Wakool Crossing: a modern-day investigation into the mysterious death of a young woman in 1916

by Mike Richards

n November 1916, just a few years after federation and while Australia was at war in Europe, Hazel Hood, the beautiful 18-year-old daughter of a Riverina grazier, went to a local dance and never came home. Her mysterious disappearance caused a sensation in the district around the pioneer settlement of Wakool Crossing near the Victorian–New South Wales border.

The mystery further intensified when, a week later, Hazel's body — still clothed in her white party dress — was recovered from the Wakool river with a mark of violence upon her head, and her silk scarf tied tightly around her neck. Her disappearance was reported in major daily newspapers as far afield as Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide, but the mystery of what happened to her was never fully explained.

As a child in the Mallee in the 1950s, Mike Richards was told the story of Hazel Hood's tragic disappearance by his grandmother, Hazel's elder sister, who firmly believed she had been murdered. Now, almost 100 years after her death, the author takes us with him as he seeks to unravel the mystery and reveal the truth about what happened to Hazel Hood — an unassuming, fun-loving, and caring girl, and a favourite in the district.

Genres: History, Crime, True Crime

Paperback

First published August 22, 2012

Reviews

[Troy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Richards looks for answers to a mystery that has haunted his family for decades. He rakes over evidence for new clues. What he comes up with is interesting. The mystery is perhaps not conclusively solved but what Richards suggest fits the available evidence and raises questions of whether social mores at the time prevented a solution being found. Well worth a read.

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this awhile ago now but I found the book interesting. The story is the true accounting of a crime that took place in a bush, rural community in New South Wales (NSW) or border of Victoria/NSW. The mysterious unsolved murder of a young woman one night in 1916, and her family and community.

**1/2 stars.

[Dan Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic book. Very interesting if you know the small place names and locations visited. A great delve into life during the late 19th century in southern NSW.

[Monica]

Cecilia Ryan stated to have died 1976 , but her name was Evelyn Cecelia Ryan and she died in 1971.

[Saturday's Child · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story began as a sad family tragedy told to a young boy by his Nan. Almost a century later it become a mystery that the author has tried to solve in order to discover what really happened to his Great-Aunt. This is a very readable little book.

[Caroline Mckean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. It's not going to win any big literary awards, but it was a fabulous read. The crime of those early days - the mystery around it - was brought to life. It was so good learning what life might have been like at Wakool Crossing all those years ago.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly recommend it, so well written. Quite touching in the last few pages as he visits the Balranald cemetery & remarkable similarities in the various family members lives