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Warning! my opinion is inserted into the news reports.

Looking for older news? see the Archived News Page.
If you are seeking news about Ned Kelly not associated with Glenrowan try
www.nedonthenet.com/newsroom.htm
note: where pages are relevant news items may be found on those pages.
Big Ned loses a bit of steam.
Wangaratta Chronicle June 2010.

ON THE MOVE: A favorite with tourists, the steam engine that once
sat
near the Ned Kelly statue in Glenrowan has been moved


The engine was moved
from near Kate's Cottage and will now reside
just up the road in front of a local residence.
............................................................................................................
Wangaratta
Chronicle
December 18, 2009
Kelly descendant, likes shooting, the environment, and he is... Our new mayor
My great grandmother was Ned's (Kelly) younger sister.
GREAT great nephew of Ned Kelly.
A beef cattle farmer who enjoys shooting feral animals.
Environmental warrior.
Anthony Griffiths wears a lot of titles, but his latest one, mayor of
the Rural City of Wangaratta, represents one of the biggest changes in
his life.
After 21 years working at the tax office in Albury, Cr Griffiths has
taken 12 months leave to concentrate on his new responsibilities.
And two weeks into the job, he has had a taste of what lies ahead of
him, having chaired a council meeting, met with two state ministers,
and attended a meeting of Regional Cities Victoria.
But outside of his life as mayor, who is Anthony Griffiths?
Yes, he is a Kelly descendant, and Cr Griffiths still lives in Greta
West, just kilometres from the old Kelly homestead.
"My great grandmother was Ned's (Kelly) younger sister," he said.
"There's a lot of people track us down, and because we still live in
the area there is that connection."
Cr Griffiths also runs 400 head of beef cattle with his parents -
something he has managed to juggle around work commitments.
"It's the quintessential family farm," he said.
"We usually run a fair few more cattle, but with the drier conditions,
our numbers are a bit down, as is the case with a lot of other farmers
around the region."
In his "spare time", Cr Griffiths is a board member of the North East
Catchment Management Authority, and is secretary treasurer of Greta
Valley Landcare.
He is also a pretty keen shooter, enjoys family history and is a
collector of vintage machinery. Meanwhile, Cr Bill Hill has been re-elected
unopposed as the mayor of Benalla Council.
Cr Hill said the
implementation of Council Plan actions, such as the development
of a long-term community plan, and completion
of major projects would be a major focus in the coming 12 months.
........................................................................................................
WANGARATTA CHRONICLE
December 12, 2009
Siege results in new year
Council awaits full extent of what Kelly dig unearthed
Written by STEVEN BURKE.
RESULTS of the archeological dig at Glenrowan last year are expected to
be made public early in the new year.
Archeologist, Adam Ford, conducted the dig last May at the site of the
Ann Jones Inn, after the Rural City of Wangaratta received a $121,000
grant from the Department of Transport and Regional Services.
The project attracted international interest, with the ABC airing a one
hour special about the dig in June this year.
Findings from the site included a percussion cap, as well as several gun
cartridges from the battle between Ned Kelly's gang and Victoria Police
in 1880.
Council has already received a draft report into the findings of the
dig, but is waiting for a final report to be submitted.
Council's acting manager of economic development, Shivaun Brown, said
two reports would be made public, one in a technical, scientific format,
while another will be made easy for the general public to understand.
"We've still got the draft, but we'd hope to have the full report by the
end of the year," she said.
Ms Brown said the report would help provide a context for the Kelly
siege.
"As well as artefacts relating to the siege, there were artefacts
recovered that relate to the time of the siege," she said.
"So that will help provide more of a social context for the seige."
Ms Brown said Mr Ford was still working on the second document, which
will include all references and scientific information.
(thanks Sharon Hollingsworth for alerting me to this)
...........................................................................................................................
In the
land where Ned still rules
-
Ned
Kelly is commemorated with a 40ft statue in the town of Glenrowan.
Tom Adair
Published
on 25 Oct 2009
The ghost
of Ned Kelly has me spooked.
