with your partner
21:27and there's no love like that.
21:29And it's just
21:30to walk away from that.
21:32I feel great sympathy
21:33for my three times
21:34great-grandmother.
21:35I think it's
21:35dealt a really,
21:36really tough card.
21:42Can Matt's
21:43three times
21:43great-grandfather
21:44redeem himself?
21:45Or will he continue
21:47to disappoint?
21:54Actor, director
21:55and writer
21:56Matt Mabel
21:57is in Perth
21:58to learn what became
21:59of his three times
22:00great-grandfather
22:01William Henry Morgan
22:02who deserted his wife
22:04and 14 children
22:06in Tamworth.
22:09Welcome to
22:10the State Records Office.
22:11We have the State Archives,
22:13wills and things like that.
22:15Very well organised.
22:16Yes, well,
22:17we have to keep
22:18everything in order.
22:19He's hoping
22:19Senior Archivist
22:20Gerard Foley
22:21can provide some answers.
22:25You should really read
22:27that document.
22:28Okay.
22:29From the Geraldton Guardian,
22:311921.
22:32Geraldton, okay.
22:34Death of a recluse.
22:35Well-known identity
22:38of the town
22:38in the person
22:39of William Henry Morgan
22:41who lived alone
22:41in a little house
22:42at the south end
22:43of Fitzgerald Street
22:44has died.
22:46Deceased,
22:47who was about
22:4884 years of age,
22:49came from New South Wales
22:50many years ago.
22:52He is believed
22:52to have
22:53some sons and daughters
22:54in New South Wales
22:55but apparently
22:56not communicated
22:57with them
22:57for some years.
22:58Okay.
23:03All right.
23:04Well,
23:04that's
23:05interesting.
23:08Death of a recluse
23:08is a pretty
23:10damning
23:11sort of
23:11headline.
23:13Apparently,
23:14when he did die,
23:15his body
23:16wasn't found
23:16for several days.
23:19Right.
23:20Well,
23:20that's sad.
23:21No-one visiting.
23:24No-one come
23:25to see him.
23:26But there's more
23:27to this story.
23:29This is the actual
23:30will,
23:30okay.
23:31He left about
23:32£1,100
23:34which was actually
23:35quite a good sum
23:37in 1921.
23:39Sort of over
23:39$100,000
23:40today.
23:43Residual trust fund
23:44in trust for such
23:45of them
23:45my daughter
23:46Margaret Morgan,
23:47my son
23:47John Frederick Morgan
23:48and my sons
23:49Arthur,
23:50Burnett Morgan,
23:51Joseph Patrick Morgan,
23:52William Henry Morgan
23:53and George Morgan
23:54as shall be living
23:56at my death
23:57as tenants
23:57in common
23:58in equal shares.
23:59But basically,
24:01what the point is,
24:03he's only left
24:04money
24:05to some
24:06of the children.
24:08Yeah.
24:08Not these two
24:09and not those ones.
24:11Right.
24:12Why did he do that?
24:13Well,
24:14it's a mystery,
24:15really,
24:16I guess,
24:16unless someone
24:17can point me
24:18to the evidence
24:19that they're not
24:20his children.
24:21Well,
24:21yeah,
24:22that is something
24:23that could be
24:24conjectured
24:25and there's also
24:26one person
24:27who's not
24:27mentioned in the will.
24:30Yes,
24:30that's right,
24:31he doesn't mention
24:31his wife.
24:32Yeah,
24:32so this is
24:33the photograph
24:34of Elizabeth,
24:36your great,
24:37great,
24:37great grandmother.
24:39So that's
24:40Elizabeth Henry,
24:41okay.
24:43Well,
24:43she's had a hard life.
24:45You know,
24:45these children
24:46when he leaves
24:46are tiny.
24:48His eldest
24:48when he leaves
24:49is,
24:51she's 16.
24:52It offers
24:53a lot of questions
24:54but no real
24:55definitive answers
24:56as to what
24:56happened here.
24:58Okay.
24:58His wife
25:00does go
25:01to court
25:02to get some money
25:04from the will.
25:06Widow,
25:06one pound per week
25:07to be paid
25:08out of the estate
25:09until the widow's death.
25:11So the money
25:12was kept
25:13in trust.
25:14Yeah.
25:14The other beneficiaries
25:16didn't actually
25:16take any money
25:18out of the will.
25:19Yeah.
25:19So the other children
25:20were looking
25:21after her
25:22and she dies
25:23in 1932
25:25Yeah.
25:26and she has received
25:27about 500 pounds.
25:29And what's that
25:30equivalent to
25:31these days?
25:33That's about
25:33$50,000.
25:35Okay.
