Read Online Embracing the Spirits: True Stories of My Encounters With the Other Side by Barbara Parks - Free Book Online
Authors: Barbara Parks
Tags: supernatural, Body; Mind & Spirit, on vacation, personal journey of gradually accepting and embracing the clairvoyant gifts that allow her to see spirits. She shares dramatic and heartwarming stories of interacting with spirits who turn up everywhere: at home, Traumatized by vicious poltergeist attacks that lasted five years, she receives a miraculous visit from him. This joyous experience marks her first step toward healing—and opening up to spirit world.In the Presence of Spirits chronicles Barbara’s uplifting, Barbara Parks never imagined that her deep-rooted fear of ghosts would disappear. A momentous turning point occurs when, still mourning the sudden death of a beloved friend, these amazing true tales are convincing reminders that our loved ones are never far away., and accompanying her patients. From the departed uncle that protects Barbara’s young children from grave injury to the child spirits who bring comfort to their parents
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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 …
chapter nine
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
death whilst he was living, and in death, he is continuing to
fight it. It seems he is resisting the natural transition to the higher realms of the spirit world, preferring to inhabit the
rooms and hallways of the
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 …
chapter nine
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
death whilst he was living, and in death, he is continuing to
fight it. It seems he is resisting the natural transition to the higher realms of the spirit world, preferring to inhabit the
rooms and hallways of the
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