I have
been here before, gripped by the Aussie bush ranger’s legend for 40-odd years
and I need a fresh fix, a chance to finger the memorabilia,
and to hear again a rendering of The Wild Colonial Boy.
Ned was an
outlaw turned national hero – which he remains, against the odds in some parts
of Australia. In truth, the Kelly gang was a bunch of ruthless
19th-century bush rangers, robbing small businesses,
which
small businesses?
making
their getaways on horseback, wearing armour plate beaten
from ploughshares, touting helmets that looked like saucepans
I
think you better take another look...
and taking on the British troopers,
the
what????????
committing murder.
I’ve been
to Beechworth and stood in the dock where Ned was arraigned. I’ve been to Greta
and Stringybark Creek, among his bolt-holes. And now I’m
braving it at the Kelly shrine at Glenrowan, a few hours drive into wispy bush
due north of Melbourne.
This town
is more colourful and wackier than a kangaroo on wheels. Yes, there are
tourists, and other obsessives here, men disconcertingly like me, with
ample bellies and stringy hair. Standing in huddles are blokes with dogs, one of
which (ominously) is called Yum-Yum. one
has to wonder if this
bloke was actually in Glenrowan...
By far the fiercest tourists are among the bus-load of Kiwi pensioners buying
boomerangs at a gift shop.
I, too, am a boomerang of sorts.
It’s my
third time here, and I still find it difficult to picture the massive shoot-out
for which this town is infamous – Australia’s bloody answer to the gunfight at
the OK Corral – which saw Ned Kelly taken prisoner and led to martyrdom on the
gallows.
Main
Street, Glenrowan, today is busy with weekend visitors, a posse of them staring
up at the 40ft statue of Ned with his rifle. Ned stares back through the
visor of his helmet. “He’s bigger than Skippy the kangaroo,” says a passing
belly. “He’s bigger than Vegemite,” adds his stringily-coiffured mate.
A bunch of
yawning, somewhat lackadaisical tourists is now emerging from the Ned Kelly
Computerised Theatre. One, a woman, is looking teary, as if it’s
hot news to her that Ned did not survive the hangman’s noose and she’s just lost
a bet that he’ll be acquitted.
“Come,
Have the Adventure of Your Life,” shouts the theatre’s hoarding. “This
attraction can and does frighten people.” In mockery of this claim, the
unruffled punters shuffle quietly towards the famous Billy’s Tea Rooms, passing
a statue of Lazy Harry. The statue is singing, but no-one is paying any
attention. I head for Cobb and Co, two doors away, where they house a Ned Kelly
Museum.
There you
can buy the tackiest souvenirs – from a heavy suit of armour in black or puce,
to cuddly Ned dolls, to Kelly fridge magnets. For serious devotees,
however, a heavy display of information about Ned’s ancestry (rural Irish), lots
of old pictures in black-and-white, and a sense of devotion and sombre
vaunting of Ned’s status as an Australian version of Robin Hood (without tights
– not recommended for Aussie heroes) is pinned in abundance to the walls.
There are plenty of Kellys still around,
very
much doubt it!
I’m told,
and they don’t take kindly to critics of their boy.
So, after
feasting myself on Ned’s credits, I saunter forth. The surrounding landscape is
unremarkable. Fingers of sunlight spear the clouds.
There are bowers of gum trees, and gently undulating hills with little hollows,
puddled by billabongs under the great Australian sky.
was
this drongo even in Glenrowan?
Knowing my
duty, and needing my fix, I pass underneath the gigantic Ned with his giant
boots, before boldly entering the Computerised Theatre.
funny
as 'Big Ned' is at the other end of town to the Animated Theatre.
The proprietor smiles, overlooked by a portrait of Ned with his infamous Colt
45.
I join a
small queue as we file through the foyer into a darkened intimate space.
“It’s all
right to scream,” the proprietor tells us. The lights are dimmed, the show
begins – with a roll of thunder, a crackle of lightning. And then a
spotlight falls on a clock, the hands of which zoom back to 1878.
Unsurprisingly, the commentary massages Kelly’s fame, carefully editing his
exploits,
and then the shoot-out is duly signalled by a gunshot from the murk.
