|
 KELLYMANIA SMH
February 14, 2007
"There are much more interesting bushrangers than Ned Kelly," says
Brian McDonald (see My Collection) who, despite his reservations, has one of the
largest private collections of books on the Kelly gang. McDonald, who has
lectured on Australian history since 1975, knows all too well that of the 1600
or so Australian bushrangers it's Ned who, rightly or wrongly, dominates the
public imagination.
There's a vast industry devoted to the collecting of Kellyana. This term
refers not only to Ned Kelly but also his family, gang members, the police
officers they killed and those who captured him at Glenrowan.
What is astonishing is how brief Kelly's activities were. The Kelly gang came
to notice after they killed three policemen at Stringybark Creek in Victoria on
October 26, 1878. Kelly was captured and the rest of the gang was killed by
police at nearby Glenrowan in June 1880. On November 11 that year, Kelly was
hanged at Melbourne Gaol. "Such is life," he allegedly said at the
time.
Short his life may have been but it was long enough for the outlaw to ignite
a national obsession that shows no sign of abating nearly 130 years after his
death.
Kellymania is booming. Peter Carey started a resurgence when he won the
Booker Prize in 2001 with his True History of the Kelly Gang. Signed first
editions of this work are now worth about $400. Then there was the 2003 movie
starring Heath Ledger as the bushranger, which marked the latest in a series of
cinematic treatments.
For collectors of Kellyana it usually starts with the myriad books,
magazines, official reports and even comics devoted to the man and the myth.
But serious Kelly enthusiasts usually prefer something more than the written
word. Recently some rare Kelly memorabilia were shown at the Shapiro Auctioneers
gallery in Sydney, generating considerable interest. Some items had never been
seen in public before. A few of these have already been reserved by museums
but some are destined for future public sale.
The highlight was the .32 calibre revolver uncovered during the demolition
of a house in Forbes, NSW, formerly occupied by Ned's younger sister, Kate.
The initials KK are inscribed on the handle. Its exact history is uncertain
but it is likely to be one of the many weapons appropriated by the Kellys
during the period. Its connection, no matter how tenuous, to older brother Ned
makes it a very desirable item. If sold at auction it would be expected to
fetch about $250,000.
Almost as desirable is another weapon, the .38 calibre revolver used at
Glenrowan by Jesse Dowsett, the railway guard who played a major role in the
siege. Dowsett returned Kelly's fire and watched in amazement as the bullets
bounced off his armour like "parched peas". He saw Kelly being shot
then wrestled to the ground and it was Dowsett who took Kelly's weapon from
his hand. "Little Dowsett, what a plucky fellow he is," wrote Dr
John Nicholson at the time. Also on display was a signed studio photograph of Kate Kelly, dated 1881.
This item was previously unknown and unpublished. It would have inspired a
spirited bidding war if sold at auction but it has gone cheaply to a Canberra
museum so that it will remain in the public domain.
Ditto the James Kelly charge sheet. This NSW Police document includes
hand-written details relating to his subsequent trial at Wagga for horse
stealing and a black and white photograph of him in prison gear. Its value would
be $4000 plus if it were sold on the open market.
Such personal mementos are valued highly by collectors but mass-produced
items are now worth almost as much. Original copies of the Minutes of Evidence
taken before Royal Commission on the Police Force of Victoria are among the most
desirable, with the second Progress Report the rarest of all. This 720-page
document probes the conduct of various members of the constabulary. Copies are
generally valued at about $3000 although one appeared recently on eBay with a
price of $20,000. It didn't sell.
Worth even more would be the fabled first Kelly publication. The History of
the Notorious Kelly Gang was published 16 months before Glenrowan by G. Wilson
Hall, the perceptive editor of the Mansfield Guardian. Only four original copies
are known to survive, none in private hands. If one was ever to appear for
public sale there would be a bidding battle worthy of anything staged at
Glenrowan.
Also in the "in your dreams" category is one of five legal briefs -
The Queen v Edward Kelly - relating to the wilful murder of Thomas Lonigan. This
55-page document, in purple ink on blue legal paper, sold for $25,000 in June
2000.
Then there's the ridiculous: Brian McDonald knows of some so-called reward
posters listed on eBay that have sold for several hundred dollars each.
These are cheap reproductions made in the 1960s and are obvious fakes. They
show a photo of Ned Kelly taken two days before his execution. "It's like
selling a coin dated 24 BC," he says.
My collection
Accountant Brian McDonald's passion for Australian history began on
December 11, 1975 (he remembers the exact date) when he wandered into a Sydney
bookshop and picked up David Collins's An Account of the English Colony in New
South Wales volumes one and two. He has since amassed an impressive library. His main interest is convict
history but he says his shelves hold "about 25 per cent bushrangers,
about 10 per cent Ned Kelly".
McDonald has worked as a radio commentator and tour guide, sometimes
dressed as a bushranger doing shows for kids. It was the public's fascination
with Ned Kelly that inspired him to compile What They Said About Ned! an
annotated bibliography of the Kelly Gang.
This impressive feat of research lists the (so far) 797 separate
publications devoted to Kelly in particular or bushranging in general. Many of
these form part of his personal collection.
The work is available through Australian History Promotions (www.australianhistorypromotions.com).
 Good
on you Brian.
...................................................................................................................................
THE PASSING OF ALFRED SHELTON.
Herald Sun|03 February 2007
SHELTON. _
Alfred Britton (Brit)
Much loved, last remaining child
of Richard John Shelton and
Elizabeth Jane Skinner,
predeceasing 11 siblings, late of
Avenel. Brit passed gently on
Fri., Feb. 2, 2007, aged 92
years. Educated at Brighton
Grammar. Deeply devoted
husband to Audrey Sykes Lyons
who he now joins with gladness.
Australias last direct link, to a
young Ned Kellys heroic and
gallant Act, wherein in 1865,
Ned pulled Brittons drowning
father from Hughes Creek
Avenel and hence saved the
Shelton lineage.
He loved electricity, Warwick Le
Page, his cats and a coffee with
friends at the Theatre Royal.
Rest In Peace
SHELTON - A GRAVESIDE
Herald Sun|03 February 2007
SHELTON. _ A Graveside
Service for Mr Alfred Britton
(Brit) Shelton will be held at the
Avenel Cemetery, Queen St,
Avenel on WEDNESDAY,
(Feb. 7, 2007) commencing at
2.30 p.m.
BAMFORDS
FUNERAL SERVICES
AVENEL SEYMOUR
5792-1046
SOURCE: Melbourne Herald Sun.
Sorry
to hear the passing of the last direct
link to Ned's bravery. May he rest in peace.
| The Times |
January
04, 2007 |
The day Ned Kelly met his match
|
|
 |
 |
|
| In demand:
the original wanted poster for Ned Kelly |
|
|
The Times reported on August 10, 1880:
The four outlaws — Edward Kelly and his brother, Daniel
Byrne, and Hart — took refuge in an hotel. The reporter of the
Melbourne Argus, who was present, says: “The police
and the gang blazed away at each other in the darkness
furiously. It lasted for about a quarter of an hour. There was
nothing but a succession of flashes and retorts, the pinging of
bullets and the shrieks of women who had been made prisoner in
the hotel . . .
“Before daylight Senior Constable Kelly found a revolving
rifle and a cap lying in the bush, about 100 yards from the
hotel. A pool of blood lay near. To the surprise of the police
they found themselves attacked from the rear by a man in a long
grey overcoat and wearing an iron mask. He was Ned Kelly
himself. He walked coolly from tree to tree, and received the
fire of the police with utmost indifference, returning a shot
from his revolver when a good opportunity presented itself. He
seemed bullet-proof. It then occurred to Sergeant Steele that
the fellow was encased in mail, and he aimed at the outlaw’s
legs. His first shot made Ned stagger. The second brought him to
the ground with the cry, ‘I am done, I am done’.”
|
|
| |
No
wonder we have so many drongos selling fake Wanted
posters of Ned on E-Bay! Now The Times Online is doing it!
