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The following text and accompanying images were sent in by our mate and writer Alan Crichton. Thank you very much Alan, Dave.
Hi Dave, Well the Beechworth Weekend has come and
gone once more but the memories should last me for at least another year. Flew
into Melbourne at 8.30 am and it wasn't long before we were making our
way north to the beautiful historic town of Beechworth. Dropped in to Avenel
to take a look at the old Shelton place on the way. What a beautiful old
house but what a shame it's been neglected for so long. I can't work out how
such an important part of Victoria's heritage could be allowed to get into
such condition.
The next stop for us was Glenrowan and to
say hello to Rod at Kate's Cottage. If anyone hasn't been through the
museum at Kates it's definitely worth a stop. After having a good
wander through the museum I was starting to forget about the neglect at the
Shelton house and was feeling rather uplifted, that was until I saw the
siege site. What a bloody disgrace! If this is an example of how local
and state government look after heritage sites then you can kiss them all
good-bye.
The concrete rubbish is still sitting there
surrounded by those permanent plastic eyesores. How long has it been now? I
thought towns like Glenrowan relied on tourism to stay alive or does the
Wangaratta council just want the town to simply die off.
At 2.00 PM we finally arrived in Beechworth and
what a breath of fresh air to see how a council should take care
in the responsible management of their community. After settling in to
our accommodation it wasn't long before I was up hovering around the historic
precinct bumping in to old Kelly buffs doing the same thing and all looking
forward to the dinner and festivities at the Nicholas at 7pm. Before too long
we were all finally making our way to our tables. Everyone was dressed in
period costume and were well and truly looking for a great night. I don't
think anyone was disappointed. For $39 a head we got an entree of green pea
and ham soup followed by a choice of three main courses (Dublin Coddle,
Special fish pie with potato and veges or braised beef and Guinness with
mashed potato and veges) And on top of that, bread and butter pudding or
treacle tart. A far cry from the pittance dished out at Baileys a couple
of years ago.
The entertainment was second to none. We got The
Ned Kelly Story performed by a fabulous cast; Narrator was Fr. Graham
Sawyer-John Red Kelly played by Lazy Harry, Ned by Michael Beattie and
Kate by Suzie Ellis. Lazy Harry then cranked up the music with Val Wilson
and Brent Taylor and with the Beechworth Irish Dancers the old Nick was
jumping like the good ol gold rush days. Everyone got a song book so
there was no excuse not to sing along. If that wasn't enough there were prizes
given out all night, finished off with a good old Kelly quiz which I am
pleased to inform was won by our table. Finally got to meet the gentleman
bushranger himself, Brian Mac Donald, and what a gentleman he was. Brian
always made himself available for the many questions thrown at him through the
evening by us amateur Kelly book collectors.
After finally tearing myself away late into the
evening and getting some sleep, I soon found myself waiting the next morning at
the Beechworth station for the arrival of Ned from Melbourne. I must have got
there too early as the traps were still getting their uniforms on when I
arrived. At least they had prepared a nice warm fire and it wasn't too long
before I was tucking in to a hot breakfast while Lazy Harry sang The
Wild Colonial Boy in the background. Ned arrived, and after the traps had
him secured in the spring cart, we were all heading for the courthouse with a
police escort.
At 11.00 Brian MacDonald had us all drawling over
some of his rare and very old books on Ned. Brian gave a great presentation on
the myths and facts that have been written about Ned and a great insight into
many of the books he presented. I did offer to carry them out for him
when he was finished but he declined. Oh well it was worth a shot. The next
item on the agenda was the Preliminary Hearing re-enactment for Ned. The courthouse
was packed with people. For someone who at first couldn't find a seat, I was
soon ushered to the front row and then somehow ended up on the jury and then having
to agree to a guilty verdict on our poor Ned. What a wonderful
performance the actors gave the audience. It made you feel you had gone back
in time a hundred and twenty seven years. Definitely worth the entrance fee.
That evening we returned once more to the
courthouse for The Forgotten Heartache. Noeleen Lloyd, Judith Douthie and
Paul O'Keefe each gave a captivating presentation on the turbulent Kelly
years and how their families intentionally or unintentionally caught
up in the Kelly outbreak would be affected through to the present
generation. I was especially moved by Noeleen's presentation with
emphasis on the sometimes forgotten difficult roles the women played in
those hard times and the unbelievable hardships they endured.
Noeleen spoke with authority but above all with PASSION. My only
disappointment was, it was all over just as I was settling in. But like most
interesting topics the time seems to go much faster. After a few more quiet
drinks and a chance to meet some interesting people at the Nicholas my
patient and understanding wife steered me home. For me the Sunday was
a disappointment. The drizzling rain had taken its toll and the long awaited
boxing match between Wild Wright and Ned was cancelled. Either way, my money
was still riding on Ned for a win in the 20th. When I caught up with Noeleen
Allen the events co-ordinator around 1.30 that afternoon, she looked
like she had just finished 20 rounds with Ned herself. All she wanted to do
was to go home and put her feet up. So you should Noeleen; you deserve it. The
weekend for me was an absolute cracker and I wouldn't have missed it for all
of Brian MacDonald's books. Well maybe I should rephrase that. It was
obvious a lot of organisation and effort has gone into this event and
Noelene and her team should be congratulated. Maybe the Wangaratta council
could do with a Noeleen Allen on their team and try doing something positive
for Glenrowan. In all, a great weekend.
Keep ya powder dry
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