25:35Well that's
25:37comforting
25:37that the children
25:38looked after their mother
25:39because she's
25:40obviously had
25:41a very, very hard life.
25:42That's right.
25:42That's good of them.
25:43Yeah.
25:44They must have
25:44loved their mum.
25:45Yeah, absolutely.
25:46Yeah.
25:48There's some
25:48sadness there
25:49with the way
25:50that he left
25:50the world.
25:52You know,
25:52by himself
25:53he died
25:54and it's a lonely
25:55way to die.
25:57And for him
25:58I'm sure
25:58he would have
25:59been conflicted
26:00about the choices
26:01that he's made
26:02and in the end
26:03he did what he could
26:04for those children.
26:06There is some
26:07sort of redemption
26:07in that
26:08and it speaks
26:09to the fact
26:09that he was
26:09actually thinking
26:10about them.
26:12You know,
26:13I'm much more
26:13reluctant to judge him
26:15today
26:16after learning
26:17all that
26:17than I was
26:18previous.
26:23The fact
26:24that those children
26:24looked after
26:25the mother
26:25the way they did,
26:26they loved their mother
26:27speaks to good people.
26:31You can draw
26:31a line between
26:34my siblings
26:36you know
26:37that there were
26:38five of us
26:44and
26:47we
26:48forged a really
26:50really strong bond
26:51and maybe
26:52that's a trait
26:53that has been
26:54passed on
26:55by these kids.
26:57I'd like to think
26:58that they shared
26:59a similar bond
27:00that would be nice
27:01to think that
27:01in the
27:02face of their
27:04hardship, yeah.
27:08Having found
27:09a sad tale
27:10of family desertion
27:11on his mother's
27:12side,
27:13Matt's turning
27:13his attention
27:14to his father's
27:15ancestors.
27:16In particular,
27:17he wants to
27:18investigate his
27:18Jewish heritage.
27:19church.
27:23My father
27:24actually came
27:24from real
27:25poverty,
27:26you know,
27:26like they had
27:27nothing.
27:27They lived in a,
27:28they called it
27:29dwelling,
27:29but it was a
27:30canvas sort
27:31of structure.
27:33From what I can
27:33understand,
27:34Lewis,
27:35my grandfather,
27:36left the Jewish
27:37faith.
27:39I also heard
27:40from my father
27:40that the Jewish
27:41side were quite
27:43wealthy in Brisbane
27:43at one point,
27:44so I'd like to
27:46know if that was
27:47the case,
27:47how it turned
27:48out the way it
27:48did from my
27:49father.
27:51With his
27:52father unwell,
27:53Matt's beginning
27:54his search into
27:55his paternal
27:55ancestry by
27:57joining his
27:57mum Chris on
27:58a video call.
28:00Chris has taken
28:01a particular
28:01interest in this
28:02part of the
28:03family history.
28:05Hello,
28:05mother.
28:07Hello,
28:08Matthew.
28:08How are you?
28:09I'm all right,
28:10love.
28:10How are you?
28:10Good.
28:11You've been
28:12walking in the
28:12footsteps of the
28:13relatives from the
28:15past.
28:15Yeah,
28:16yep.
28:16Well,
28:17now we're on to
28:17the Jewish
28:18side.
28:19Jewish side.
28:20Yeah,
28:20and you'll see
28:21some information
28:21on when you
28:22open up some
28:23documents you
28:24have.
28:25This is a
28:26marriage,
28:27yep,
28:28in the county
28:29of London.
28:29Okay,
28:30so this is in
28:30London.
28:30Yes.
28:31And in
28:321873,
28:34Abraham
28:35Nebu.
28:38Yeah,
28:39so we think
28:40that that
28:41spelling,
28:42Nebu,
28:42was just a
28:43misunderstanding
28:44from the
28:44person writing
28:45it down.
28:45He may
28:46very well
28:47have had
28:47an accent
28:48because they
28:49were European,
28:50like he
28:51was from
28:51Poland.
28:53They're
28:54Polish Jews?
28:55Yeah,
28:55yeah,
28:55yeah.
28:56Abraham,
28:5724,
28:59married Esther
29:00Levy,
29:0017.
29:01Abraham and
29:02Esther would
29:03be your
29:03great,
29:04great
29:04grandparents.
29:06They were
29:07tailors.
29:08Tailors,
29:09okay.
29:09Matt's
29:11Jewish roots
29:11are passed
29:12down through
29:12his father,
29:13David
29:14Nabal.
29:15His two
29:16times great
29:17grandparents
29:17were Esther
29:18Levy and
29:19Abraham
29:19Nabal,
29:20who migrated
29:21to England
29:22from Galicia,
29:23a region now
29:24part of Poland
29:24and Ukraine.