...................................................................................................................
December 13 2006
Benalla Ensign
Another exciting event in the continuing research and discovery of details of
the Kelly Story took place at the Museum recently.
A small section of cast iron, found in the Woolshed Valley near Beechworth,
was brought to the Museum by Darren Sutton, a
miner and Kelly historian.
In a function at the Benalla Costume and Pioneer museum, at which he was
guest speaker, Darren Sutton demonstrated that the
piece fitted precisely as the lower portion of the left hand side of the
armour worn by Joe Byrne at the Siege of Glenrowan in 1880.
Further tests of the metal will validate the authenticity of the important
artefact.
He has also found tools used by blacksmiths at the time.
The armour on display in the Kelly Room at the Benalla Museum is an
accurate replica made from the original armour held in a private
collection in Canberra.
Visit the Benalla Costume and Pioneer Museum by the lake at 14 Mair St,
Benalla
Ian
Jones wins lifetime achievement award.
 
Chestnut
 
Edi Upper
A house in danger in Edi Upper.
The images above were from The HeraldSun newspaper.
The above image is from The Sydney Morning Herald.
(The Age also had this photo (I have cropped it) and an image showing
Jim Kelly standing near a sitting Ellen Kelly)
Found: Rare pictures of Kelly gang matriarch
Steve Waldon
December 2, 2006
TO THE untrained eye, they look like the kind of old family photographs you
might find stashed away in a neglected box — posed black and white snaps
handed from one generation to the next. In one, a mature bespectacled lady looks directly into the camera lens as
she sits at the wheel of her automobile. In another, the same woman sits posed
for a portrait with three men in hats and waistcoats, one of them her son.
The pictures are unremarkable, except in one important sense. The woman
photographed is Ellen Kelly, mother of Ned. And the son at her right is Ned's
younger brother Jim, who took over his mother's care when Ned was hanged.
Noted Kelly historian and author Ian Jones this week described the photos,
which have never been seen publicly before, as "stunning" and
"mind-boggling".
"To see Ellen Kelly at the wheel of a car — it's the ultimate
reminder of how close the Kelly era still is to us," he said.
The collection of photos, which include one of the Kelly family homestead,
at Greta, near Glenrowan, were almost certainly taken by Fred Piggott, a
detective with Victoria's police from 1912. Piggott retired as a
superintendent in 1934, after a distinguished career.
The rare find was made by researcher Kevin Morgan, whose 2005 book Gun
Alley: Murder, Lies and Failure of Justice detailed the shocking 1921
murder of Melbourne schoolgirl Alma Tirtschke.
When reviewing the case for his book, Mr Morgan tracked down the most
direct descendant of Piggott, who with fellow detective John Brophy arrested
Footscray man Colin Campbell Ross, the man controversially found guilty of
Tirtschke's murder and hanged in 1922.
The search led him to Eric Beissel, Piggott's grandson, who said he had
inherited an old leather satchel full of scrapbooks kept by his detective
grandfather.
There, among the abundant press clippings that record Piggott's career, Mr
Morgan found some original prints. The captions were in Piggott's handwriting,
and identify Ellen and Jim Kelly.
Piggott was a keen amateur photographer, who photographed crime scenes at a
time when the official photos were still taken by the Government Printing
Office photographer.
Considering the Kellys' strained relations with authorities over many
decades, just how Piggott got them to agree to pose is unknown.
Eric Beissel said he had shown little interest in the scrapbooks until Mr
Morgan asked to see them. Now, he can see what an important time capsule they
are, detailing his grandfather's intriguing career as a detective in the 1920s
and '30s.
Forensic science was basic, and police such as Piggott relied on nous,
instinct and cunning to solve cases. The clippings of his career point to a
competent and respected detective — probably the state's most prominent
policeman of the period. Piggott was celebrated for solving "the Wharparilla axe murder",
"the Mooroolbark poisoning sensation", "the Buchan Caves
mystery", and for the arrest of "the prince of swindlers".
Dating Piggott's Kelly photos will not be easy. The only date Piggott uses
in his captions is 1920 — when, he writes, he arrested Jim Kelly for horse
stealing. Ian Jones said the pictures had to have been taken between 1911 and
1923. Ellen Kelly is obviously older than the well-known 1911 photo of her
with two granddaughters, and she died in 1923.
The car could be a clue. But Mr Jones said the importance of this new Kelly
revelation was to place the family in a more modern context, far removed from
images of horses and buggies.
"We love to compartmentalise history — to consign people and events
to a narrow time. It ain't always the way it was."
Mr Jones said Ellen Kelly had endured a life of almost unthinkable sadness.
Her first daughter died in infancy, and her husband, John Kelly, died when the
youngest of their children was four. She lost Ned and Dan to the battles with
the law and daughter Kate to illness in 1898. Three of Kate's six children had
already died in infancy.
After Kate Kelly died, Jim Kelly collected her three remaining children
from Forbes and brought them to Victoria, where he and Ellen raised them.
"One of them, Fred Foster, was killed in World War I," Mr Jones
said. "It must have just about finished her, and she died just a few
years later."
Curiously, Fred Piggott's life was also marked by loss. His wife, Matilda,
died on December 11, 1922. On December 23, their son Fred jnr, who turned 18
that morning, died after a motorcycle accident.
Source: The Age 2 December 2006.
.....................................................................................................................
Concern over jail proposal (1/11/2006)
Border Mail (entire transcript)
INDIGO council says a development plan for the old Beechworth jail site,
which includes a 23-lot subdivision, lacks detail.
The council was asked by Heritage Victoria to comment on the development
application.
Because the jail, finished in 1864, is heritage-listed, Heritage Victoria
determines whether the application will be approved.
The jail was bought in 2004 by Salmore Developments, which is owned by Sam
Lawson.
“The developer wants to subdivide outside the jail building but there’s
no link to what is happening on the inside,” Indigo chief executive officer
John Costello said.
Mr Costello said the subdivision included the area within the stone walls
in a single lot and did not address how the area would be used or developed in
the future.
The plan submitted to Heritage Victoria showed the indoor sports stadium
demolished and a workshop building retained but with no detail on whether this
building would be reused for residential purposes.
“The balance of the area will be developed for residential purposes and
the old governor’s residence is shown as remaining as three units,” he
said.
“The plans submitted suggest that the new lots, with the exception of the
governor’s residence, will have building envelopes of one and two storeys.
“It is proposed that design of individual dwellings on the lots be
approved by the developer.
“Council has requested Heritage Victoria to publicly advertise the
application given its significance to the Beechworth township.
“Indigo council also has expressed concern with the proposal as it
stands.”
Mr Costello said it was understood the developer had been required to
provide further information to Heritage Victoria on the proposal before it was
publicly exhibited.
He said the jail was an important landmark on the Beechworth streetscape,
had played a role in many people’s lives as it employed many residents and
was an important historical site.
Here
we go again!
Did no one learn from the destruction of most of Pentridge?
Would Beechworth like that sort of housing development in their beautiful town?
Developers should never be allowed to take what was once our historical asset
and turn
it into a housing development. Was it bought with this intention? Were there any
restrictions
placed on it at the time it was sold? All this stinks. We have an opportunity to
save what
remains of this old jail, or is it too late since it it no longer 'ours'? Dave.
Thanks to Sharon Hollingsworth for sending
this in.
...........................................................................................................
