Updated APR
21
2008.
27 March 2008.
Hooray!
Finally someone who understands the real story.
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Bid for Ned Kelly's head (Source HeraldSun) Apr 20 2008. THE State Government is considering an amnesty to secure the return of Ned Kelly's missing skull. Kelly's bones are believed to be among the
remains of 32 executed prisoners exhumed from the
site of the former The prisoners' remains were re-interred at
Pentridge after being taken out of graves at the Old
Melbourne Gaol Heritage Victoria's senior archaeologist Jeremy
Smith yesterday confirmed an amnesty had been
proposed by Exhumation field work at the former Pentridge prison was now complete, Mr Smith said. "The last set of the remains has been delivered to the forensic institute and we are now waiting for the analysis," he said. But a source close to the bones dig said an
amnesty had been suggested as a way of reuniting the
hanged bushranger's "This idea is that, if whoever has got it understands there will be no questions asked, they might give it back," the source said. Archaeologists working for Heritage Victoria have
completed the exhumations and passed their skeletal
findings to the The Sunday Herald Sun understands the
archaeologists think Kelly's remains were found
without a skull - supporting an A skull, thought to be Kelly's, with the initials
"E.K." attached to it, was stolen from the Old
Melbourne Gaol in what appeared One of the culprits was rumoured to be a former prime minister's son, yet it is still not known what happened to it. Some observers think the E.K. skull was actually that of Edward Knox, who was also executed at Melbourne Gaol. And in a further twist, a farmer in Western
Australia claims he has the controversial E.K. skull
buried in a tin can in his
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Find excites bone hunters.
March 09, 2008 12:00am NED Kelly has always held a fascination for Victorians. His story reads like part wild west cowboy adventure, part Dickensian crime novel. And the hunt for Kelly's final resting place is as intriguing a tale as any forensic potboiler. "It's a great archeological detective story that
has taken two years to get to the bottom of,"
"It's the most exciting archeological find I've been involved in." The push to find Kelly's grave first loomed large in 2005 when developers moved in to redevelop Pentridge Prison, which had been closed and sold off by the Kennett Government in 1997. Heritage Victoria launched a serious bid to find Kelly's grave and those of more than 30 others in 2006. Slow progress was made until the stunning
discovery this year of an undated Department of
Justice The 'eureka moment' came this week when archeologists unearthed multiple graves. Three square, deep pits have been found. "It's doubtful we will be able to identify all the individuals because of the diversity of conditions," Mr Smith said. "The bones are not complete and they have been mixed, co-mingled and decomposed. "Some go back to the 1860s.
"Until recently it was
thought there was only
one burial plot at the
eastern end of D
division building where
Ronald Ryan was buried in 1967. Now we've confirmed the existence of an earlier historic burial ground at the eastern end of F division." The remains of the 32
executed prisoners were
transferred from Old
Melbourne Gaol in 1929,
but the exact locations
The document was the only evidence of the re-burials at Pentridge. The investigation has
thrown light on the
deaths of Victorian
criminals including
Frederick Deeming, who
killed successive Source: Melbourne HeraldSun 9 Mar 2008 ........................................................................................................................... National Trust finds some Faine friends in deed IN 1992, ABC broadcaster Jon Faine made an incredible find in the Trading
Post. For sale was an 1880 document related Two of the slain policemen, Sergeant Michael Kennedy and Constable Thomas Lonigan, left nine children between them. The document, dated July 23, 1880, was a Deed of Settlement drawn up by the
State Government, stating it would leave The Trading Post seller told an amazed Faine that he had found the
deed, handwritten on three pages of vellum, folded With no acquisition interest from the State Government, Faine teamed with two
fellow history buffs, the then Supreme The trio have donated the deed to the National Trust. Mr Faine and Mr
Phillips were unable to attend a cocktail party The trust's Victorian chief executive, Martin Purslow, said it was an