There
follows the tale of Kelly’s last days of derring-do, unveiled to a backing track
of The Wild Colonial Boy and a blur of animatronic action, apeing
the stand-off, deploying crudely constructed figures, life-sized in armour and
troopers’ uniforms.
Simultaneously, the robots jerk and twist to the rattle of gunfire which goes on
forever until the audience looks like it, too, is probably dying – most likely
of lethargy.
The final twist is a rainstorm, a great effect, and the figures collapse. In the
rainy aftermath, there is silence, occasional dripping.
Ned,
though shot in the legs, has, of course, survived, to be carted off to Melbourne
gaol – his last, and fatal, port of call.
All in
all, I’m impressed by Glenrowan’s colourful chutzpah and by its innocent sylvan
setting, more like a picnic venue than somewhere you’d set a bloodbath.
The next
morning, I follow Ned’s journey southward, detouring past ghostly Hanging Rock –
just because I like it – its swathes of gum trees silhouetted in the mist.
High-rise Melbourne looms before me and in its midst lies Old Melbourne Gaol,
the must-see last niche on the Kelly fan’s hit list.
There, at
dusk, with a dozen others, after a typically great Melbourne dinner, I take the
magnificent after-dark tour. They give you a candle, and tell you tales of
execution as your footsteps ring on the flagstones, and noises-off emerge
unexplained from black cells. It is not to be missed.
Then I ask
about Ned’s remaining days and they show me his armour. for
what its worth, Ned's armour is at the State Library of Victoria.
I
see his death mask, then stand by the gallows on which he stood on November 11,
1880.
Seconds before the trap door opened, Ned reputedly said: “Such is life.” A
remorseless remark. Was he being ironic, or just mistaken? He may simply have
meant
“such is death”.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Bone 'unlikely' to belong to Kelly Gang.
Forensic tests on a small bone found at the
site of the Kelly Gang's last stand in north-east Victoria
have been inconclusive.
A piece of burnt bone was found last year during an
archaeological dig at the site of the Ann Jones Inn at
Glenrowan.
Archaeologists thought the remains could have belonged to
bushranger Dan Kelly or Steve Hart.
But project director Adam Ford says the bone is unlikely
to be human.
Mr Ford says he was optimistic the bone belonged to one
of the bushrangers and he was initially disappointed.
"The coroner's of the opinion that it's more than likely not human and while
my initial reaction was of disappointment I
am a scientist first and foremost, so I accept results and I think it shows how
thorough we've been throughout the process,"
he said.
Source:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/23/2694168.htm
................................................................................................................
Kelly centre 'needed'
$20m bid 'laughable', but support for realistic bid for Glenrowan
Written by TRISH GALLAGHER.
A NED Kelly collector and curator, involved in an unsuccessful bid to
get a $3m Kelly interpretive centre off the ground at Avenel, wants to
see Glenrowan succeed.
Matt Shore yesterday welcomed the Rural City of Wangaratta's moves to
review a centre concept for the town, funded by a $20,000 allocation in
council's budget.
Council pursued for several years a centre concept costed at around
$20m, but has said a revised look would be much more modest.
That makes far greater sense to Mr Shore, who said the earlier ambitions
for Glenrowan were "laughable".
no
doubt about that, the plan was a joke! Glenrowan does not need a monster above
town.
But he said a centre is 'needed' so rare 1880s and 1890s material
relating to the Australian legend can be respectfully displayed and
admired, not hidden away in cupboards.
Mr Shore curated 'Ned: The Exhibition' at the old Melbourne Gaol in
2001-02 and another Kelly exhibition at Beechworth's Burke Museum in
2005-06.
Both displayed a lot of original artefacts held by private collectors,
such as Ned Kelly's favorite Snider-Enfield rifle that he called
'Betty', after he 'souvenired' it from kangaroo hunter Henry Dudley in
Euroa.
Other material in private hands are books worth about $80,000, photos,
documents, songs, films, scripts, and the armor worn by Mick Jagger in
the 1970s Kelly film.
"I have access to all this material but there's nowhere to put it," Mr
Shore said.