Funds may quell birthplace debate
(Star newspaper Epping)
By Cassie Maher
25th October 2006 01:03:19 PM
Granted … Ned Kelly’s possible birthplace in Beveridge.
THE debate over Ned Kelly’s birthplace may finally be put to rest following
State Government
grant for a dilapidated cottage in Beveridge.
Planning MP Rob Hulls said $5000 would be given to the cottage for signage as
part of this year’s
heritage grants.
“The site was the birthplace of Victoria’s most notorious bushranger and at
present has no
information nearby to explain its historical significance,” he said.
And while the Beveridge cottage has long been considered by locals as the
bushranger’s
birthplace, some say it was more likely Ned was born at his mother’s Wallan
home.
Most Kelly records say Ned was born in 1855, making him four years old at the
time the
Beveridge house was constructed in 1859.
The funding decision may ruffle a few Wallan feathers.
Steve Greenwood, general manager of Hogan’s Hotel in Wallan, said he had no
doubt Ned was
born at his mother’s home.
“Why would you give birth to a kid in a ramshackle hut in Beveridge when you
could have a
midwife do it a few paddocks away in a nice homestead?” he said.
Seymour MP Ben Hardman said the signage would help to ensure stories attached to
local
heritage were preserved for future generations.
This
article is obviously not about Glenrowan but I thought it was of some interest.
Interesting that even the paper acknowledges the fact that this house was not
even
built until 1859 (when Ned was 4 or 5 years old!)
If he was born in Beveridge, he certainly was not born in that house.
Why bother spending 5 grand on signs to a place that is falling down and is
almost
certain to end up as a pile of sticks because no Government nor Heritage body
has
ever cared about it?
The owners do their best but are not allowed to touch it by law.
The sign alerting travelers on the Hume to the home's location was taken away
years ago.
Might I suggest they spend money stabilising the building rather than show
people how
pathetic it has become when our heritage is ignored.
Maybe if they installed pokies inside it could be restored!
Thanks to Sharon Hollingsworth for alerting me to this article.
Dave.
.....................................................................................................................................
Cathedral
reveals the secret of its lost bishops.
(Full
article West Australian)
For more
than a century, one of WA’s oldest Catholic churches, St Mary’s Cathedral,
has
harboured a macabre secret.
Generations of worshippers have prayed within the church’s stone walls,
totally unaware
that two Church leaders were buried just beneath their feet.
At the heart of the mystery was the final resting place of two of Perth’s
first Catholic bishops,
Father Martin Griver and Father Matthew Gibney — who became a celebrity during
his lifetime
after he famously tended to the grievously injured Ned Kelly and administered
the Last Rites
while travelling in Victoria.
In line with the tradition of their times, the exact location of the
bishops’ burial site in the
grounds of the Victoria Avenue church were kept secret so they were not
disturbed.
For years archeologists pondered the whereabouts of the ancient crypt, until
it was pinpointed
by a chance discovery during recent restoration work.
In a plot twist worthy of the Da Vinci Code, the plaster-lined crypt was
found in the earthy
soil just metres underneath the cathedral’s centre aisle.
The only clues were four small crosses carved into the church’s wooden
floorboards, which
were hidden under the legs of the pews, marking out the four boundaries of the
small crypt.
Project archeologist Father Robert Cross said early church records showed the
two bishops
were interred in the cathedral after their deaths in 1886 and 1925.
Further records from 1943 suggested the tombs had been moved to a newer
section of
St Mary’s, but did not provide the exact location. The puzzle began to take
shape about
three years ago when archdiocese archivist Sister Frances Stibi discovered one
of the crosses
carved into the floor near the altar. But the fate of the crypt remained
unresolved until six
weeks ago when the pews were removed for restoration work, and the three other
crosses
were revealed. Archeologists —helped by University of WA students — used a
metal rod
to probe under the floorboards until they discovered a metal cap covering a
small, brick
and plaster crypt containing two coffins. Sand and building rubble coating the
coffins still
held footprints left by workers who covered the graves almost 80 years ago.
Decorative plates fixed to the lids identified them as the missing graves of
bishops Griver
and Gibney but it was only after three weeks of careful excavation that
the coffins could be
removed. But the mystery has not ended with the discovery of the crypt.
Father Robert said the coffins had not been moved to the location where the
1943 records
suggested they were. Tests at the new location about 30 years ago had revealed
what searchers
then believed to be a crypt.
However, the riddle of what was at the second location was never solved
because it had not
been investigated further.
“It is not unusual for things not to be marked in these situations because
in the early days
there was the issue of grave robbers, though I do not think that was the case
here,” Father
Robert said. “As to what is under there, it is pure speculation.” Further
efforts to find what
lay there would be made. Bishop Gibney’s coffin had been badly damaged by
white ants but
Bishop Griver’s coffin, still wrapped in lanolin imbued wool, was tightly
sealed and in good
condition.
With assistance from UWA, Father Robert said he hoped to insert a small fibre-optic
camera
into the sealed coffin so its contents could be investigated. “We found a
viewing window in
the lid of Bishop Gibney’s coffin and cleaned it with some water, and through
it we could
just see his skeleton and top of his vestments,” Father Robert said.
“This is a once in a lifetime find. These two bishops are very important,
and this discovery
really makes their history come alive,” Father Robert said.
Artefacts found with the coffins — including a decorative cross and a
document tube
containing five manuscripts — would be reinterred with the coffins when the
restoration
of the cathedral and construction of the new crypt was completed in 2008.
Tiffany Laurie
For
further information see what 1880 had originally from our mate
in WA, Davo Brown. (including his images)
.......................................................................................................................
Police pistol auction points smoking gun at Kelly's sister
(Full article from The Age newspaper)
Memorabilia expert Tom Thompson believes Kate Kelly, sister of Ned
Kelly,
kept this gun taken from a policeman in 1878. The incident at the Kelly
homestead
led to the outlawing of Ned and Dan Kelly. The pistol will be auctioned next
month.
Photo: Steven Siewert
Steve Meacham
October 5, 2006
IS THIS the stolen revolver that triggered the enduring legend of Ned Kelly
and his gang?
Yes, says Tom Thompson, the auctioneer and memorabilia expert who unveiled it
in public
yesterday for the first time in more than a century.
Mr Thompson — who estimates the weapon will sell for about $400,000 when it
is auctioned
at the State Library of NSW on November 5 — says he found the revolver that
drunken Constable
Alexander Fitzpatrick had on April 15, 1878, when he stormed the Kelly
homestead.
What happened next began the chain of events leading to the Glenrowan
shoot-out. Kelly
supporters claim Constable Fitzpatrick made lewd advances on Kate Kelly, Ned's
younger
sister. Her mother and brothers came to her rescue. Constable Fitzpatrick
claimed in the official
report that "I lost my revolver after two shots had been fired."
His evidence — later discredited — damned the Kelly family, leading to
the imprisonment of
matriarch Ellen Kelly and the outlawing of Ned and Dan. Police searched the
Kelly homestead
several times for the constable's gun, but never found it. Mr Thompson said Kate
had it all along
and it was uncovered during the demolition of a house in Forbes where she lived
the last 10 years
of her life.
He heard about the gun this year when a woman rang his ABC radio segment
about historical
memorabilia. She said her father found the gun, preserved in lard, during the
demolition in the
1980s.
Mr Thompson said he did "exhaustive research" into Kate's
little-known life and was convinced
the revolver was genuine.
"It was found in the home Kate Kelly lived in from 1888 to 1898,"
he said. "It is exactly the issue of
the period. I have no doubt it is the gun which Fitzpatrick claimed was
stolen."