"extremely generous gift" that would be displayed CAROLYN WEBB The Age Oct 17 2007. Thanks Sharon for alerting me to this article. ............................................................................................................................................. Town and siege site unveil upgradeGlenrowan glowin’By BRAD WORRALLIN a fitting tribute to the Kelly Gang — trains, gunshots and sirens played cameo roles as Victorian Community Development Minister Peter Batchelor unveiled the new-look Glenrowan yesterday. Almost $2.3 million has been spent to revitalise the township and restore the Kelly Gang siege site. The main street has been narrowed and beautified with angle parking in rustic wood pole-lined bays. Information signs tell the Kelly story and take visitors on a guided stroll of the battlefield. Mr Batchelor said the $1.8 million of Victorian Government money had been well spent. “The precinct highlights the historical, social and cultural importance of the Ned Kelly story for the state and will generate significant economic activity for the local area,” he said. “It is going to bring more people to Glenrowan — with all the social and economic benefits that tourism brings.” Mr Batchelor said the project was a collaborative effort between all levels of government. “This project shows what can be achieved when all levels of government work together, driven by the energy and enthusiasm of the community,” he said. “Involving more people in planning and decision making isn’t just a nice idea. “It is also a way of getting better results.” Wangaratta Mayor Don Joyce said Glenrowan was now tourist friendly. “The works are superb, the narrowing of the street lends itself to pedestrian traffic, tourist traffic, those thing are vital,” he said. “It’s a tourist town and we have to model it that way. “We need to remember Glenrowan is the keeping place of the Kelly legend. “It is part of Australia’s folklore.” Mr Batchelor’s address to community members, school children and council staff was punctuated by a series of interruptions perhaps suited to the history of the Kelly town. A freight train rumbled by, gunshots from the Kelly museum fractured a pause in the speech and the CFA siren signalled the end of proceedings. Source: The Border Mail 21 Sep 2007 (Thanks Sharon USA) ......................................................................................................................................................... Plaque theft angers policeBy ANTHONY BUNN (Source: Border Mail)POLICE are furious a plaque honouring three troopers shot dead by the Kelly Gang at Stringybark Creek has been stolen from its bush setting south of Benalla. The tablet commemorated Sgt Michael Kennedy and mounted constables Michael Scanlan and Thomas Lonigan, who were struck down in an ambush by the Kelly Gang in October, 1878. It was unveiled in October 2001, after being set into a rock, and had been subject to a number of vandalism attacks without being stolen. Det Sgt Rod Smith, of the Benalla criminal investigation unit, said the plaque had been missing since Wednesday, but it was unclear exactly when it was stolen. “We’d like it back,” Sgt Smith said. “It’s a slap in the face, they’ve got no respect for the police or the three policemen who lost their lives chasing this villain, this murderous mongrel. “We’ve gone to a lot of trouble to have a memorial up there and we have the Kelly tree there too, and someone has the temerity to remove the plaque. “It’s there for everyone to see, not just someone who wants to go souvenir hunting.” Tools would have been required to remove the A4-sized plaque, with the remote location between Benalla and Mansfield making it hard to protect. Sgt Smith’s colleague Det Sen-Constable Peter Clifford was involved in the original project to install the plaque, with the rock and transport time donated to erect the police-funded memorial. He was left annoyed by the theft and suspects those who idolise Ned Kelly are responsible. “You can come up with any amount of motives, such as mischievousness or souvenir-hunting,” Sen-Constable Clifford said. “It could also be crooks who still sympathise with the Kelly family. “The crooks hold Ned Kelly up as an icon, they think he’s fantastic, especially around here.” Sen-Constable Clifford said that by coincidence a spare plaque had arrived at the Benalla police station in recent weeks and he planned to pass it onto Parks Victoria in the next fortnight so it could be installed. A spokeswoman for the Department of Sustainability and Environment said rangers were investigating the theft.
