John Kelly Real Estate

An article by Alan Crichton.

John Kelly Real Estate

Properties Bought and Sold

When we read the story of Ned Kelly and his family, which I believe to be a rather tragic one, we really don’t get the opportunity to learn all that much about the patriarch, John (Red) Kelly. All we know is; he was born in 1820, came out to the colony as an Irish convict for the theft of two pigs, married 18 year old Ellen Quinn, had eight children(one deceased), and died of dropsy in 1866 at the ripe old age of just 46. I don’t know about you, but I believe if John had lived to a ripe old age, things would have turned out very differently for the Kelly family.

From the little I’ve read on John, he was known by many to be a quiet man who avoided violence whenever he could. He was not scared of hard work, liked a drink, and was more prone to stop a fight than to start one, unlike his brother- in- law Jimmy Quinn. In February1851, Ellen and John’s first child was born, who they named Mary. Baby Mary passed away not long after, but at what age we are unsure. The loss of their first born child must have been devastating, and the affect it would have on their lives one can only imagine.

In February 1853 Ellen falls pregnant with Ann. If their current financial situation was poor, this could have been the influencing factor that motivated John to find a solution on the now prosperous goldfields. With his young and beautiful wife pregnant, it must have been heartbreaking for him to leave her, not knowing if his efforts some 70 miles away will be rewarded or not. I believe it would have taken a lot of courage and a deep love for his wife to take on such a venture, after all, he could have quite easily stayed and continued doing odd jobs around the district like he had been doing, but how would that have changed their financial situation?

I'm now sitting here reading Ian Jones’s classic ‘A short Life’, and it's taken me back to 1853 when John Kelly returns from the goldfields. Not long after, he forks out 615 pounds or the equivalent to what I'm told is around $154000 in today’s currency for 41 acres of land with buildings. (John, what are you doing? That’s a hell of a lot of money to gamble on your family's future. Are you sure somebody hasn’t taken advantage of your gullible nature?) We can’t be sure of how much money John actually brought back with him from the diggings, but I would take a guess he didn’t spend it all on property considering the birth of his daughter Ann.

He later buys a half acre block (price unknown) and builds a house to rent. (Way to go John! Now you’re thinking like a true speculator). Let us say that property is worth about $6000 or 24 pounds. In 1856 when times get a bit tough he takes out a mortgage on his farm for 200 pounds or $50000. (Red, I hope you know what you’re doing taking a mortgage out for a third of the original price of your property, especially if times are getting tough. I just hope you’ve got a plan in mind to cover it, and just as a matter of interest; who the hell gave you the 50 grand?) A year later he has to sell his farm for 252 pounds10 shillings or $63125 plus half of his town block that included a house. (Ahh, now I think I know who gave you the 50 grand for that mortgage. I just hope it wasn’t the bloke who sold the property to you in the first place. Couldn’t you try renting out some of the land John?) Now I don’t know what happened, but someone got done and it wasn’t the buyer. This transaction leaves him left with a quarter acre block where he has to throw up a shack(value unknown) so that he, his wife Ellen, Ann, Ned, and possibly baby Maggie had somewhere to live.

So let's say that in 1854 John Kelly owned property to the value of approx. $160000 in today’s money. In 1856 he takes out the mortgage on the farm for 200 pounds or $50000. Now to me that totals $210000. In 1857 he sells the farm for $63125 and half of his half acre block that included the house he had previously built to rent. Let us again assume he gets 8 pounds or $2000 for the house and quarter acre block which comes to a total of $65125 or 260 pounds and 10 shillings. In my calculations John has lost in the space of 3 years $144875 or 579 pounds and 10 shillings going on the sale of his properties and the second mortgage.

A couple of years later in 1859 John forks out 70 pounds or $17500 for 21 acres in Beveridge with a couple of town blocks thrown in for good measure. (There’s one thing you can say about John Kelly; he’s not one to give up easily. Good onya Johno! With a growing family it looks like you’ve made a good investment compared to the outrageous price you paid for the first one.) On this block, he builds the house that you can visit to this day, but now it’s slightly the worse for wear but worth a hell of a lot more than what John paid for it.

Five years later in 1864, John flogs off the house he has built and the 21 acres of farmland for 80 quid.( What the hell is going on Red? Now I’m almost feeling sorry for you. After five bloody years and building a ripper of a house on it, the property has only grown in value by 10 quid? It’s outrageous. Please don’t tell me it was sold to that bugger who bought your first property.) He had evidently disposed of his town blocks for an unknown amount (I still don't know what happened to the quarter acre he threw the shack up on.) and moved his family to Avenel. Here he rents a 40 acre property at 14 pounds or $3500 per a year. ( John me old mate, now I do feel sorry for you. What a kick in the guts for a bloke who only wanted to do the right thing for his family’s future. I s’pose the missus has been on your back? It looks like you're back where you first started. Oh well, at least you gave it your best shot mate. You’ve got the love of your family to see you through, and who knows, maybe things will improve.) It’s here that John Kelly finally draws his last breath in December of 1866, leaving his family to continue their lives without him, alone and penniless.

When you look at John’s property portfolio, it kind of runs hot and cold and then eventually evaporates before your eyes. Now don’t get me wrong; I think John’s only mistake was that he was slightly gullible and born a hundred years too early. You’ve got to give it to him, when he returned from the goldfields he whacked most of his dough into real estate, unlike a lot of married men who simply disappeared after they had struck it rich. If he’d done the same thing in 1956 he could have come out of it a wealthy man later down the track. The downside to that is; we’d have no Australian icon to read about. Our Ned would have most probably turned out to be a well heeled solicitor or politician or even worse, a bloody property developer. John Kelly was born in 1820, and I’m sure I can speak for all of us when I say: We'd have it no other way John!

Keep ya powder dry.