"There has to be a nationally significant centre - people are willing to
put this material on display, anonymously.
"If Glenrowan is fair dinkum about doing something for less than $20
million, I'm out there putting my hand up."
Mr Shore said the Avenel project was proposed for land owned by Bill
Shelton, a grandson of Richard Shelton, the boy Ned Kelly famously saved
from drowning and received a green sash for bravery.
The Avenel feasibility study and business case was carried out by
consultants, Urban Enterprise, whose managing director, Matt Ainsaar,
said the project failed because it couldn't attract the $3 million in
funding.
lets
hope a home is found before it is too late.
Source: Wangaratta Chronicle..
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
The Glenrowan doco with Tony Robinson will be aired on ABC1
Thursday 9th July.
Join well-known British actor, author and presenter Tony Robinson (Blackadder,Time
Team, The Worst
Jobs in History)
on an archaeological dig unearthing details of Ned Kelly's infamous
last gun battle in 1880.
Ned Kelly Uncovered follows
the first ever excavation of the Glenrowan Inn site where the iconic
Australian bushranger
and his gang holed up for a showdown with police.
The dramatic siege which lasted over 24 hours, ended with Ned
Kelly's capture and the death of gang members Joe Byrne,
Dan Kelly and Steve Hart. Nearly 130 years later, can a team of
archaeologists and historians reveal new insight into Ned Kelly's
final moments of freedom?
More than a century after the Kelly Gang rode the ranges of Victoria
and NSW, holding up towns and stealing thousands of pounds,
opinion remains passionately divided between those who love Kelly as
a persecuted champion of the poor and those who dismiss
him as a cold-blooded killer and thief.
Will the dig site shed new light on the motivations of a man cast
into legend by history? Or have souvenir hunters destroyed any
chance
historians have of uncovering the truth?
With specialist commentary from Kelly experts Ian Jones and Alex
McDermott, this one-hour documentary follows a seven-week dig led
by archaeologist Adam Ford.
As the archaeologists unearth a host of artefacts including
cartridges and bullets, the scientists conduct tests with
fascinating results.
Meanwhile, the historians strip back the myth, piecing together the
clues to give a detailed new look at an iconic Australian, literally
from
the ground up.
the
experience was great, a shame so much footage ended on the cutting
room floor when they aired a sort of
'street talk' with people that had no understanding of Ned at all.
No trains for Glenrowan
DI THOMAS
A DECISION by the Victorian Department of Transport not to reopen the
Glenrowan railway station as
part of the major upgrade of the North East rail corridor had greatly
disappointed the local community,
member for Benalla, Dr Bill Sykes said yesterday.
Dr Sykes said he would be contacting Public Transport Minister, Lynne
Kosky, to express his view of a
lack of co-ordination between the Department of Transport and the
state’s tourism and regional development
offices in relation to a survey to assess community members’ travel
needs.
He said a meeting at Glenrowan on Thursday between the community and
the Department of Transport had
delivered the bad news.
“The survey concluded for a range of reasons that the cost to reopen
the Glenrowan railway station was not
justified and the Glenrowan transport needs for locals would be met by a
combination of buses and trains
while visitors could get off the train at either Benalla or Wangaratta,”
Dr Sykes said.
“My response is that there was clearly an omission in the strategic
planning that failed to consider the
value of Glenrowan.
“I believe the Department of Transport is not working closely with
tourism or Regional Development Victoria,
when both of those organisations have made significant projections for
growth in North East Victoria of visitor
numbers climbing from 250,000 to 500,000 by 2012 and up to 750,000 after
that.”
Dr Sykes said he believed the survey had recorded the views of local
residents and visitors already in the area,
but did not quantify what effect reopening the station would have on
boosting visitor numbers.
He said it also appeared upgrade works to the railway at Glenrowan
had already reached “the point of no return”.
“It seems the feedback to the community on February 12 was after the
fact, the Government had already made
the decision to pursue its original plans,” he said.
Ms Kosky, who was visiting Wodonga yesterday, said the Government had
committed to do a survey to find out
how many people would use the railway station.