..................................................................................................................................................................................................................... NED Kelly's remains may be in a suburban Melbourne park. But Heritage Victoria, which last month revealed the outlaw's remains
probably vanished from Pentridge Prison in the 1950s or 1960s, has ruled out
looking. Source HeraldSun June 3 2007. Australia's favourite murderer is still giving the Establishment the run-around, writes Sushi Das. IF ONLY they hadn't sawn off his head. At least then it might have been easier, in some small way, to identify Ned Kelly's remains. Even if you're not a Ned tragic, the mystery of the notorious bushranger's missing bones is an intriguing tale that shows that when it comes to Australia's favourite legend, there's no such thing as truth. Not one truth, anyway. The latest in the skeleton saga came this week when Heritage Victoria announced that Kelly's remains, for decades thought to have been buried in the grounds of Pentridge Prison in Coburg, had disappeared. The likelihood was that they had been unceremoniously dumped in a nearby quarry after drainage works at the prison in 1960. Newspapers from Melbourne to London reported the story. "It's quite amazing, given the historical role of Ned Kelly, the myth, the legend, the tourism potential and all the rest of it, that we seem to have been so careless about his final resting place," said a Melbourne radio announcer. Just when you think Kelly's final resting place has been identified, up pops another expert with a different theory. Monash University heritage expert Warwick Frost says the "bones in the rubbish tip" theory is, well, rubbish. They are in fact buried under RMIT — probably in the vicinity of buildings three, five, seven and nine. (The area to the east of Bowen Street in the city). Kelly was hanged at the Old Melbourne Gaol in 1880. His head was cut off and sent for scientific testing. As the law at the time required, his body (without head) was buried in an unmarked grave in the jail burial yard. In 1929 after the jail was decommissioned, the bones of executed inmates were dug up, placed in sacks, and transferred to Pentridge for reburial, again in unmarked graves. Journalists at the time went sniffing for a story. On April 13, 1929, The Herald reported there had been an unseemly scramble over Kelly's grave, where they found a complete skeleton. There was a "disgraceful desecration" as labourers, led by a Mr H. Lee of Lee and Dunn Constructors, dug up the burial yard at Old Melbourne Gaol. They were building part of the Working Men's College, which went on to become RMIT University. "The skull unearthed yesterday," reported The Herald, "from which every tooth but one was removed by morbid souvenir hunters, is now at the home of Mr Lee, where it will remain pending official direction." Ahaa! says Frost. How could that skeleton have been Kelly's? After all, his head was cut off. "(It) could have been anybody's who had been executed, and there were over 100 executed in those grounds," he told The Age. "There is no conclusive evidence that Kelly's bones were moved to Pentridge … the likely probability is that Kelly is in an unmarked grave under RMIT. So somewhere underneath those lecture theatres are his remains." Jeremy Smith, Heritage Victoria's senior archaeologist, says the possible whereabouts of Kelly's bones need to be recorded for history's sake. He maintains they are in the quarry, not under RMIT. As for the complete skeleton found in the burial yard of the Old Melbourne Gaol in 1929, it was probably not Kelly's, says Smith. However, his bones would have been among the many dug up alongside the skeleton. They would have all been sent to Pentridge. There's no doubt about it in his mind. And what of Kelly's skull? Experts agree the skull dug up in 1929 is unlikely to have been Kelly's. The real skull, the one sent away to advance science, was displayed in the Old Melbourne Gaol, until one summer's day in December 1978, when it suddenly vanished. There were no signs of a forced entry and the display case was not broken. The skull, which for years had been gathering dust at the Canberra Institute of Anatomy, had been on display for only six years. Ned's head, if indeed it was his, is still missing. There's insufficient evidence to prove anything about Kelly's bones, says Kelly historian John McQuilton, associate professor at Wollongong University. "I never found anything in the prison records which even suggested that they bothered to monitor the (burial) process, which is odd for a Victorian society which was brilliant with its attention to detail," he says. But no matter how many times Kelly is buried, exhumed or reburied he has a habit of coming back, says McQuilton. That's partly because he is no longer just a legend. He is now a fully fledged, card-carrying commodity. Check out all the Ned Kellys at the opening ceremony of the Sydney Olympics, he says. "Once Australians no longer find anything in his story that somehow strikes a resonance with them, he'll be forgotten." Perhaps. It's been 126 years since Australia's favourite murderer was hanged. When he's not haunting us with his life and times, he's haunting us with his old bones. Such is death. Sushi Das is a senior writer.
