The Mayor Of Tiny Town vs Australia's Shiftiest Showman – Part One

<p>From a digitised formerly secret Australian military intelligence file comes one of Forgotten Australia’s strangest stories. </p><p>In 1911-1912, from Sydney to Brisbane, Perth to Melbourne, and all points in between, Australia was enthralled by the little people entertainment troupe known as Tiny Town.</p><p>Everyone was especially fond its undisputed star, 'The Mayor of Tiny Town', aka 'The Turkish Tom Thumb', the incomparable small-man performer Hayati Hassid. </p><p>Yet how did this beloved celebrity - who also acted as editor of 'The Tiny Town Times' - become designated an enemy alien after the Great War broke out? </p><p>What did this dark twist have to do with showman and self-professed father of Australian aviation Frederick Hooper Jones? </p><p>And just where do genocidal Turkish sultan Abdul The Damned, legendary escapologist Harry Houdini and Aussie rock band The Angels fit into this picture? </p><p>Join me for a four-part deep dive that takes us from the harems of the dying Ottoman Empire to the roller-skating-mad London vaudeville scene, from a forgotten antipodean box office blockbuster to the controversial very earliest days of Australia aviation. </p><p>You won't believe your ears.</p><br><p>Apple -&nbsp;http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia</p><p>Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustralia</p><br><p>My new book <em>Hanging Ned Kelly</em> is out now and will make a cracker of a Christmas present.</p><p>You can read a free excerpt here - and get 26% off the RRP: https://affirmpress.com.au/publishing/hanging-ned-kelly/</p><br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>