The most obvious clue? The initials "KK" inscribed on one side of
the wooden stock. But he also
points to the insignia R*C on the crown. Mr Thompson believes it was originally
issued by the
Royal Irish Constabulary, which provided many officers to the newly formed
Victoria Police.
Immediately after Ned's execution in November 1880, Kate and her brother Jim
toured Victoria
and NSW showing what newspapers of the day called "an exhibition of relics
of the bushranging
conflicts". They staged several shows to packed crowds until the police
stopped them.
For the next few years, Kate, an expert horsewoman, joined a travelling Wild
West show under
various aliases.
She settled down to domestic obscurity after marrying Forbes blacksmith
William Foster in 1888
when she was 25 and went by her middle name, Ada.
Her body was found in a lake in October 1898. She was 35 and had just given
birth to her sixth
child, Catherine. The inquiry into her death was inconclusive.
Kelly's biographer, Beechworth historian Ian Jones, said yesterday:
"It's very difficult to identify
a weapon of this kind without very reliable and precise documentation, which
rarely exists.
If they've got some police document that identifies that as Fitzpatrick's
revolver, that's a different
ball game, but I would be surprised."
See also the Comments section of 1880.
..............................................................................................................................................
Kelly Gang armour found
A report in The SMH newspaper 30 Sep 2006.
Steve Waldon
(Full report from The SMH newspaper)
September 30, 2006
Such is life … Darren Sutton with a piece of the armour reborn after
fire and rain.
Photo: Craig Abraham
DARREN SUTTON could not believe his eyes. Treading warily across the scorched
earth outside Beechworth after the 2003 bushfires, he stumbled on something he
always figured must be there.
And it goes a long way to solving one of the last mysteries surrounding the
Kelly Gang.
An army of historians and folklore aficionados have been unable to establish
where the armour worn 120 years ago by Ned and Dan Kelly, Steve Hart and Joe
Byrne was made.
Mr Sutton believes he has found the forge where Byrne's armour suit was
created by a local blacksmith, Charlie Knight, and a friend, Thomas Straughair.
The only relic he has removed from the site is almost certainly an offcut
from Byrne's armour. It has lain under topsoil and bush scrub for more than a
century.
This week Mr Sutton took the Herald to the site. Also on the
expedition was noted Kelly historian and author Ian Jones, whom Mr Sutton
invited for his expert opinion.
Mr Sutton is a Beechworth miner, fossicker, historian, tourist guide and
local authority.
The Herald has agreed not to reveal the whereabouts of the site. Mr
Sutton and Mr Jones say the site would be gutted within days. "I don't want
to see this stuff on eBay," Mr Sutton says.
The "stuff" to which he refers is the remains of a brick hearth,
evidence of an intense coal fire, cast iron offcuts, rough bolts and even smithy
tools. Nearby was a line of stump holes, evidence of a long-gone building with a
raised floor.
Mr Sutton had long reasoned that Byrne's armour, which is in private hands
but is often exhibited, must have been forged outside a township. The Kelly gang
could not have asked a town blacksmith to make body armour without arousing
suspicion.
Mr Sutton deduced some likely locations of the amateur forge, but with 120
years of soil movement and the accrual of scrub, finding it would be impossible.
He knew he had to wait patiently for natural forces to help. Since the 2003
fires, the bush has partly reclaimed the site of the find. Heavy rain washed
away the newly exposed topsoil.
When Mr Sutton showed the armour to Mr Jones, the writer was initially
uncertain. It resembled Kelly armour, but the configuration of the machined
holes was not familiar.
Mr Jones checked his files, and found that the holes did resemble those in
the back plate of the armour worn by Dan Kelly.
But where were the other three suits made? Mr Sutton hopes the keepers of the
last bit of the Kelly mystery will one day take him into their confidence.
Well
done to Darren,
he has certainly made a find!
The only way it could possibly stay unmolested is if he tells no one the
location.
Dave.
The above three articles are from the Wangaratta Chronicle, thanks to Gary
Dean Glenrowan.
(August 4 2006)
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Go back to original Kelly plan: Jones
(Border Mail Aug 3)
NED Kelly historian Ian Jones says Wangaratta council needs to scrap its
beautification
works of the Glenrowan siege site and start again.
That is potentially more than $2 million of work.
Yesterday, he also applauded National Heritage Minister Ian Campbell’s
belief that the
site needed to return to circa 1880.
“Sen Campbell’s statement was the strongest made so far and condemned
the works by
council,” Mr Jones said yesterday.
“But I can’t see how they can get back to that state without undoing
the works that have
been carried out.”
Mr Jones said the works had created waterways with engineering angles and
concrete,
built bridges that weren’t there and taken away native trees.
“My view is simple; we need to get back to the master plan developed in
2002,” he said.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Stoush at the old Kelly site
BY BRAD WORRALL (The Border Mail 3 Aug)
Ian Campbell and Sophie Mirabella at the Ned Kelly siege site
yesterday.
Picture: SIMON GROVES
FEDERAL Heritage Minister Ian
Campbell clearly believes Ned Kelly’s siege site at Glenrowan has been
desecrated and Wangaratta council needs to drive its resurrection.
But the council says “put your money where your
mouth is”.
Yesterday, Senator Campbell made his first visit
to the heritage listed site of Ned Kelly’s last stand to hand over $30,000
for signage.
At the same time he took a none-too-subtle swipe
at how the site has been managed.
“It is clear to my untrained
eye that that a lot of the work done over the years has taken away from the
site’s historical integrity,” Senator Campbell said.
“That’s not just recent works but over many
years.
“My view is that the site
should be taken back towards the way it looked when the siege took place.
“There are going to be practical reasons why
some of that won’t be done.”
Sen Campbell said a long-term management plan was
needed.
The senator said major works, including the
removal of the rail bypass, was the responsibility of council.
But Wangaratta council economic development
manager Graham Nickless said it all came down to money.
“The removal of the bypass involves millions of
dollars, to say that it is council’s responsibility is beyond the pail,”
he said.
“We all subscribe to bringing it back to
authentic status but it comes down to the money to do that.
“At this point in time the Victorian Government
has kicked in $1.8 million, council $500,000 and the Commonwealth about
$250,000.”
But Wangaratta Mayor Don Joyce said it was
wonderful to have Senator Campbell at Glenrowan.
“We are all working toward the same goal and it
is great to get an additional $30,000 from the Federal Government,” he said.
Senator Campbell refused to reveal the findings
of federal heritage officers who visited Glenrowan to inspect recent council
works.
Historians claim Wangaratta
council’s beautification of the site has removed significant parts of the
landscape and made it almost unrecognisable.
Glenrowan is one of 32 nationally-listed heritage
sites.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Memories of Ned Kelly to be kept alive.
Ned Kelly may have run foul of authorities while alive, but the federal
government announced
a funding package to help keep memories of him alive.
Federal Heritage Minister Ian Campbell said the government would contribute
$30,000 to pay
for signs and brochures to mark the importance of the Victorian town of Glenrowan,
where Kelly
was captured.
Three members of the Kelly gang died during a siege in Glenrowan on June 28,
1880.
"Glenrowan is therefore one of Australia's most important heritage
places, and in recognition
the site was included in the National Heritage List in June 2005," Senator
Campbell said in a
statement.
"Funding of $30,000 will be used to develop interpretative materials
such as signs and brochures
to mark Glenrowan's role in our national story."
He said while there was debate as to whether Kelly was a hero or a villain,
the bushranger had
become one of Australia's best known historical figures.
"In his day Ned Kelly was more likely to relieve governments of money
rather than receive support,"
Senator Campbell said.
Kelly was hanged on November 11, 1880, despite a petition against his death
sentence signed by
about 30,000 people.