............................................................................................................................................................... Benalla Ensign .............................................................................................................................................................................. Ned Kelly's remains 'most likely discarded'Heritage Victoria says Ned Kelly's remains have most likely been discarded or removed from the old Pentridge Prison site in Melbourne's north. The prison area is being redeveloped and archaeologists have been trying to locate the grave sites of up to 44 prisoners who were executed at Melbourne Gaol and buried at Pentridge Prison. Kelly, Australia's most famous bushranger, was hung in Melbourne Gaol in 1880. His remains were moved to the Pentridge grounds in the 1920s. Archaeologist Jeremy Smith says it appears Kelly's remains have disappeared after being dug up during drainage works in the 1950s. "We've dug out an old plan from Department of Justice files that people have really been largely unaware of, [and] we have unearthed a couple of the burial sites," he said. "But we have found sites where the plans show the early remains would have been buried, and really what we're finding is extensive mid-20th century disturbance. "We know there was a phase of stormwater drains going through and what's coming to light is that during those works, and perhaps other infrastructure works, it's quite likely that these historical burials, including the relocations from the Melbourne Gaol, were probably disturbed," he said. The area is now being redeveloped into a housing estate.
As a matter of interest I reproduced all the links to papers covering this story as of 7pm today.(21 May) Dave White.
.......................................................................................................................................... The HeraldSun Newspaper.
.............................................................................................................................. Police anger over Ned Kelly logo proposal CURRENT and former veteran police officers are offended that
bushranger Ned Kelly Sources said a suggestion the new armed crimes taskforce take on a logo of
Kelly - a bank robber The armed crimes taskforce has replaced the armed offenders squad as part of the major crime management model. The Herald Sun believes the logo was suggested in good faith because
Kelly was a notorious bushranger captured But former armed robbery squad stalwart Ray Watson, instrumental in the
capture of notorious bandits during the "I'm outraged about it," Mr Watson said. "Does that mean Carl Williams is going to be considered as a squad emblem in the future? "Ned Kelly is iconic, but certainly not a hero. "That emblem idea would have revered the man, not the taskforce." One current officer said: "It's common knowledge that former members of
the armed offenders squad and the old Many armed robbery squad detectives were close friends with Sgt Gary Silk,
who with Sen-Constable Rod Miller, The Ned Kelly idea, floated late last year, has been rejected. Source: Sunday HeraldSun. .......................................................................................................................................... Ned Kelly still brings in dollarsBy BRAD WORRALLBEECHWORTH’S Ned Kelly weekend generated more than a $1 million for the town, says an Indigo Council report. The summary to be tabled at a meeting on Tuesday night also details the spin-off from The Great Victorian Bike Ride which, while attracting similar numbers, made less than a quarter of that money. And while the bike ride cost the council $9000, the bushranger weekend delivered a profit of almost $15,000. The council report recommends undertaking both events again but suggests the Ned Kelly weekend be held two-yearly. More than 4200 people are said to have visited Beechworth during the Kelly celebration in August. It was 3000 more than visited the historic town on the corresponding weekend in 2005. Visitors are said to have spent $655,000 in the town during the weekend that featured a debate on the hero status of the famous bushranger who was hanged in 1880. The economic impact for the town was estimated at $1,048,320. But the report blames November’s heat for a much reduced spend by cyclists on The Great Victorian Bike Ride. While 4000 people were said to have visited the town, their spend was much less than the Ned Kelly tourists. The report says the visitor spend during the cyclists overnight stay was $144,000 and the spin-off about $230,000. Both events also attracted significant interest from national media with exposure on WIN’s Today Show and national daily newspapers for the Ned Kelly debate estimated to be worth $1.2 million. Council officers also suggest that four out of five cyclists on The Great Victorian Bike Ride would return to take advantage of the Murray to Mountains rail trail. The report also lists the downsides of both events. The Ned Kelly weekend required significant out-of-hours work for council staff and created high expectations. Community groups involved in the bike ride did not get the returns. Source: The Border Mail 3/3/07 