29:27The next thing
29:28you're looking at
29:29is a list
29:30of passengers
29:31on a ship.
29:32Okay.
29:33They came
29:34out from
29:35London
29:36to Melbourne
29:37but if you
29:38look at
29:39there you'll
29:39see Esther
29:40came and
29:42three children.
29:45So she
29:46was 28,
29:47David
29:48Nabal was
29:49nine,
29:50Solomon five
29:51and Morris
29:52one.
29:53And that's
29:54how it was
29:54actually spelt
29:55in the beginning
29:56Nabal and
29:57then changed
29:57to Nabal.
29:58Right.
29:59But there's
29:59no Abraham.
30:01He didn't
30:02come.
30:03No.
30:03What happened
30:03to Abraham?
30:04I don't know
30:05what happened
30:05to Abraham.
30:07I mean
30:07that'll be
30:08interesting
30:09to find out.
30:11Aaron would
30:12have loved
30:12all this.
30:13Well he just
30:14loved his
30:14history,
30:15he loved
30:15his bloodline
30:16didn't he?
30:17He always
30:17sort of said
30:18you know
30:18we're
30:19interested
30:20to follow
30:20the Jewish
30:21heritage.
30:22Yeah very much
30:22so.
30:23Well thanks
30:24mama.
30:25You can take
30:26your lipstick
30:26off now
30:27and go to
30:27bed.
30:28See you
30:28later.
30:29I love
30:30you.
30:31I love
30:31you too.
30:31Bye.
30:32See you
30:32later.
30:33Bye.
30:37To find
30:38out why
30:38Abraham
30:39wasn't on
30:39the ship
30:40with his
30:40family Matt
30:42has come to
30:42the State
30:43Library of
30:43Victoria in
30:44Melbourne.
30:46Have a seat
30:47mate.
30:47He's with
30:48historian Dr
30:49Sue Silberberg.
30:50Alright.
30:51So here's a
30:52picture of
30:52Abraham.
30:55Okay.
30:55It would
30:56be quite
30:56common in
30:57the 20th
30:58century that
30:58the father
30:59would come
30:59first.
31:00Right.
31:01So he's
31:01actually come
31:02out first.
31:02Well that's
31:03what we would
31:03assume.
31:04Right.
31:04And set
31:05himself up
31:06come into
31:07business make
31:08enough money
31:08to bring out
31:08the rest of
31:09the family.
31:10Well he's
31:10well dressed.
31:11He's a tailor.
31:12He's a tailor.
31:14I can't see any
31:15resemblance to
31:15anyone in my
31:17family at the
31:17moment.
31:18The family
31:19came in
31:19June 1883.
31:21They're coming
31:22to Melbourne
31:22at the height
31:23of the boom
31:24of Melbourne.
31:25Okay.
31:25So they're
31:26coming to a
31:26place of great
31:27prosperity.
31:28The first Jews
31:30arrived in Melbourne
31:30shortly after the
31:31city was founded
31:32in 1835.
31:35Establishing the
31:36first synagogue
31:36in 1847.
31:39Numbers
31:39increased during
31:40the Victorian
31:41gold rush as
31:42European Jews
31:43sought a better
31:44life.
31:46Many came
31:47from Russia
31:47and Poland
31:48fleeing
31:48persecution and
31:50discriminatory laws
31:51that had forced
31:52them to live in
31:52poverty.
31:54These new
31:55immigrants were
31:56often experienced
31:56tradesmen like
31:58Abraham Nabel.
32:02So he sets
32:03himself up as a
32:04tailor in Chapel
32:05Street but
32:06unfortunately things
32:07don't go quite well
32:08for him here.
32:09What's he done?
32:11The August
32:121885.
32:14Abraham Nabel
32:15of Chapel
32:15Street,
32:16Peran,
32:16Taylor,
32:17causes of
32:18insolvency,
32:19being unable to
32:20realise on
32:21stock and
32:22illness of
32:23self and
32:23family.
32:25So this is
32:27bankruptcy.
32:28Yes, now he
32:30owes a very large
32:31amount of money
32:32and his assets
32:33are very small.
32:34Yeah, so he
32:35owes 754 pounds
32:37and his assets
32:38are 84.
32:39Only 84 pounds.
32:40Yeah, that's not
32:41going to work,
32:41Abraham.
32:43Now that's
32:43enough money,
32:44his liabilities,
32:45to have built a
32:47substantial house.
32:48How has he created
32:49such an enormous
32:50debt?
32:51Oh, he's not a
32:52very good businessman.
32:54Unfortunately,
32:55he gets involved
32:56with somebody who's a
32:57very shady
32:58character.
