Departures of note

Lester Basil Sinclair, born in Yorkshire in 1894, emigrated to Australia as a teenager and built a turreted 'John Mystery's Adventure Castle' on the tip of the Illawong Peninsula in Sydney. It was there that he wrote many of his children's books under the pen name John Mystery, publishing over 300 titles. The mock castle no longer stands, but one of its ramparts survives as a castellated retaining wall on Cranbrook Place, and several bas-relief sculptures remain in gardens on the same street.

During World War II, Sinclair was one of the most prolific Australian songwriters, producing a large body of work while simultaneously maintaining his output as a children's author. His dual career as both a songwriter and a storyteller made him a distinctive figure in Australian cultural life, though the two roles were kept separate through his pen name.

Sinclair died on 5 October 1974 at the age of 80. His legacy is preserved in the surviving remnants of his Adventure Castle and in the hundreds of books and songs he created, which reflect a career dedicated to entertaining both children and adults.