Embracing the Spirits: True Stories of My Encounters With the Other Side (8 page)

come out and say
Hi?”

I took a photograph which revealed absolutely nothing;

surprising since I was sure that the basement was swarming

with ghosts.

Just then, I saw the familiar little figure from upstairs dart into a small anteroom, and walked over to the doorway to

take a look.

“Don’t be scared darling,” I said. “We just want to make

sure that you’re OK.”

I took a photo of the doorway of the small room, and

was rewarded with the same glowing orb I’d captured on the

upstairs landing.

“Lovely!” I said, thanking the little soul for appearing. “But I do know there are many more of you down here. Now’s

your chance to make yourselves known to us.”

I encouraged the ghosts to come out from where they were

hiding, telling them we would love it if they’d appear in our photos. It didn’t take much persuasion for the basement ghosts to comply, and before long before we had camera full of amazing photographs. The orbs seemed to be everywhere!

So from the first photo which showed absolutely nothing,

we went on to capture photo after photo of literally dozens of beautiful orbs. The atmosphere suddenly began to feel joyous;

we could palpably feel the presence of spirits.

60 The Heritage Hotel

Our little spirit friend from upstairs followed us to the basement

“This is where they used to store the kegs of beer, you know,”

laughed Rose. “I think they might be down here partying!”

I entirely agreed, as the vibe in the basement was one of

merriment and joy. I also suspected that since the basement

was the only part of the hotel which hadn’t been renovated,

the spirits were gravitating to the place which remained as it had been when they were alive.

Wishing to develop more of a rapport with the hotel’s spir-

its, I asked if I could have a photo taken with them. Kelly and I stood with our backs to where we could feel the most activity

and asked them to step forward into the photo.

“And …” I joked, “I want whoever likes me the most to

come and stand next to me so I can put my arm around you!”

I extended my arm as if there was someone beside me, and

Hayley took the shot.

When we saw the orbs beside me, we couldn’t help laugh-

ing. It seemed I had two ghostly admirers
.
One had positioned itself on my extended arm, and the other was sitting just

The Heritage Hotel 61

beneath the fur collar of my coat. There were also at least a

dozen more orbs floating around beside us, eager to show them-

selves. It really felt as though we were partying with friends.

With arm outstretched to embrace the spirits, I am pictured with my
friend, Kelly (and my new friends from the basement!)

We opened the door to a storeroom, which housed a pair

of striking throne-like chairs. Although they were falling apart with age, they were still breathtaking. Their beautifully carved golden frames were upholstered with striped gold and white

velvet.

“Wow!” I said. “Who wants to come and pose in these

chairs?”

It seems there were quite a few takers, as when I snapped

the photo, the chairs were surrounded by glowing orbs. Again,

we began to laugh. It really felt as though we were hanging

out with a group of eager-to-please friends.

62 The Heritage Hotel

Eager to please, the spirits gather around the old chairs.

A moment later I saw a large ball of light zip across the

basement. It flew right in front of us and then seemed to disappear through the wall. Most amazing of all was the fact that Kelly saw it too. She was thrilled to have experienced her first ghostly sighting, and by seeing the light with her naked eye, it validated our orb photos all the more.

Meanwhile Karen’s infrared camera was of course going

berserk, as it captured a dazzling display of darting, iridescent spirit energy. We were totally surrounded!

After half an hour or so, we decided to return upstairs to

conduct a séance. We invited our new friends to join us if they wanted to connect with us further.

Since the new clinic was yet to be furnished, we scoured

the storerooms for makeshift chairs. Finding an esky and some

large boxes, we proceeded to seat ourselves around the table.

In no time at all, the little child who had been following

us around took the opportunity to come through. Although

she seemed a little guarded at first, she became increasingly

The Heritage Hotel 63

bolstered as the communication went on. Since she had con-

nected with me from the moment I arrived, it seemed she had

assumed the role of spokesperson for the rest of the hotel’s ghosts.

In addition to putting on an impressive display of table-tip-

ping, our young friend was also a wonderful communicator.

She held nothing back, answering our questions with candour

and aplomb.