33:00All right,
33:00Jacob Tyfield.
33:02So it appears
33:04that Abraham
33:05Nabal hasn't
33:06actually been
33:07keeping any
33:07books and
33:09Tyfield
33:10somehow convinces
33:12him to create
33:13new books that
33:14are completely
33:14fictitious,
33:15which is actually
33:16quite a significant
33:17crime compared
33:19to just
33:19becoming insolvent.
33:22Okay, so what
33:22happens to him?
33:24I'd like to show
33:25you another document.
33:26The Mount
33:28Alexander Mail
33:29on Wednesday,
33:30December 23,
33:311885.
33:33The case of
33:33Abraham Nabal,
33:34who pleaded
33:35guilty to several
33:36offences,
33:37came up for
33:37sentence today.
33:39His honour then
33:40sentenced him to
33:41nine months
33:41imprisonment.
33:43The prisoner's
33:43wife, who was
33:44in court,
33:44was greatly
33:45affected at the
33:46sentence and
33:47cried loudly
33:47as she was led
33:49away from the
33:50court.
33:51Abraham,
33:52Abraham.
33:52Okay, so he's
33:53going to jail.
33:54Now, one of the
33:55reasons his wife
33:56might have cried
33:57loudly, have a
33:59look at the date
34:00on this document.
34:02On the 29th of
34:03December, she gave
34:05birth to their
34:06fourth child.
34:08Oh, that's tough.
34:09And her husband
34:10was in prison,
34:11all their possessions
34:11had been taken,
34:13and they were
34:15destitute.
34:16So he goes to
34:18jail and does
34:19his time, and
34:20then what happens?
34:21And then the next
34:22document I can show
34:23you is this one.
34:25This is the
34:26bulletin, Saturday,
34:28February 10,
34:291894.
34:31Ten years after,
34:32almost.
34:32Nine years after.
34:34One Abraham
34:35Nabal, a
34:36would-be
34:36alderman of
34:37Parks, New
34:38South Wales.
34:39I have nothing to
34:40recommend me,
34:41except my
34:42ability, honesty,
34:44and experience.
34:46So he's running
34:46for...
34:47Local
34:48government.
34:50Honesty and
34:50experience.
34:51Well, he's got a
34:52criminal record, so I'm
34:53really interested to see
34:53how this turns out
34:55for Abraham.
34:57I think you're going
34:58to have to go to
34:58Parks to find out.
35:00Okay.
35:01Let's go to Parks.
35:05In Parks,
35:06Matt will discover
35:07that out of dark
35:08times, an ambitious
35:10young go-getter will
35:11lead the family
35:13forward.
35:13actor, director
35:23and writer
35:24Matt Nabal
35:25is following the
35:26story of his
35:26two-times
35:27great-grandfather
35:28Abraham Nabal.
35:31Nine years after
35:32a stint in prison,
35:33Abraham moved
35:34to Parks,
35:35New South Wales,
35:36home of the
35:37Wiradjuri people.
35:40Hey, Simone,
35:40how are you?
35:41Hi, Matt.
35:42Nice to meet you.
35:43Historian Simone
35:44Taylor has the
35:45result of Abraham's
35:46election bid.
35:48So, yes,
35:49in 1894,
35:51he ran for
35:52local council
35:53here in Parks
35:54and, unfortunately,
35:55he wasn't
35:56successful.
35:57He actually
35:58came last
35:59in the council
36:00elections.
36:01He only got
36:0270 votes.
36:03Right, okay, yeah.
36:04Like in Melbourne,
36:06he was a tailor
36:07here in Parks,
36:09but he hit a
36:10little bit of a
36:10snag fairly early
36:11on, not long
36:12after he came.
36:14This is Monday,
36:15October 16,
36:161893.
36:17Disastrous fire
36:18at Parks.
36:20Five buildings
36:21destroyed.
36:22A disastrous fire
36:23broke out this
36:24morning at 3.30
36:25at the Naval
36:26and Company's
36:27tailoring premises.
36:28the flames quickly
36:29spread to the
36:30AGS bank,
36:31though every effort
36:32was being put
36:33forward to
36:33extinguish them
36:33without success.
36:35So that's a big
36:36fire.
36:37So he's lost
36:38everything again.
36:39And this is
36:40following the fire,
36:42yeah.
36:42So there's really
36:45nothing left,
36:46is there?
36:47No, there's
36:47nothing.
36:47It's burnt to
36:48the ground.
36:49So what does
36:50he do?
36:51Now the fire was
36:52considered at the
36:53time suspicious.
36:55There were thoughts
36:56that it might have
36:57been arson.
