T
he Scarlet Stain
Harlots, Harridans and Hellholes of Old Kalgoorlie
edited by Sheryl Milentis and Peter J. Bridge
ISBN 085905 350 4, (2004 new), Soft Cover, 188 pages, illustrated, 255grams
$30.00 + POST
By the late 1890s the Kalgoorlie brothels had become a byword for degradation and the most flagrant in the English-speaking world.
The Sun newspaper campaigned against the outrageous displays by the prostitutes, the activities of their bludgers and the vested interests of the landlords and sly grog traders.
This book details that campaign and shows a vastly different old Kalgoorlie to that usually depicted."To say that the condition of things that prevails in this town, within a stones throw of the main thoroughfare is an absolute disgrace to civilization and a revolting stigma on municipal government, is to understate the situation."
"Within the last two years 23 women of the "unfortunate class" have died in and about Kalgoorlie"
"...half nude women of various nationalities... loll in front of their houses to accost passers by..."
"Demi-mondes and councils are two necessary evils and it is not easy always to decide which is the worse"
This book will knock the socks off views of Kalgoorlie as a staunch pioneering outpost.