She told us that her name was Mary and that she had been

in the hotel for more than seventy years. Many of her fam-

ily and friends were there also, so she had no desire to leave.

When asked how many of them there were, Mary responded

that there were ninety five
people
in the basement, most of whom were hanging around for the beer! It was obvious that

we hadn’t imagined the party atmosphere, the bowels of the

building were well and truly buzzing.

When Rose asked Mary if she thought the renovations

were pretty, she responded with an emphatic
no;
she had preferred the hotel as it had been in the 1920’s. Mary also con-

fessed to blowing in the workmen’s ears, but rather than trying to scare them, she had only been trying to get their attention.

We asked Mary if she and her friends would like help to

move on, but the young ghost assured us that they were all

more than happy. I suggested that perhaps we could at least

show them the way to the light, so that they could consider

crossing over when they felt ready. Mary half-heartedly agreed, perhaps more to humour us than as a result of any real intention to move on.

As the evening drew to an end, we were all filled with a

happy sense of accomplishment. Not only had we given Mary

the attention she was craving, but we’d managed to estab-

64 The Heritage Hotel

lish a rapport with a large group of delightful ghosts. Nights like these go a long way in reinforcing my belief that there is little to fear from the spirit world. The dead are no different to ourselves; their personalities, attitudes and passions don’t suddenly alter just because they’ve died. It’s a life-enhancing realisation, and the more I embrace it, the more my clairvoyant abilities grow. Life, and death, are indeed incredible journeys …

T h e K a l a m u n d a

H o t e l

Built in 1902, the Kalamunda Hotel has long been believed

to be haunted. It is a grand expression of Victorian architecture, with its upstairs balcony coursing the entire length of

the building. It boasts a gracious, central staircase which dominates the foyer, and its ceilings are decorated with intricate plaster work. Crystal chandeliers add a further touch of opulence, harking back to a time of elegance and style. It’s a privilege having such a fine old building as my local hotel.

Despite its beauty, the Kalamunda Hotel hides a sinister

history. Given its advanced age, it’s perhaps not surprising to discover that it has been the scene of many a premature death, including suicides and murder.

65

66 The Kalamunda Hotel

The Kalamunda Hotel

Adding further intrigue to its chequered reputation, are the

dramas surrounding its most notable owner; Mr Paddy Con-

nolly. Paddy was already well-known throughout the State

when he bought the hotel in the 1920’s. His racehorse,
Blue
Spec,
was the first West Australian horse to win the prestigious Melbourne Cup. Paddy was extremely wealthy as a result of

the 1890’s gold rush, and also had the dubious honour of win-

ning the state’s first
Ugliest Man
competition.

Despite his apparent ugliness, Paddy still had a certain

charm with the ladies. This led to a clandestine love affair with one of the hotel’s young chamber maids, which resulted in an

unwanted pregnancy. Paddy was quick to deny any involve-

ment, prompting the young lady to throw herself to her death

down the hotel staircase. She is thought to still roam the

hotel’s corridors to this day.

Paddy soon found himself to be the focus of an unrelent-

ing campaign of intimidation, to the point where he feared

for his life. Threatening notes began to mysteriously appear

almost daily; on the bar, in his letter rack or on Paddy’s desk.

They contained messages such as “
Tonight you die
…
Slowly”

and were signed
The Black Hand Gang.
It’s unsure whether the The Kalamunda Hotel 67

threats were from disgruntled business associates or related to his unsavoury reputation with women. Regardless, Paddy was

terrified.

Paddy became so obsessed with his safety that he hired

a body guard. He felt increasingly vulnerable in his beloved

hotel, which prompted him to build a bullet-proof hovel a few

hundred meters away. It was secured by a padlocked gate and

surrounded by a barbed wire fence. Paddy was determined to

stave of his tormentors at all costs, even if it meant forfeiting his quality of life.

Paddy ultimately passed away at eighty years of age, dying

from natural causes in 1946. Despite the
Black Hand Gang
not actually killing him, they certainly destroyed any semblance of peace and normality in the last years of his life. It’s thought that the fear-ridden angst that tainted Paddy’s final years is now keeping him earthbound. Paddy did his utmost to avoid