36:58There was an
36:59inquest held in
37:00November of 1893
37:01and they couldn't
37:02determine the cause
37:04of the fire.
37:04Right.
37:05The family were
37:06able to get their
37:07insurance money paid
37:08out, which means
37:10that they were
37:10able to start
37:11again.
37:12Bit of shade
37:13around old
37:14Abraham at the
37:14moment, isn't
37:15there?
37:16And so he's got
37:17the insurance money,
37:18so what does he
37:19do?
37:19They do restart
37:20the business,
37:21but we have a
37:23different name for
37:24the business.
37:25Right.
37:25So I'll give you
37:26this advertisement
37:27here.
37:27Okay.
37:28The Western
37:29Herald, David,
37:31Nabel and Co,
37:32Merchant Tailors,
37:33from Keno's
37:34London, Burt
37:36Branch, Mitchell
37:37Street, Parks
37:38Branch, Clorinda
37:39Street, Sydney
37:40Branch, Castle
37:40Ray Street.
37:41Come and inspect
37:42our stock.
37:43All right, so
37:44he's got three
37:45stores now, Sydney
37:46Parks and one in
37:47Burke, yeah?
37:48So they seem to
37:49be doing quite
37:49well.
37:50Yeah, yeah, yeah,
37:50they have.
37:51The insurance
37:52payout must have
37:52been pretty handy
37:54then.
37:55Yes.
37:56So David, the
37:58son, is now in
37:59charge?
38:00Yes.
38:01So David's 20.
38:02He's your great
38:03grandfather.
38:04Yep.
38:05So another thing
38:05just to point out
38:06is this little line
38:07here, which says
38:08from Keno's
38:09London.
38:11David is
38:12advertising himself
38:14as being associated
38:15with quite a well-known
38:16tailor shop in London.
38:18Yeah.
38:18He was born in London.
38:20He was born in London.
38:21But he would have been
38:21nine years old when they
38:23came to Australia.
38:24So it's unlikely that
38:26he was involved in a
38:28tailor shop in London.
38:29Yeah.
38:30Divide by five,
38:31everything David
38:32Nabal says.
38:33Yeah, right.
38:35Which is so, like,
38:36seriously, that is so
38:37removed from my father.
38:39My father's very quiet
38:40and reserved.
38:40He would never, not only
38:42would he never think to
38:43do that, he would just
38:45go, no, I'm not, that's
38:46not who I am.
38:47You know, like, blowing
38:48his own trumpet.
38:49That's probably, well, I
38:50might do that.
38:52So I've got a portrait.
38:56Okay, so that's David.
38:57That's David as a young
38:58man.
38:58Yeah.
38:59So that's my father's
39:01grandfather.
39:04I can't see any
39:05resemblance to anyone.
39:07Although he dresses better
39:08than any of us.
39:10Good head of hair that my
39:11father missed out on, so.
39:15So what happened to
39:16Abraham?
39:16What was his fate?
39:17So they, they continue to
39:19operate the shop into the
39:20late 1890s.
39:22And we know in 1899,
39:24the family actually announced
39:26that they're leaving parks.
39:27David goes to Brisbane.
39:29Yep.
39:30And then Abraham goes back
39:32to Sydney.
39:33Okay, we'll be interesting
39:34to see what happens in
39:35Brisbane when he gets there
39:36and how that really relates
39:38to David's son, which is
39:40my grandfather, Lewis.
39:43David seems like he's really
39:44ambitious, entrepreneurial,
39:47obviously well-educated to do
39:49what he's doing.
39:51You know, my father was
39:53illiterate.
39:55You know, and he had
39:57nothing.
40:00David, you know, my
40:01great-grandfather embellishes
40:03to the point which is
40:04ridiculous, really.
40:06That trait, that is bold,
40:10that's not my father at all.
40:11It's just not in his nature
40:12to, quite frankly,
40:14bullshit like that.
40:17None of these guys said
40:18anything like my father.
40:19Nothing.
40:21And probably to none of us
40:22either.
40:23I'll be tackled.
40:34Okay, we'll come into the synagogue.
40:36Yep.
40:36Matt has travelled to Brisbane
40:37hoping to find a stronger
40:39connection to his Jewish
40:40great-grandfather,
40:42David Nabel.
40:43Yeah, it's the oldest
40:46running synagogue in
40:47Queensland.
40:48He's joining historian
40:49Geoff Ginn at the
40:51Brisbane Synagogue.
40:53David, in fact, moved to
40:54Ipswich, which is quite
40:55close to Brisbane.
40:56It's about 30 kilometres
40:57south-west of here.
40:58Yep.