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ Kelly spirit rides again as sympathisers gang up on Beechworth jail developer WHEN authorities installed iron gates outside the old Beechworth prison in the late 1800s, they intended to thwart attempts to free Ned Kelly sympathisers. As town residents peer in through the imposing white bars today, they cannot help but feel locked out of decisions about the historic site's future. Opposition is mounting to plans to redevelop the prison and surrounding grounds, where a young Ned Kelly served sentences spanning two years in the early 1870s and was held during his committal hearing for murder in 1880. The 147-year-old jail, listed on the Victorian Heritage Register, was shut in December 2004 when a minimum-security, 120-bed prison was built just out of town. Salmore Developments secured the site, including buildings, from the State Government for more than $1 million through a tender process. Heritage Victoria is considering an application by the Melbourne-based developer to subdivide the land behind the main prison buildings into 23 allotments, including 18 residential blocks where some two-storey townhouses may be built. The developer also intends to convert the former jail's interior, transforming it into a hotel, restaurant and retail precinct. Mal Wilson, who lives opposite the site, says the community has had virtually no contact with developers about their plans and has been denied access to the site. The grounds have shown signs of neglect, including overgrown gardens. "We're frustrated and we're trying to frustrate the developer," Mr Wilson said. "It's undeniable that we have very little power in the decision. The only thing we can do is bond, and create a barricade to the process." A hastily convened public meeting this month to oppose the plans attracted 100 residents, and more than 1000 signatures have been collected in a petition. Among those against the plans is well-known Kelly historian and local resident Ian Jones. He says the iron gates symbolise the bushranger's influence. In 1879, about 20 suspected Kelly sympathisers were held in an attempt to limit support for the Kelly gang, but prison officials feared the original wooden gates would do little to stop a break-out. Mr Jones says a more "holistic" approach that pays respect to the site's history is needed for the development. "When you drive into Beechworth from Wodonga, the first sight of the jail will be a miniature suburb and concrete walls," he said. "And meanwhile the jail's rotting. I can't be convinced that there was ever a serious plan for the use of the main jail complex." Heritage Victoria has received 40 submissions about the developer's application. Executive director Ray Tonkin says a decision is expected within a month. He stresses that the application relates only to the subdivision of the land, and the developer will also need a planning permit from Indigo Shire Council. Any further development or building at the site would require a separate heritage permit. "The owners haven't come forward with any specific proposals for the old building," Mr Tonkin said. "We would weigh those up." Salmore managing director Sam Lawson says the furore is disappointing and fuelled by misinformation. He believes the company has always been clear about its intentions. "What we've said from the outset is that it's stated in the Heritage Act that all of the historic elements of the building can't be touched, have to be looked after and maintained," Mr Lawson said. "That's set in stone. I have to do that, and will do that. That's why I bought the place — its historical significance." The council met the developer late last year for a briefing, and is not totally opposed to Mr Lawson's plans. However, councillors recently rejected the application before Heritage Victoria, citing several concerns including that "the proposal fails to provide a whole-of-site approach to development and reuse". The council's chief executive, John Costello, says any plans considered by Heritage Victoria should include details of what is on the cards for all buildings and areas inside the jail walls. The council also wants Heritage Victoria to ensure safeguards are in place so the developer properly maintains the place. "The whole place has to be maintained and not left to rot. (The developer) bought the place and has just left it to sit there," Mr Costello said. "In the end the council has to do grounds maintenance, looking after the gardens, walls, buildings." Cr Andrew Banks wants the council to go a step further and ask the state and federal governments to buy back the jail, returning it to public hands. He says the jail, the nearby old courthouse where Kelly was tried, telegraph station and police lock-up form the most "intact gold-rush governance precinct" and must be preserved. "Just because it's tucked away 300 kilometres from Melbourne doesn't mean it's any less significant than, say, Pentridge or the Old Melbourne Gaol," Cr Banks said. "I just think we as a community, state and federal governments, Australia as a nation, have made a mistake by selling this, and we have to be big enough to admit that." Source: The Age Orietta Guerrera
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