Source : The Age 2 Aug 2006.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Source: The Wangaratta Chronicle 19 July 2006. Thanks to Gary Dean for
sending this in.
(Gary's site is at www.nedkellysworld.com.au)
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
True-blue
JUST a tad odd to see Sophie Panopoulos, the federal polly whose website
has been
"under contruction" for five years, chipping in federal money for a
work project at Glenrowan.
Yep, there goes $121,000 towards a dig on the site of the old Glenrowan pub,
scene of
Ned Kelly's last stand, and you have to ask: will this take five years
too?
Another thing: from what Diary can work out, Our Sophie is a devout monarchist
(she
even got hitched on the Queen's Birthday weekend). If Ned had been successful at
Glenrowan,
her seat of Indi would now be in the Republic of North-East Victoria.
Source: The Age Something-to-shout-about 19 July 2006.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Historian up-beat about future of Kelly gang siege site
A historian believes progress was made yesterday
towards retaining the historic site of the Kelly
gang siege in Glenrowan, in north-eastern Victoria.
Kelly gang historian Ian Jones says he and
similarly-minded local people met officers from Heritage
Victoria to discuss works being undertaken by the Rural City of Wangaratta.
He says the works at the heritage-listed siege site
were inspected and the representatives are to
meet council officers.
"I believe the situation can be salvaged with
goodwill and some money," he said.
"Frankly, I think some money's been unwisely spent
and some of the works certainly will have to
be undone if the intention of the master plan of 2002 is to be carried out,
which was to re-establish
the siege site."
Source: ABC News online 19 July 2006.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Heritage row erupts over Kelly gang site
Heritage Victoria will attempt to resolve a dispute
about works at the Ned Kelly
gang siege site in Glenrowan in the state's north-east.
Historians say the rural city of Wangaratta's
improvement works are destroying the area.
Heritage Victoria has now called a meeting on site
between the stakeholders for next Tuesday.
Heritage Victoria's Ray Tonkin says the department has
not made a mistake by allowing the
council to undertake the works.
"The fact is we have issued a permit which
includes careful archaeological research.
We would like to talk to the local [council] about where this is going in the
future," he said.
Source: ABC Regional Online.
'Careful
archaeological research', done with a bulldozer! (Dave)
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Fear campaign hurts economy
JULIA Gillard’s hypocrisy knows no bounds.
The person whose greatest supporter in Labor
politics is Mark Latham wondered why I wasn’t at Wednesday’s union-organised
rally in Wodonga.
I’m happy to point out to Julia that on the day
she barnstormed into the North East, I was honouring a long-standing
invitation to officially launch phase two of the Ned Kelly Touring Route.
On this occasion I was joined by local councils,
Kelly historians and former Hawke government minister Dr Barry Jones, who has
previously described Julia Gillard’s failed Medicare Gold policy as “a
turkey”.
On Wednesday, I was pleased to be able to speak
about the Ned Kelly legacy on the actual anniversary of the 1880 Glenrowan
Siege, to comment on the development of the touring route throughout the North
East, and to see the dividends that Australian Government funding is providing
to the project.
Julia’s blatant politicisation of Wednesday’s
protest does her no credit.
She should have left the talking to her union
masters such as ACTU president Sharan Burrow who said this week that real
wages went down during the Hawke government’s time because working people
wanted to do the right thing by Australia.
ACTU secretary Greg Combet went even further and
said that the unions “used to run the country and it would not be a bad
thing if we did again”.
Unemployment stands at 4.9 per cent in Australia.
Real wages have increased by 16.8 per cent since
the Howard Government came into office (in contrast with the 0.9 per cent real
wage decrease under the Hawke government).
Only by continuing to make the necessary
decisions will we be able to lock in Australia’s prosperity and keep people
in work.
The union movement’s true objective is to
control the Labor Party and the country but the fear campaign and the
scaremongering will count for nothing if we fail to keep our economy
competitive, our job market moving and our wages increasing.
— SOPHIE MIRABELLA
member for Indi
Source: Letters Border Mail 6 July 2006.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Source: SMH Paul Edwards
June 25, 2006
Ned Kelly brings more money to his old
stamping ground in death than he could ever have imagined pilfering in life.
There are many more people chasing Ned Kelly now
than when the wild bushranger was at the height of his activities.
Some are pursuing a romantic legend; others have
the urge to follow the wanderings of a charismatic young man always destined
for the hangman's noose.
For all of them, Ned Kelly rides again in a
journey of the mind through towns, mountains and forests. Whether he was a
criminal, a hero or a unique mix of the two no longer seems important - the
leader of the elusive gang is now a multimillion-dollar icon.
Kelly Country is a beautiful sliver of land
running from Melbourne to the farming country of southern NSW. This is where
enthusiasts seek connection with the short, turbulent life of Australia's most
famous fugitive.
Our Kelly route starts in the heart of Melbourne,
where the outlaw breathed his last.
Old Melbourne Gaol
The hangman was a fellow convict named Elijah
Upjohn, who volunteered his services. It was his first attempt at hanging, and
death was not instantaneous. Ned's last words: "Such is life."
The spooky gaol is one of the older buildings in
the city, and was Victoria's first prison. Opening hours are 9.30am-5pm; night
tours are run four nights a week and are not for the faint-hearted.
A prime attraction is Kelly's cell and the
gallows where his neck was stretched while his mother worked just metres away
in the women's prison.
State Library
Melbourne's magnificent library houses Kelly
armour and the Jerilderie Letter penned by him. The former shows he was a fine
bush blacksmith; the manifesto demonstrates that while he might have had
crackpot ideas about a new world order, he was certainly no illiterate
peasant.
The old Kelly home
A tumbledown house at Beveridge just out of
Melbourne's northern sprawl is where legend says Ned was born.
Historically incorrect, says owner David
Consiglio, who with wife Sharon has a long-term plan to restore the little
cottage. He says the baby bushranger was almost certainly born at nearby
Wallan.
"Our research shows this house wasn't built
until five years after Ned was born," he says. "However, it does
seem certain the Kellys lived here before going to Avenel, and it's a very
important link with the family.
"The house used to be a minor tourist
attraction but it became totally unsafe and we've had to put a fence around
it. Hopefully - time and money permitting - we'll make it completely safe and
share it with interested visitors.
"Give us time and it will be on the Kelly
touring route. It's a fascinating little place, only the size of a small
suburban home, but inside it's like a rabbit warren."
Avenel
One of the strongest links with the Kelly clan is
the Avenel pub, near the banks of the Hughes Creek. It was here that
11-year-old Ned jumped into a deep waterhole to save the life of young Richard
Shelton.
The boy's parents thanked Ned by presenting him
with a green bandanna, which he was wearing when captured at Glenrowan and
today is a prized exhibit at the Benalla museum.
Today two cousins praise Ned for saving their
grandfather, for without his courage they would never have been born.
"Like him or not, we Sheltons have a lot to
thank Ned for," says local farmer Ian "Bluey" Shelton, who in
his day was as famous as Kelly himself, being acknowledged as the toughest man
in VFL football when he played for Essendon.
Cousin Bill Shelton, publican of the Avenel Hotel
and also a former VFL player, says the sleepy little town may soon be
transformed as the gateway to Kelly country, with a $2 million museum and
information centre being mooted for a site near the pub and a new Kelly
weekend scheduled for November 18-19.
"Some people who don't know the full Kelly
story think he was just a cop-killing criminal," says Bill Shelton.
"They don't understand what forced him into his wild lifestyle, and they
don't know that he risked his life at a very young age to save our
grandfather.
"When people know more about the man and his
clan, then they can start to form opinions. Avenel is the logical place to
start looking for clues."
