Join us at Semaphore Library after dark for a special author talk with Walter Marsh, marking the end of History Month. A captivating evening for history lovers, readers, and curious minds alike.

Heist at the museum!

In January 1947, a chance discovery rocked the world of natural science: over 3,000 butterfly specimens had vanished from Australia’s most prestigious museums in Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide.

Drawing on unpublished case files, dossiers, and private archives, journalist Walter Marsh explores this scientific true-crime caper and the enigmatic Englishman at its centre. Along the way, The Butterfly Thief also reveals a deeper history that begs an uncomfortable but vital question: What if Western museums were crime scenes all along?

Age: 18+

Price: $5

Bookings: Bookings essential – spaces are limited. Bookings open 1 month before event.

Author Bio:

[Photo credit: Sia Duff]

Walter Marsh is a journalist and editor based in Tarntanya/Adelaide, and the author of Young Rupert: the making of the Murdoch empire (Scribe 2023). A former staff writer and editor at The Adelaide Review and Rip It Up, his writing has also appeared in The Guardian, The Monthly, The Saturday Paper, Crikey, The Age, and InDaily.

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