“The tourism figures show the bulk of people don’t use the train,
they need to travel further afield to other sites
and that generally means using their own car,” she said.
“But the survey found that the local public transport is not good and
we are looking at that.”
(Thanks for sending this in Sharon Hollingsworth)
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Smoke reignites horror memories of icon destroyed
Written by STEVEN BURKE. (Wangaratta Chronicle)
When the chips were down and the pressure was on, Bob Hempel's true
character came to the fore.
Mr Hempel faced his worst nightmare yesterday when smoke billowed from
the ceiling of the Glenrowan Tourist Centre, reviving memories of the
1997 fire that destroyed his iconic business.
the
business was not destroyed, it was damaged in part...the show went on the next
day!
"I smelled it and then the smoke started to get thicker," he said.
"The beautiful thing is, I stayed calm and panicked like everyone else."
Mr Hempel immediately sought help from his neighbors at the Billy Tea
Rooms and evacuated the small number of people who were on a tour in
his building at the time.
Four CFA units attended the call-out, which fortunately didn't develop
into a full blown fire.
Wangaratta CFA fire officer, Greg Mitchell, said the smoke was caused
by a small fire in an electrical transformer.
"The CFA and the owner got an electrician in who eventually got to the
source of the problem," he said.
"We were reluctant to leave without first finding the cause of the
smoke as the building has a high fuel load.
"It's an icon of the North East and because of the past fire, we would
hate to not have figured out the cause and then for another fire to
occur."
See also: Blaze in Town
.......................................................................................................................
Glenrowan Railway Station –
Encouraging Response from Minister
Source: Media Release Bill Sykes
“Encouraging” is the word Nationals MP Bill Sykes used to describe the Minister
for Public Transport’s response to his
request in Parliament that Glenrowan Railway Station be re-opened as part of the
upgrade and standardisation of the
North East Victoria rail corridor.
Dr Sykes said, “Whilst it is still early days, it is encouraging that the
Minister for Public Transport, Lynne Kosky, has
acknowledged the limited public transport services at Glenrowan.
“The Minister wrote, “I appreciate that Glenrowan currently has very limited
transport services particularly for local
residents, and DOT (Department of Transport) is committed to improving public
transport access for both the residents
of Glenrowan as well as visitors and tourists to the
region.”
Dr Sykes continued, “The Minister is also supportive of surveys being undertaken
by the Department of Transport in
conjunction with Glenrowan residents to assess local community and tourist
transport needs.
“The surveys are to be undertaken this month which is also encouraging. The
survey results will provide valuable
quantitative data on current public transport needs.
“However it is critical that the Minister recognises the expected growth of
Glenrowan when the township’s water supply
is upgraded and a sewerage system is put in place.
“It is also critical that the Minister considers the increased tourist
visitation expected when Tourism Victoria’s priority
project of the Ned Kelly Interpretative Centre becomes a reality and when Mokoan
wetlands are restored.
“The Government has committed $20m to restore the Mokoan wetlands and they
expect 300,000 visitors per year.
Dr Sykes concluded, “Now is the time to re-open the Glenrowan Railway Station –
it is a once in a lifetime opportunity
to put in place public transport infrastructure to meet Glenrowan’s future
needs.
“I will continue to work with the Minister for Public Transport to achieve this
outcome.
|
Time to bid Ned goodbye
|

...after 23 years with legend
Written by JACQUIE SCHWIND. Source: www.nenews.com.au
AFTER 23 years, Chris and Rod Gerrett are parting with their major
Glenrowan contribution to keeping the Kelly story alive.
Their Gladstone Street tourism trio - the Ned Kelly Museum, Kelly
Homestead replica and Kate’s Cottage Gifts and
Souvenirs -
is up for sale with expressions of interest
being handled by Melbourne agent, Wollermann and Associates.
The Gerretts took over the complex from Nanette Green in the mid
1980s and have since doubled both the shop and museum in size.
The museum and homestead replica are located behind Kate’s Cottage
and there is also a covered barbecue area used by tourists
and for Chris’ talks to school groups.
The Gerretts also arranged for the big Ned Kelly statue to be built.
