Heroes were few and far between on the ground at Glenrowan.
Fortunately there were a couple of persons who committed heroic acts.
There were police 'heroes' at Glenrowan despite what you may have read.
Constable Arthur saved the lives of innocent people from the
indiscriminate firing by Sgt Steele.
Constable Arthur's reward was an attempt by Steele to have
him dismissed from the force.
Constable Bracken saved Ned from being shot by Sgt Steele.
Father Matthew Gibney was on his way back to Western Australia
when he was asked to give
the last rites to Ned Kelly who had just been captured.
Father Gibney was a brave man who entered the burning Inn to try and save the remaining bushrangers.
He was the main witness who saw
the dead bodies of Dan and Steve. It was from his evidence that we
know the bodies
he saw were the outlaws Dan & Steve. Personally I wonder how he could be certain who they
were
since he was from another state and had never met either man.
Seen as a hero to some,
a traitor to others,
was responsible for the saving of many,
many lives**.
carried
Margaret Reardon to safety during the siege.
Railwaymen risked death when they ferried police to the siege
and also at times when they had to
change the tracks and this required them standing in the
open!
THE TELEGRAPH LINE REPAIRER.
According to
eye-witness Mrs. McDonnell, a line repairer climbed the telegraph pole and fixed
on a wire
during the siege.
She said he was very brave because 'bullets whistled all around him'.
THE CIVILIAN.
Neil McHugh carried Johnny Jones
(son of the publican of the Glenrowan Inn) out of the Inn under the risk
of constant gunfire.
*Additional
information:
According to a police report by constable Phillips, McHugh's Christian name was
'LEAN'.
**Assuming that the plan was to wreck the train.