Monday 15 June 2026
The strange death of Robert Buchanan. A cold case from 1839
Presented by Robyn Heitman
Is this Adelaide’s earliest unsolved murder? The Strange Death of Mr Buchanan is a real case Robyn Heitmann uncovered while researching her upcoming novel, At the Hem of the Empire, a colonial woman’s story. Join her as she invites you to be part of the coronial inquest where she explores the colony’s early years and sets out the details of the gruesome discovery. As a member of the coronial jury, it will be up to you to decide who did or didn’t do it.
Robyn Heitmann was raised in the northern suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia. She left school early, but she eventually found her way to Flinders University, where she enrolled in women’s studies while on the side digesting a large portion of Australian history. In the early 90’s she won a writing competition worth more than her car, however she went on to train as a teacher. In 2014 she had the very good fortune to spend 4 years in London, where she returned to writing while volunteering at St Paul’s Cathedral. In 2022, and in Canberra, she was short-listed in the E.M. Fletcher prize for family stories. Since her children have flown the nest and her cat sadly died, she has returned, without regret, to the city of her birth.
Document:
Record of Meeting
View the record of all past meetings which details all talks given at meetings by guest speakers since our foundation in 1980. Most meetings since 1985 have been recorded.
| No. | * | B | T | d | doc | Date | Topic, Speaker, Detail |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 498 | 18/10/2027 | October 2027 Meeting | |||||
| 498 (RMN 484) | doc | 15/6/2026 | The strange death of Robert Buchanan. A cold case from 1839Presented by Robyn Heitman Is this Adelaide’s earliest unsolved murder? The Strange Death of Mr Buchanan is a real case Robyn Heitmann uncovered while… |
Legend
B: Burnside topic
T: tape
d: disc
doc: pdf document
*: on location
Disc and Tape recordings available in the Local History Room