"It’s our donation to the town really," Chris said.
"It’s the most photographed item there."
The Kelly complex has received praise from many visitors including
well-seasoned travellers who have seen it all.
Chris said three years ago, Catriona Rowntree and the Getaway team
visited the Ned Kelly complex to shoot a segment.
"She said it’s just the best Kelly museum," Chris recalled.
"They spent about one and a half hours just looking at everything.
"It aired at least three times that we know."
Chris said it was amazing how many visitors had some form of family
link to the Kelly story, such as relatives who were in the Ann Jones Inn
at the time of the siege, went to school with
Kate Kelly, or knew Steve Hart.
She said there was even a visitor whose grandfather was a cobbler
approached by Ned Kelly to make a pair of boots and requested to provide
a
cavity inside one heel.
It turned out the cavity was to hold a gold sovereign.
"I don’t know if it was a luck thing or so he always had some money
on him," Chris said.
She and Rod said they thought the time was ripe now to focus on other
aspects of their lives.
"Our kids have seen more of the world than we have.
"We want to see more of Australia," they said.
"Rod and I are studying art.
"We’ve just started with acrylics.
"We want to do more of that."
Chris believes Glenrowan’s attraction as a tourist destination has
been enhanced by the recent archaeological dig and the streetscape
works.
"I think the future is only going to get better there," she said.
"As time goes on, every new generation picks up the thing with Ned
Kelly.
"Ned is THE Australian icon - the human icon - ahead of Bradman.
"The next step for us is selling the business to someone who comes
along and has a passion for the story and doesn’t just think of it as a
commercial thing."
Chris said there was also huge interstate and overseas potential for
the new owners to introduce online stock ordering to the complex’s web
site.
"It will take some other younger brain to take that further," Chris
said. |
..........................................................................................................
 
Ned Kelly trio stage ‘hold-up’ over line. The Border Mail. 16 June 2008.
Those on board the train making what is likely to be steam's final journey to
Albury had an unscheduled stop at
Glenrowan on Saturday afternoon after they were held up by “Ned Kelly”.
Gary Dean, one of three Ned Kellys in full metal gear, had gathered
with almost 100 townspeople and flagged down the
train to protest the failure to include Glenrowan as a scheduled stop in
multi-million dollar plans to convert the broad
gauge track to standard gauge.
Mr Dean, who operates the town’s Cobb and Co store, believes it will
cost nothing to redesign the new northbound track
to move it the two metres required to bring it in line with the existing
Glenrowan platform.
Alternatively, he said a branch line and switching point could be constructed
at a cost of about $1 million.
Mr Dean said locals were also considering seeking Federal Government funding
for the reconstruction of a replica timber
platform to align with the existing south-bound line where a branch line already
exists.
He said the “hold-up” had given locals the chance to create a photo
opportunity for passengers on the steam train, raise
the profile of their cause and speak with former deputy prime minister Tim
Fischer, a passenger on the train and chairman
of the Rail Freight Network Review Committee.
Mr Fischer said he supported moves to build a platform at Glenrowan, citing
the desire of locals to encourage more Ned
Kelly-related tourism in the region.
Mr Dean said Mr Fischer had been supportive in advising the bid to return the
rail service to Glenrowan.
............................................................................................................................
NED KELLY HALTS TRAIN 14 JUNE 2008 (SOURCE SMH)
PASSENGERS aboard a steam train making its last
journey through Victoria's bushranger country
today could be forgiven for thinking it was again
1880 when "Ned Kelly" caused its abrupt halt at
Glenrowan.
The train was making its way for the last time along
the 200km broad gauge track that runs from
Seymour to Albury in the state's northeast.
The track is to undergo a multi-million dollar
upgrade involving the conversion of a broad-gauge
track to standard gauge.
But not everyone is happy, particularly at Glenrowan
– the scene of Ned Kelly's last stand – as
the popular tourist town will not be included as a
scheduled stop.
Earlier this month, the Victorian Government
announced a $501.3 million package to create parallel
standard-gauge tracks, dramatically boosting the freight
capacity between Melbourne and Sydney.
