Federal MP stands up for Louisa Collins

Well, this is amazing. One hundred and 25 years after Louisa Collins went to the gallows, a Federal politician has finally had the guts to say her name. Matt Thistlethwaite MP is the member for Kingsford Smith, which means that if Louisa were alive today, he would be her local member. His electorate covers Botany, where Louisa lived, and where her husbands died. Matt has been working with Louisa's descendants to help find Louisa's grave. They know that she was accused of murder, and went to the gallows, protesting her innocence. They know that Louisa was convicted on circumstantial evidence. They know that her own children were made to take the stand and testify against her - and that she endured an extraordinary four trials, where she was represented by a lawyer so inept that he was later struck from the roll. They don't know exactly where she's buried. Her body was taken down and taken by train to the cemetery at Rookwood - but where, exactly, does she rest? The family would love to put some kind of marker there. This is such a kind thing for Matt Thistlethwaite to do. Louisa has been dead so long and it would be so easy to look the other way. Yet he's taken their case all the way to the Federal parliament, which didn't even exist when Louisa was hanged. She never would have predicted this - and she'd surely be overwhelmed.