40:58And what I've got as a
41:00document to show you
41:01is where he starts to work
41:03for a tailor in Ipswich
41:04called J.M.
41:06Parlane.
41:07Okay.
41:07So if you have a look at that.
41:09Queensland Times,
41:10Saturday, March 3rd, 1906.
41:14Mr. D. Nabel, J.M.
41:15Parlane, has the pleasure
41:17in announcing having engaged
41:19Mr. Nabel as Cutter.
41:21His experience in England
41:22and the colonies in high-grade
41:24tailoring places him in the
41:26front rank of his profession.
41:29It's interesting straight away
41:30his experience in England.
41:32There's no experience in
41:33England at all.
41:34Oh, look, no one's ever
41:35going to know, I guess.
41:36So he's continued that
41:37fanciful sort of story.
41:39And got himself a job.
41:42Yeah.
41:42So he seems to have really
41:43settled in in Ipswich.
41:45We've also got some
41:46interesting things happening
41:47in the political world
41:48at the time.
41:48Okay.
41:49So the following year,
41:50there was an election
41:51happening in May 1907.
41:53Mr. Blair at Ipswich.
41:56The Attorney General,
41:57the Honourable J.W.
41:59Blair last evening
41:59addressed the electors
42:01of Ipswich in Town Hall.
42:03So it's a gathering
42:04with the Attorney General,
42:06who's the local member.
42:07Yep.
42:08And you can see some names
42:09as you go down there.
42:10And you can see that
42:11David's employer is there.
42:12Yeah.
42:13Parlane.
42:13Parlane, yep.
42:14And perhaps the last name
42:15is the interesting one.
42:17Miss B. Meehan.
42:19Have you come across
42:19her before?
42:20No.
42:21Yeah, well, that's
42:22Bridget Meehan.
42:23And that's your
42:23great-grandmother.
42:25Right.
42:26Okay.
42:26So this is who
42:27David married.
42:28That's correct.
42:29She was actually
42:30the Secretary of the local
42:31campaign to re-elect Blair
42:33as the member
42:34for the Ipswich area.
42:35And so it's likely
42:36this is the kind of
42:37environment in which
42:37they met.
42:38Oh, interesting.
42:39Okay.
42:40And where's she from?
42:41She's an Ipswich girl
42:42from an Irish Catholic
42:43family in Ipswich.
42:44Yes.
42:44So we have a photograph
42:45of her.
42:46Okay.
42:46And this is Bridget Meehan
42:47when she was about 27
42:49at about the time
42:49of that election meeting.
42:51So that's my
42:52great-grandmother.
42:53That's right.
42:54With his Jewish background,
42:56she converted to Judaism
42:57in order to marry him.
42:58Okay.
42:59They were married here
43:00in the synagogue
43:00in 1911
43:01in this spot.
43:02Okay.
43:03Wow.
43:03She took the name
43:08Ruth as a mark
43:09of that conversion.
43:11Ruth.
43:11So she was Bridget
43:12and changed it to Ruth.
43:14So we have the
43:14marriage certificate here,
43:16which is the certificate
43:17that was related
43:18to the ceremony
43:20here at the synagogue.
43:21Okay.
43:21David Nabel,
43:22Taylor,
43:23age 39.
43:26Bridget,
43:26Ellen Meehan,
43:28she's 31.
43:29This is the religious
43:30ceremony of marriage.
43:32Right.
43:32But they'd already
43:33been married
43:33under a civic ceremony
43:34a year earlier.
43:36Right.
43:37And we have the certificate
43:37from that earlier marriage
43:38as well.
43:40So they're married
43:41at the civil registry
43:42in July 1910.
43:44Yep.
43:45What we also know
43:46is that she was
43:47two months pregnant
43:48at this time.
43:50Right.
43:51She was two months
43:51pregnant before the wedding.
43:55David.
43:55And by the time
43:57that they're married
43:58here in the synagogue,
43:59they also had a little baby
44:00with them.
44:01And that's Lewis.
44:02That's my grandfather.
44:03That's your grandfather.
44:04Okay.
44:05That's a very progressive
44:06way to live
44:07back in these times,
44:09being pregnant,
44:10not being married,
44:12particularly if she's Catholic.
44:13So it's likely
44:14that Bridget's
44:15a pretty independent-minded
44:16person.
44:17You know,
44:17she's secretary
44:19to the campaign committee
44:20to re-elect
44:20JW Blair.
44:22So she's obviously
44:24politically interested
44:25and active.
44:26It's a bit of a modern story,
44:27isn't it?
44:28Yep.
44:28Is that right?
44:36It's a really progressive
44:37sort of union
44:38for those times,
44:39which sort of speaks
44:40to two people
44:40that were very aware
44:42of who they were
44:42and what they wanted.