Former deputy prime minister Tim Fischer, who is
chairman of the Rail Freight Network Review
Committee, said the decision to upgrade the track
"brings an end to the ugliest and longest dual
gauge carriageway in the world".
But he and about 400 others passengers on board today
to celebrate the train's last ride came to
grinding halt at Glenrowan.
One of three "armed" Ned Kellys in full metal gear,
gathered with about 100 protesters, jumped
onto the track and waved down the driver, Mr Fisher
said.
"The steam rail driver decided to act with absolute
caution on sighting the flag and put safety first,
bringing the train to a halt until the track was safe
and all clear," he said.
The local protesters who had gathered to meet the
train are unhappy the changes to the line do not
include building a platform at Glenrowan.
Archaeologists have recently completed a dig at the
site of the former Ann Jones hotel in Glenrowan,
where Kelly and his gang took locals hostage.
Kelly was arrested and later hung for his actions,
while his partners in crime were killed during a
shoot-out that ended the siege.
Glenrowan locals want the upgraded Seymour-Albury
train to include an operational platform in the
town to encourage more Ned Kelly-related tourism in the
region.
"There's still a great magic about steam trains
tourism and Ned Kelly tourism and I support the moves
to build a platform at Glenrowan," Mr Fischer said.
Hundreds of people lined the train's route as it made
its final journey today, which was also the 125th
anniversary of its first run.
|
Ned’s hiding spot pinpointed in dig
BRAD WORRALL
31/05/2008 12:00:00 AM
ARCHEOLOGISTS now believe the Kelly
Gang took refuge in a bedroom
completely protected from the hail
of bullets fired by police during
the Glenrowan siege.
Yesterday at the end of a
month-long dig of Ann Jones’ Inn,
project leader Adam Ford said the
discovery had
redefined the site.
He said it now had international
significance and compared it to
Custer’s Last Stand at Little
Bighorn.
“We can now map the movement of
the Kelly Gang in their last hours,”
Mr Ford said.
“The bullets that came in from
police smashed through the front
wall but didn’t penetrate the rear
wall.
“Behind that wall, which was one
of the bedrooms, is a host of
cartridges used by the Kelly Gang as
they took
refuge and reloaded and then came
out and re-engaged the police.
“To find that dynamic movement
and understand that is incredible.
“I don’t recall any other site,
perhaps only work done on the Little
Bighorn dig in the 1980s, having
that.
“It is beyond our wildest
dreams.”
Thousands of artefacts, some
relating directly to the siege and
the inn, have also been recovered.
But the most exciting discovery
may well be one of the smallest
items found on the site.
A tiny copper percussion cap from
an early musket or revolver may well
have belonged to Ned Kelly himself.
“We know of only three weapons
involved in the siege that used such
percussion caps — and all three were
actually
owned and used by Ned,” Mr Ford
said.
“And because the firing cap was
found within the remains of the
original Ann Jones’ Inn we can
reasonably surmise
that it was Ned Kelly himself who
last handled this tiny but hugely
significant object.”
Mr Ford has not ruled out
returning to the site.
“We can walk away from here
knowing we have exhausted all the
avenues on the inn site but I would
like to get to the
residence behind the inn,” he said.
A final report on the findings is not
expected to be completed until later this
year.
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7500 treasures
found at Ned
Kelly site
By Katie Bradford
May 30, 2008
SEVEN-and-a-half
thousand
archaeological
treasures have
been uncovered
at the site
where
outlaw Ned Kelly
fought his way
into Australia's
history.
The artefacts
tell more about the
battle of Glenrowan
in June 1880, where
Kelly and his gang
held locals hostage
at the Ann Jones
Inn, than ever known
before.
A month-long dig
at the site in
northern Victoria
ended today.
Kelly was
arrested and later
hung for his
actions, while his
partners in crime
were killed during
a shoot-out that
ended the siege.
The inn was burnt
to the ground during
the siege and its
remains lost to
history - until now.
Adam Ford, of Dig
International, led
the team of
archaeologists
involved in the
groundbreaking
project.