One of the local attractions is the Avenel Maze,
where the Kelly theme runs strong. A rock labyrinth is named Red's Way after
Ned's father, who is buried in Avenel cemetery. Kelly armour replicas are
dotted around the mazes and gardens and Kelly puzzles thread through the
attraction.
Euroa
These days the Hume Freeway bypasses the little
town where the Kelly gang outwitted more than 100 police and brazenly held up
the National Bank (thoughtlessly demolished three decades ago) and spent the
night at the Faithfulls Creek station.
The gang had previously killed three policemen at
Stringybark Creek, near Mansfield, and had been hiding out in the scrubby
Wombat Ranges.
In a comedy of errors, more and more people kept
turning up at Faithfulls Creek, until eventually 22 captives were being held
by the gang. Ned, brother Dan and mate Steve Hart grabbed £2000 in cash and
gold, and took another 14 captives back to the sheep station, having snipped
the telegraph wires on each side of the town.
Nothing quite as exciting has happened in Euroa
during the past 128 years, and although the town centre has many interesting
old buildings, Kelly would have difficulty recognising the streetscape.
Kelly Corner at the Farmers Arms Hotel, just two
years old when Ned and the boys plundered the bank, has been a museum since
1974. It has a collection of Kelly memorabilia and many reminders of the days
when bushrangers roamed the ranges.
Mansfield
A diversion from the northbound highway leads to
the mountainous country west of Mansfield. It was here that the Kelly gang,
hunted through the hills, committed the act that some of the most ardent Kelly
supporters have difficulty defending.
The gang had been alerted that police were
closing in on them and suspected that disguised officers intended to ambush
them and gun them down. Ned and the boys had no intention of going down
without a fight and the battle took place at Stringybark Creek on October 26,
1878.
Three policemen were killed and police memorials
have been built near the battleground and also at Mansfield, where officers
Kennedy, Scanlon and Lonigan are buried.
The natural bush setting at Stringybark Creek is
largely undisturbed and can be reached by a well-graded dirt road from pretty
little Tatong, where the English-style inn is worth a visit. Turn off for
Tatong at Swanpool, home of one of Australia's few remaining independent local
cinemas.
The proclamation resulting in the gang being
declared outlaws was made from the steps of the Mansfield Courthouse on
November 15, 1878. The lovely old building is still in use today, and the
picturesque main street is the backdrop for the impressive police memorial.
Benalla
This pretty town on the Broken River was usually
the headquarters of the police and the trackers who searched for the Kelly
gang.
Sidney Nolan's tapestry depicting the Glenrowan
siege is on display at the Benalla Art Gallery along with other Kelly-related
works. At the Costume and Pioneer Museum is the portable cell where Kelly was
once restrained.
Other Kelly sites include the cemetery, where
gang member Joe Byrne is buried, the courthouse where the Kelly family
appeared on various charges, and the bootmaker's shop where Kelly was involved
in one of his fights with policemen.
Although Benalla makes much of its Kelly
associations, it is prouder still of the local man regarded by many as
Australia's greatest hero - Sir Edward "Weary" Dunlop. Weary, whose
statue dominates the town park, was never afraid to challenge authority -
particularly his wartime captors - but his respect for the law was greater
than that of Kelly.
Glenrowan
Without Ned Kelly this little town off the Hume
Freeway wouldn't have much going for it, but every year thousands of tourists
visit to see buildings and attractions that did not exist when Kelly was
alive.
This is the scene of the siege - the moment of
truth when Kelly tested the armour that he and his gang had skilfully forged.
Police bullets were useless against the heavy steel helmet and body plates, so
the hunters simply shot him in the arms and legs - some say 28 times.
The siege took place in 1880 when the gang took
more than 60 hostages in Annie Jones' pub, after forcing labourers at gunpoint
to rip up the railway line to wreck a train loaded with Melbourne police.
But the outlaws were betrayed, and in the dark of
night, when the pub was full of hostages and the gang members were drunk and
tired, the police started to shoot. The gun battle dragged on until dawn, when
hostages were allowed to escape.
Kelly, a monstrous figure in raincoat and armour,
had walked out into the night and came on the police from behind, revolver
blazing. But he was shot many times and captured, while inside the tavern all
hell broke loose and the other outlaws perished.
The story of the Glenrowan Siege is told in a
walking trail map that guides visitors around a number of informative signs
located where the major incidents occurred.
Beechworth
Many consider this to be Australia's best Gold
Rush town - certainly, it's a tourist honeypot. With more than 30 National
Trust-listed buildings and a beautiful streetscape, it is clearly the most
evocative town on the Kelly trail.
Ned is not the only attraction here - Beechworth
has many reminders of the days of gold, including the persecution of many
downtrodden Chinese migrants. It's also the place where Robert O'Hara Burke,
who perished on Coopers Creek, learned far too little about bushcraft.
Legend says he used to get lost in the bush just
out of town when he was in charge of local police. One wonders if he ever made
it to Powers Lookout, off the Mansfield-Whitfield Road, where a teenage Kelly
was mentored by seasoned bushranger Harry Power.
Look out for the courthouse where the Kellys were
familiar guests for crimes ranging from assault to horse stealing and murder.
After Glenrowan, Ned was indicted here, but on the basis that he'd never get a
fair trial, he was sent to Melbourne.
Jerilderie
If not for Ned and his gang, this small town 310
kilometres from Melbourne would have little to hang its hat on, other than
being the home of General Sir John Monash, described as the best general on
the western front in World War 1.
The two men were at opposite ends of the
respectability scale, but Ned shades out the soldier in making his mark on
Jerilderie.
In their customary style, the gang rode into
town, took hostages, cut communications with the outside world, had a few
drinks and a few laughs, made fools of the police, robbed the bank and shot
through.
Ned also made public his Jerilderie Letter, in
which he got rid of some bile about the police and strung together some
rambling thoughts about declaring independence for north-east Victoria.
Quite a bit of old Jerilderie remains and the
town is an essential part of the Ned Kelly Route.
Before you go
nedkellytouringroute.com.au; northeastvalleys.info;
visitvictoria.com.au
How big is Ned these days?
Huge, according to Tourism Minister John
Pandazopolous. The Kelly legend continues to be a major drawcard for visitors.
"Tourism is worth approximately $457 million to the local economy in the
region, employing almost 3000 people," he says.
"The creation of a nationally significant
tourism precinct built around the Kelly legend remains a priority for the
Victorian Government (including) the Glenrowan master plan and the development
of the Ned Kelly Interpretative Centre.
"Already (we have) provided funding of $1.8
million through the Community Support Fund to stage one of the Glenrowan
master plan to improve the streetscape and facilities of Glenrowan for
visitors and potential investors.
"I recently announced funding towards
marketing the Ned Kelly Weekend to be held on August 5 and 6 in Beechworth. We
also help fund an annual Ned Kelly dinner in Glenrowan and have previously
funded the Ned Kelly touring route brochure."
***Perhaps someone should tell the Tourism Minister
that the Masterplan was wasted, the dinner was
abandoned and the Interpretive Centre will probably be a white elephant.
News from Avenel.
See also Newspapers For & Against
the works in Glenrowan.
 
Wangaratta Chronicle May 8 2006.
...................................................................................................................................
New chapter for Kelly tale
(Source: The Border Mail) 21 Apr 2006
BY BRAD WORRALL
Sophie Panopoulos and Don Joyce at the siege site yesterday.
Picture SIMON DALLINGER
THEY’RE peeling back the layers of the famed Ned Kelly legend at
Glenrowan.
An archaeological dig of the Glenrowan Inn, the scene of the 1880 siege and
capture
of the bushranger, will start in spring.
It could also be a springboard to a project that would deliver a $15
million museum,
as well as 126 jobs and $6.9 million to the region.