44:44It suggests
44:45very, very
44:46self-confident people.
44:48I don't know
44:49whether he's
44:50my type of person.
44:51Like I said,
44:52that rubs against
44:53the behaviour
44:53of my father,
44:54which is his,
44:55you know,
44:56that's his grandfather.
44:56It's just such
44:57a big shift.
44:59In the final stage
45:01of his ancestral search,
45:03Matt will make
45:03a shock discovery.
45:05A discovery
45:06that will rewrite
45:08his entire family story.
45:17Matt Nabel
45:18has discovered
45:19the story
45:20of his Jewish ancestors
45:21who were originally
45:22from Poland.
45:24His great-grandfather,
45:26David Nabel,
45:27was a tailor
45:27with a talent
45:28for self-promotion,
45:30who married
45:30Bridget Meehan,
45:31an Irish Catholic,
45:33in 1910.
45:35Their son,
45:35Louis,
45:36Matt's grandfather,
45:37was born
45:38seven months later.
45:40Hey, Sally,
45:41how are you?
45:42Hey, Matt.
45:42For the final leg
45:43of his ancestral journey.
45:45Come on in.
45:46Matt's meeting
45:47genealogist,
45:48I have some DNA results
45:48for you,
45:49and so we'll go through those.
45:49Okay.
45:50Now, there are some surprising results in there,
46:04so are you happy to continue?
46:06Yes, absolutely.
46:07Okay.
46:07Yep.
46:07So we'll bring this up.
46:11So we can see here
46:12we've got Scotland
46:13is 34%,
46:15got Ireland
46:16being 31%,
46:17and then we go down
46:19we've got England,
46:20then we've got
46:21a bit of Swedish
46:22and Denmark,
46:23also got some Wales
46:24in the mix,
46:25and then some...
46:27Norwegian.
46:27Norwegian as well.
46:29Okay.
46:30There is something
46:31missing there.
46:32What is that?
46:34Poland?
46:35No connection
46:37to Poland.
46:39There's no Jewish...
46:41Right.
46:41...blood there.
46:42I don't understand that,
46:43so I thought
46:44that they came from Poland,
46:46so what does
46:47that mean?
46:49So that means,
46:50so you know how
46:52Bridget was,
46:54she was two months pregnant
46:55when she,
46:56when they had
46:57the registry office marriage.
46:58Yeah.
46:59Well,
47:01the DNA results
47:02have shown
47:03that David
47:05Nabel is not
47:06the father
47:07of Lewis.
47:08Of Lewis,
47:09really?
47:12Yes.
47:13So,
47:14um...
47:16Wow.
47:18Jesus.
47:20Okay.
47:23Does...
47:24I wonder if David
47:24knows that.
47:26So we don't know
47:27who he's,
47:28the father.
47:28The father is
47:29obviously from...
47:31not from Poland.
47:32No.
47:32So we don't know
47:35where he's from?
47:37Well,
47:38at Ancestry,
47:39they have done
47:39the forensics,
47:41and so
47:42they have been
47:43actually able
47:44to pinpoint
47:44what happened.
47:46Okay.
47:46There are two candidates
47:48as the father
47:49for Lewis.
47:50Yep.
47:50Um,
47:51and they are brothers.
47:52Right.
47:53There is a man
47:54called James William Blair,
47:57who was in fact
47:58the Attorney General
47:59of Queensland.
47:59Oh, yeah,
48:00she was working
48:01for, um...
48:02That's right.
48:02...for him.
48:03Yes.
48:04Yeah.
48:04So I will show you
48:05a picture
48:05of James.
48:15That looks like
48:16my brother.
48:17Yep.
48:18The undeniable
48:19resemblance.
48:20So James
48:24had an older
48:24brother as well,
48:26um,
48:26Henry Gordon Blair.
48:28He was in fact
48:29a labourer.
48:30He lived
48:31in Ipswich.
48:32Um,
48:33at the time
48:34of Lewis's
48:35conception,
48:36he was 43,
48:37he was married
48:38and his wife
48:39was in fact
48:39five months pregnant.
48:41But
48:41they are our two.
48:43Is there a picture
48:44of him?
48:45No,
48:46he was so shy,
48:47he in fact
48:48didn't like
48:48his photos
48:49being taken,
48:50he's not a public
48:51figure,
48:51and I think
48:52preferred to stay
48:53out of the limelight.
48:56He's much more
48:56in line with
48:57what my father
48:58is like.
48:59So,
49:00um,
49:00the way
49:02that you can
49:03triangulate
49:04the results
49:04is then,
49:06um,
49:06having DNA tests
49:07from the two brothers.
