‘All she had was nut grass’: Burdekin rallies to honour murdered sex worker Jean Morris
A woman brutally stabbed to death in 1932 Ayr, her body unclaimed by any family, has finally received a headstone after 93 years in an unmarked grave.
Townsville
Don't miss out on the headlines from Townsville. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A woman brutally stabbed to death in 1932 Ayr, her body unclaimed by any family, has finally received a headstone after 93 years in an unmarked grave.
Known as Jean Morris, the woman’s murder shocked the community of Ayr and filled newspapers where she was dubbed ‘Stiletto Jean’.
However, despite gripping the nation’s interests, no family came forward to claim the 19-year-old and she was buried in an unmarked grave in Ayr cemetery.
James Cook University historian Bianka Vidonya Balanzategvi has a keen interest in the sugarcane era and migrant stories, and came across the case of Jean Morris while looking into the Black Hand Gang or the ‘La Mano Nera’.
“Jean Morris is supposed to be involved with the Black Hand Gang, and was a victim of them,” Dr Vidonya Balazategvi said.
“I got to know Adam Grossetti, who did the ABC documentary The Black Hand Gang, and we’ve both been looking at this chapter of history closely.”
The Black Hand Gang was an extortion, sly-grog and prostitution racket that ran in the 1930s, targeting Italian migrants working in Queensland’s northern sugarcane towns.
While other ‘Black Hand’ rackets were common at this time, the North Queensland gang was the most violent, and frequently ended up in the newspapers.
Dr Vidonya Balazategvi said it was Mr Grossetti who finally unearthed documents showing that Jean Morris was a fake name, and the murdered Jean Morris was born as Anna Philomena Morgan.
“When we realised she was buried in an unmarked grave, we felt she deserved a headstone. Sometime later, some residents in Ayr thought the same thing, and we asked for her real name to be included on the headstone, which has happened.”
Dr Vidonya Balazategvi said Anna, under the name Jean Morris, worked in Ayr, Ingham, Innisfail and Cairns as a sex worker.
“In Ingham she came into the orbit of the Black Hand and was seen in the company of the two leaders,” she said.
“She settled in Ayr and was working in Queen St when she was murdered by a persons unknown. It was a vicious murder, and it shocked the community.”
According to a Queensland Police report, Jean was stabbed 43 times by either a dagger or stiletto.
She was found dead in her bed, in her apartment on Queen St, dressed in a silk nightdress
Ayr hairdresser Paula Dowson, and fellow resident Henry Petersen were the driving force behind the new headstone, fundraising for years to pull together the money needed.
Mr Petersen said he first heard about Jean Morris when he was working as a bar man in the 70s at the Delta Hotel.
“I used to buy the Melbourne Truth newspaper and they had a story linking her with another girl murdered in Shepparton. I saw the word Ayr and they had my interest,” he said.
“I went out with a mate to find her grave, and that’s when I learnt it was unmarked. It wasn’t until the ABC documentary that I decided to do something and, at the same time, Paula had also watched the same documentary.”
Mrs Dowson said watching the ABC documentary on the Black Hand Gang was a powerful moment for her - especially when the documentary crew visited Jean’s grave in Ayr.
“All she had was nut grass,” Mrs Dowson said.
“It moved me that night, some people don’t believe in these things but I felt my angels reach out to me, and from that day on we decided to do something about it.
“Now, not only does she have a name, she had a blessing too from the minister, and I am happy and content in my heart.”
As the moment for the headstone reveal drew closer, Mrs Dowson said it felt like Anna was there.
“The headstone monument was done by Trevor Neal from Whitsunday Monuments and he said ‘it’s like she’s here with me, not a thing has gone wrong (during engraving), and normally something goes wrong,” she said.
“Even when engraving her face, it went well.”
Another coincidence was a vintage car rally coming to Ayr the day before the funeral, and a couple who owned a 1928 Austin 7 car agreeing to bring their car to the cemetery after being approached by Mrs Dowson.
Mrs Dowson said the cafes and restaurants of the Burdekin were also incredibly generous, donating amazing food to the ceremony, where moving speeches were read out while 1930s music played.
“Everything went perfectly, we had so many compliments and even the mayor said you should be proud,” she said.
“No one wanted to leave, they were all held there.”
In her words by Anna Morgan’s graveside, Dr Vidonya Balazategvi said Anna was a young woman who’d potentially been scheming to escape her situation and her pimp.
“Anna, almost a century after your brutal murder, we honour you and remember you.”
More Coverage
Originally published as ‘All she had was nut grass’: Burdekin rallies to honour murdered sex worker Jean Morris
$1.4bn project set on the fast-track for north-west Queensland
A rock mining project in North West Queensland, expected to generate hundreds of jobs and $1.4billion in economic value, has been put on the fast track by the deputy premier.
Hit and runs: More people flee scenes of Townsville crashes
Townsville’s spate of crashes where those involved have fled the scene, has continued. Read about the latest incidents.