The dig will peel back about ½m of top soil on the block of land, where a
pony now
grazes, and is expected to reveal the foundations of the inn and other
artefacts.
Wangaratta Mayor Don Joyce said it was quite likely bullets and shell cases
would
be found.
“This dig will be of national significance, already experts have said it
is the most
prominent dig in recent memory,” he said.
“It will also be the start of a much bigger project that will include a
raised walkway
around the site, complemented by storyboards and maps of where the bodies of
the
three men fell.
“Work will most likely begin in either September or October.”
Member for Indi Sophie Panopoulos yesterday chipped in $121,000 of federal
funds
for the project that will cost more than $210,000.
“Glenrowan is recognised on the national heritage list and with that
recognition
comes the responsibility to preserve and advance its history,” Ms Panopoulos
said.
“This project is one small part of that.
“The community and council have done a lot of work to improve Glenrowan
but
there is still a long way to go to achieve the status the legend demands.
“No matter what side of the Kelly argument — hero or criminal — you
are on, there
is no questioning the importance of this site.
“The story needs to be told without bias so people can interpret the
events that
happened here.”
Council economic development manager Graham Nickless said the long-term
goal
was to build a $15 million interpretative centre.
“We want to do justice to the legend,” he said.
“We already have 100,000 visitors to Glenrowan each year but also know
that 3.5
million people travel past on the Hume Highway every 12 months.”
...................................................................................................................................
Archaeologists called in to unearth
more Kelly history.
The Chronicle Apr 21 2006.
................................................................................................................................................
On the trail of Ned Kelly New Zealand Herald
25.04.06
By Sue Wallace
Ned Kelly has been immortalised on film, celebrated
in song and captured on canvas.
In Australia he is an icon, entrenched in the psyche, a true legend, and one
which has spread across the Tasman to New Zealand.
Whether you consider him larrikin or criminal, victim or hero, you can now
explore the many pieces of the puzzle which makes up the notorious bushranger by
following the Ned Kelly Touring Route in southeastern Australia.
The touring route guides the traveller around the various Kelly sites in
Melbourne, northeast Victoria and southern New South Wales with the aid of
storyboards, maps and even a new audio guide.
This allows you to get a feel for what really happened at places like the Old
Melbourne Gaol and the towns of Avenel, Euroa, Stringybark Creek, Glenrowan,
Beechworth, Benalla and Jerilderie, which figure large in the Kelly legend.
Along the way you can also enjoy a sampling of Australia's undervalued but
delightful small country towns and a countryside which often looks very
different to what we see in New Zealand.
If you want to go back to the very beginning there is even a storyboard on the
site of the Kelly family home in Moyglass, County Tipperary, Ireland, where
Kelly's father Red lived before being transported to Australia in 1841.
But a more realistic starting point is the Victorian State Library in Melbourne,
which displays Kelly's personal testament, the famous Jerilderie Letter,
dictated by the outlaw himself to Joe Byrne in February, 1879.
It is the only document providing a direct link to the Kelly Gang and the events
with which they were associated.
The 8000-word letter has been described as Kelly's manifesto.
It passionately articulates his pleas of innocence and desire for justice for
both his family and the poor Irish of Victoria's northeast.
Donated to the State Library in 2000, the Jerilderie Letter brings the famous
outlaw's distinctive voice to life, and offers readers an insight into the man
behind the legend.
At the Old Melbourne Gaol, where Kelly was executed on November 11, 1880 at the
age of 25, you can see the holding cell where he lived after being condemned,
the gallows scene and the suit of armour worn during his final battle with
the police at Glenrowan.
From the goal where the Kelly saga ended so sadly, it's a huge jump - though
only 120km by road - to the town of Avenel where the 11-year-old Kelly was
hailed as a hero after he rescued another boy from drowning.
The boy's parents presented Kelly with a green silk sash which - in an ironic
link - he wore at the Glenrowan shoot-out.
Today it is displayed at the Benalla Costume and Pioneer Museum, not far from
the Avenel Hotel whose owners are descendants of the boy's family.
Euroa, a 35km drive away, takes us from the young hero to the notorious
bushranger.
It was where the Kelly gang staged a daring raid and robbed the National Bank of
£200 on December 10, 1880.
Police set up their headquarters in Euroa for the Kelly Gang manhunt.
Other memorabilia and the story about the gang's plans are displayed at the
Farmers Arms Hotel Museum, also in Euroa.
Benalla, a 45km drive from Euroa, was the main town closest to Kelly's home and
central to Kelly's bush-ranging days.
Artist Sidney Nolan's tapestry, Glenrowan, which depicts the siege, is
displayed at the Benalla Art Gallery, along with other Kelly-related works.
Kelly gang member Joe Byrne is buried at Benalla and the Kelly family appeared
on various charges at the courthouse there.
Glenrowan, 20km on, is where the Kelly Gang bailed up the townsfolk in the
Ann Jones Inn as part of their grand plan to create a Republic of Northeast
Victoria, on June 28, 1880.
The Australian Government has recognised the national heritage significance
of the Glenrowan Heritage Precinct, the site of Kelly's last stand, by including
it in the National Heritage List.
The 8ha Glenrowan siege site played a defining role in both the story and the
myth of Ned Kelly.
It is where the Kelly Gang, after being hunted for nearly two years, confronted
the police. Three gang members were killed that day and Kelly was wounded and
captured. Five months later he was hanged.
If you feel like taking a break from touring and history, have a drink at
Baileys of Glenrowan Winery at Taminick Rd, where Kelly once worked.
After that go on to the historic town of Beechworth which is also connected to
the Kelly legend.
All four members of the gang spent some time in its jail.
Kelly was there for two years and appeared in the courthouse on August 6, 1880,
on a murder charge.
The courthouse is one of several 19th century buildings that make up the
Beechworth Historic and Cultural precinct.
A Ned Kelly walking tour, which departs daily at 10.30am from the Beechworth
Visitors Centre, takes you past many of Kelly's haunts.
The last historic site is at Powers Lookout in the King Valley, 85km from
Beechworth, where another notorious bushranger, Harry Power, took Kelly on as an
apprentice bushranger.
Power hid himself in the ranges at the head of the King Valley and his camp was
located near a hollow tree. He made holes in the tree to give a complete view of
the valley.
The highest spot above the campsite is now a popular viewing point known as
Powers Lookout, which has magnificent views of the valley, surrounding vineyards
and tobacco farms.
Then it's on to Tolmie and Stringybark Creek, 41km from the lookout, where in
late 1878 the police hunt for the Kelly Gang intensified.
Sergeant Kennedy and Constables Lonigan, Scanlon and McIntyre rode out from
Mansfield and on October 25 camped at Stringybark Creek, not far from the Kelly
camp.
The following day the Kelly Gang ambushed the police camp.
Kennedy, Lonigan and Scanlon were killed in the gunfight while Constable
McIntyre escaped on Kennedy's horse.
On November 1, the Kelly Gang and their accomplices were outlawed as a result of
the massacre, which meant they could be shot on sight.
The three policemen killed at Stringybark Creek were buried at Mansfield
cemetery, and there is an impressive marble monument in the main street.
The proclamation declaring the gang members to be outlaws was made from the
steps of the Mansfield Courthouse on November 15, 1878. The courthouse is still
used today.
Glenrowan last year celebrated the 125th anniversary of the famous siege in
which Kelly lost his life.
Kelly featured in one of the world's first feature films, the Story of the Kelly
Gang, which was made in 1906.
Over the years many other films have followed. Kelly has been depicted by Heath
Ledger, Mick Jagger, Yahoo Serious and John Jarrett.