49:09Right.
49:09So,
49:10um,
49:11Henry
49:11had four children.
49:13Mm-hmm.
49:13Um,
49:14James,
49:15William
49:15did not have
49:16any children.
49:17Right.
49:18So,
49:19in terms of
49:20researching the results,
49:21obviously we only
49:22have Henry
49:23to go by.
49:24Having done
49:25the research,
49:26Yeah.
49:27we,
49:28there is a
49:2897%
49:30chance
49:31that,
49:32um,
49:32Henry
49:33is,
49:34in fact,
49:35um,
49:36Lewis's father.
49:37Quiet one.
49:38That makes
49:39a lot of sense.
49:41Do we know
49:42whether
49:42Lewis
49:43knew that?
49:45We actually
49:46have no evidence
49:47whatsoever
49:48that
49:49anyone
49:50else knew.
49:54Jesus.
49:57There's a lot
49:58to get my head around,
49:59but it,
50:00it just,
50:00um,
50:01explains a lot.
50:03Yeah,
50:03it's,
50:03it's all quite scandalous,
50:04obviously,
50:05but it's,
50:06it answers a lot
50:07of questions
50:07as far as
50:08behaviour
50:09and personality
50:10that my father
50:12may have inherited.
50:14I was struggling
50:15with the jump
50:16between
50:16David
50:17and my father.
50:20Right.
50:21Yeah,
50:25that,
50:25that's a real,
50:28didn't,
50:28did not see
50:31that coming
50:32at all.
50:33But,
50:33Lewis,
50:34on his birth
50:35certificate,
50:36David,
50:36Nabel,
50:37is the
50:38nominated father.
50:39Father.
50:39Um,
50:40and Bridget was
50:40the informant,
50:41so she
50:42shared that
50:42information
50:43with the
50:43registry office.
50:45Wow.
50:46there's no
50:48Jewish blood
50:48in us
50:49at all.
50:51Nothing.
50:53No.
50:54Hmm.
50:55I just wonder
50:56whether or not
50:57David
50:58ever knew.
50:59And we've got
51:00no way
51:01of ever knowing.
51:03If Bridget was
51:04having an affair
51:05with a married man,
51:06like,
51:07you've got this
51:07single woman
51:08in that time,
51:11that,
51:11that was not good.
51:12So you never know
51:13if David didn't
51:13come along
51:14and say,
51:14here.
51:15I'll take care
51:16of you.
51:17I mean,
51:17you just don't
51:18know which way
51:18around it was.
51:19No,
51:20you don't.
51:20No,
51:21you don't.
51:22I'm sure my
51:22grandfather never
51:23knew and
51:24my father
51:25would know.
51:27Look,
51:27they don't,
51:28they would have
51:28no clue.
51:31Wild,
51:31man.
51:35Bless.
51:35Fuck.
51:39Jesus.
51:42I'm changing
51:42my name to
51:43Blair.
51:44Yeah.
51:45How I feel
51:51is shocked.
51:54And I kept
51:55saying this,
51:56the behaviour
51:56of David
51:57Nabal
51:58didn't ring
51:58true with
51:59how I've
52:00known my
52:01father.
52:04Henry Blair,
52:05who was in
52:06fact a really
52:07quiet man,
52:08that's much
52:09more in line
52:09with how I
52:12know my
52:12father.
52:12There are
52:20all sorts of
52:21scenarios in
52:21this.
52:22There's a
52:22scenario by
52:23which they
52:24did know
52:24and David
52:26put his
52:26hand up to
52:28marry Ruth,
52:29Bridget,
52:29back then.
52:30There's a
52:31scenario in
52:31which no one
52:32knows but me.
52:33a significant
52:39shift in
52:40the family
52:40story.
52:41But all
52:42those people
52:42on David's
52:43side that we
52:44thought were
52:44related to me
52:45somehow are
52:45no longer
52:45related at
52:47all.
52:50It's a hell
52:51of a yarn,
52:51you know,
52:51like I'm a
52:52writer and a
52:53storyteller and
52:53I could make
52:55this shit
52:55up.
52:58The toughest
52:58part is not
53:00being able to
53:01share it with
53:01my brother.
53:08That's,
53:08that's,
53:09you know,
53:10going back to
53:11this I knew
53:12I wouldn't be
53:12able to do
53:13that and
53:13um,
53:20that's the
53:20hardest part.
53:25that's the
53:36one.
53:36I
53:37remember
53:38that
53:38I
53:39saw
53:42working
53:43and
53:44I
53:44them
53:45and
53:46they
53:47could
53:47see what
53:48they
53:49years
53:50and
53:53them
53:54and
Recommended
51:30
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