Fiction writers who have immortalised the bushranger include Robert Drewe, Jean
Bedford and Peter Carey, who won a Booker Prize for his 2001 novel The True
History of the Kelly Gang.
He has also been celebrated in song by musicians such as Jon English, John
Williamson, Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings, Midnight Oil and Redgum.
You can't help feeling Ned Kelly would have a smile on his face today if he knew
how much his legend had lived on.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
On the Trail of an Outlaw
A new touring route helps Ned Kelly fans track his life and death.
Steve Meacham reports.
It's late afternoon when we arrive, roughly the same time as the shoot-out
happened all those years ago. It feels eerie as we get out of the car and walk
through the trees towards the anonymous-looking creek. The silence is almost
unreal, making it hard for us to believe that this little spot witnessed a
pivotal moment in Australian folklore.
We seem to be the only people around for miles. But then that's what the four
policemen must have felt on October 26, 1878, when they were ambushed by Ned
Kelly and his men.
We've come to Stringybark Creek, the place where three of those policemen lost
their lives. It was here, in this picturesque piece of forest, that the Kelly
saga reached its turning point.
Whatever Ned and Dan Kelly and their two confederates, Steve Hart and Joe Byrne,
had been before, after Stringybark Creek they were outlaws. Marked men. From
then on they were the Kelly gang.
Of all the places of pilgrimage on the Kelly trail, Stringybark Creek is perhaps
the most enigmatic. Glenrowan, scene of the famous last stand, is more dramatic.
Beechworth, where Kelly was taken after being captured, has more physical things
to see. Jerilderie, across the border in NSW where he wrote the letter that
justified his campaign, is more philosophical. Melbourne Gaol, where he was kept
in the condemned cell until he was led to the gallows on November 11, 1880, has
more relics: his death mask and revolver, Dan Kelly's armour.
But Stringybark Creek is the place where the die was cast. A place of
coincidence and misunderstandings.
My brother and I had decided to liven up the journey from Melbourne to Sydney.
Instead of sticking to the Hume Highway, we'd taken a couple of days to meander
north, calling in to see as many of the places that helped shape the Kelly story
as we could. Our guide had been the excellent map of Kelly Country published by
the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria, which carries detailed notes explaining
what happened where.
From this month Kelly enthusiasts have another option. A number of the shire
councils in the area, aided by a $82,500 grant from the Federal Government's
regional tourism program, have banded together to create an official Ned Kelly
Touring Route. For the first time, all the key sites have been linked with
interpretive signs and storyboards that explain how each venue fits into the
overall Kelly puzzle. The website http://www.nedkellytouringroute.com.au allows
you to research the sites before you set off. There'll eventually be an audio
guide available from the area's tourist information offices.
How we would have loved that audio guide when we travelled in January.
Especially at a place such as Stringybark Creek, which cries out for
explanation. Today you reach it via a well-graded dirt track shared with logging
trucks, 14 kilometres off the main road between Mansfield and Beechworth. If it
seems remote and lonely now, think what it must have been like in 1878.
The so-called Kelly Tree is the main thing people come to see. A crude, cast
iron plaque in the form of Kelly's famous armour has been embedded into the
bark, bearing the words "Kelly shot Lonigan 1878". A more recent
memorial commemorating the three policemen who died was added in 2001 by the
Victorian police force with the motto "Respectfully remembered and never
forgotten". Sad to say, it had been defaced when we visited.
There is, of course, continuing debate about whether Kelly murdered Constable
Thomas Lonigan in cold blood or in self-defence. But what is indisputable is
that Kelly, fearing being squeezed between police gangs intent on his capture,
ambushed the policemen who by coincidence had camped on the other side of the
creek. And in the ensuing gun battle, Kelly killed both Lonigan and Michael
Kennedy, with Joe Byrne probably firing the bullets that killed Michael Scanlon.
The first stop on our tour had been the tiny township of Avenel, once a ford
crossing on the Old Sydney Road. It was here that the 11-year-old Kelly famously
demonstrated his bravery, saving a boy called Richard Shelton from drowning in
Hughes Creek. The boy's grateful parents presented Kelly with a green silk sash
which Kelly wore during the Glenrowan siege (and is now on display at Benalla's
Costume and Pioneer Museum).
Shortly afterwards, Kelly's father, John "Red" Kelly, died, aged 46.
He's buried in the town cemetery. His death, in December 1866, meant his widow,
Ellen, moved to Greta to be closer to her family. Twelve-year-old Ned became the
father figure to his six siblings.
Another 50 kilometres up the road is Euroa, the site of the Kelly gang's first
bank robbery. After the slaughter at Stringybark Creek, Ned realised they needed
money to evade the manhunt. On December 9, 1878, after cutting the telegraph
cables, the gang walked into the town's National Bank and emerged with £2260 in
cash and the bank's staff as their prisoners. The story of the planning behind
the raid is told in the Kelly corner of the Farmers Arms Hotel Museum.
From Euroa, most Kelly pilgrims will probably head for Benalla to see the
memorabilia at the town's costume and pioneer museum. But we took the pretty
diversion through the Strathbogie range to Merton and Mansfield. The three
policemen who were killed at Stringybark were stationed at Mansfield, as was
Constable Thomas McIntyre, the only one to escape. An impressive memorial to the
slain constables, who are buried in the town cemetery, was erected in 1880. By
then the gang members were outlaws, the proclamation having been read out from
the steps of the Mansfield courthouse.
From Mansfield, we drove north via Stringybark Creek to Powers Lookout, named
after Harry Power, Ned's bushranging mentor, who used to hide there because it
gave him ample warning of any approaching troopers. Then a left turn took us
through Greta to the most celebrated of all the places on the Kelly trail,
Glenrowan.
Kelly's last stand, on Monday, June 28, 1880, wearing the iconic armour, has
gone down in folklore. Glenrowan today is bypassed by the Hume Freeway, a fact
that has reduced the number of tourists in recent years. There are three
privately run attractions on the main street. Two of them are museums, Kate's
Cottage and Cobb & Co. The third is the "anatromic theatre" that
uses puppets and lights to re-enact the siege.
One of the best ways of exploring the site is to follow the 40-minute
self-guided walk mapped out in a free leaflet from Kate's Cottage.
Ann Jones Inn, where 62 hostages had been held by the gang, was destroyed in the
fire that police deliberately lit to force the remaining gang members out into
the open. Two bodies, presumably those of Dan Kelly and Hart, were found in the
ashes. The only thing remaining was the hotel sign, a replica of which now marks
the site of the hotel just beyond the railway station where the police train
pulled in and unloaded.
A few metres away, a comically lurid memorial near Siege Street marks the spot
where Ned finally fell and was captured, his body riddled with bullets.
From Glenrowan, Kelly was taken to Beechworth, then a thriving gold rush town.
Today Beechworth makes an ideal climax to a Kelly odyssey, before rejoining the
road north to Sydney. With more than 30 buildings listed by the National Trust,
Beechworth is regarded as the best-preserved gold era town in Victoria, a
handsome destination in its own right, particularly with the vineyards that have
grown up recently.
But it is also crammed with Kelly associations. Beechworth's celebrated Burke
Museum has a permanent Kelly exhibition, featuring several items used by gang
members. And the sandstone walls of the Beechworth jail had housed every member
of the Kelly gang at one time or another.
His final appearance in the town after the Glenrowan shootout, a bloodied but
unbowed warrior, is commemorated in the courthouse, where a Kelly figure glares
down from the dock. His preliminary trial hearing was staged in Beechworth, but
the trial itself was moved to Melbourne for fear a Beechworth jury might acquit
him. As Kelly himself might have said, such is life.
| 
Copyright
reserved 2003-2010.