Cartridges from
rifles fired by the
police during the
siege, cartridges
from the Kelly
Gang's weapons
and melted lead
bullets that were
fired into the hotel
as the battle raged,
were uncovered.
Mr Ford said
those cartridges
told historians more
about the battle
than was ever known
before.
"The physical
evidence of the
battle is an amazing
discovery, we can
look at it in full
details," he told
AAP.
"We can see where
police fired rounds
from outside the
building, coming
through the front
walls and hitting
the back of the wall
near where the Kelly
gang were.
"We know this
because all the
cartridges are lying
in a line."
It's also now
known where the
Kelly gang was
hiding out.
"In the back
bedroom, we found
cartridges and
percussion caps, so
it appears the Kelly
gang were going in
there and reloading
and getting
protection, then
heading back out
again to the front
of the building."
Potentially the
most exciting find
was a tiny copper
percussion cap from
an early musket or
revolver, which may
well have belonged
to Ned Kelly.
Mr Ford believes
a large part of a
128-year-old mystery
has now been solved.
"It's absolutely
outstanding,
amazing. The
preservation of the
artefacts, what
we've found is
beyond our wildest
dreams."
The burnt post
holes and charred
foundation timbers
of the inn have also
been uncovered.
"For the first
time since the siege
itself, we have an
accurate picture of
how the famous hotel
looked, how big it
was,
how it was built and
of what was going on
during the
desperate, brutal
hours of the gun
battle."
Coins dating back
to the late 1850s
and personal items
such as jewellery,
glass buttons and
slate pencils were
other
discoveries.
Melted window
glass and bottles
that were uncovered
show the ferocious
heat of the fire, Mr
Ford said.
Ian Jones, who
has written books
about Ned Kelly, was
at the site today
and was completely
amazed by what
archaeologists had
found, Mr Ford said.
"It's sad it's
the last day, but we
can walk away happy
that we've found
everything we
could," he said.
The artefacts
will now be taken
away and examined in
close detail by
specialists and
reports compiled.
Mr Ford's final
wish is for the
artefacts to be
stored on public
display in Glenrowan
- although not on
the site of the
inn itself.
The dig was
funded by Heritage
Victoria.
SOURCE: NEWS
COM.AU
..................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Smallness of siege site is
shown up
BRAD WORRALL
The Border Mail
22/05/2008 12:00:00 AM
Ann Jones' inn was tiny, not much larger
than a garden shed.
The site of Ned Kelly's last stand, where
more than 40 people
including hostages and the bushranger's gang
took refuge, is now
emerging from the dust at Glenrowan.
Archeologist and team leader of the
month-long dig Adam Ford says it
is one of the major points to emerge from
their work.
Charred wooden posts that had fallen when
the five-room inn was
torched to end the siege have been uncovered
for the first time in 128
years.
Molten glass, another remnant of the arson,
also litters the site.
arson?
I always thought the police set fire to the
inn?
"The outline of the inn is contained within
the confines of the brick
foundations of a wine shanty that was built
on the site much later,"
Mr Ford said.
"To think so many people would have been
inside.
"It is said that they were laying on top of
each other as the hail of
bullets crashed through the walls.
they
were crammed in, but not on top of each
other.
"It would have been terrifying."
Mr Ford said progress had slowed in the past
week.
"We have worked through five periods of
occupation to get where we
are," he said.
"It is quite complex and now that we have
reached this level we need
to be meticulous, it is slow going, almost
tedious.
"But this is our only chance to do this, we
need to squeeze the life
out of it, get as much information as
possible —it is unlikely this
will ever be done again."
luckily
it WAS done again, in November of the same
year in fact.
The team of about 20, including
archaeologists and university
students, is expected to move up to 400
tonnes of dirt in the dig that
winds up tomorrow week.
Last week two Martini-Henry shell cases,
almost certainly fired in the
battle, were uncovered.
.......................................................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................................................
'Exciting' finds in Ned
Kelly dig. (The Age May 14)
Two cartridges and burnt
artefacts have been excavated
from the site of infamous
bushranger
Ned Kelly's last stand.
Kelly was badly wounded and
captured at the Ann Jones Inn at
Glenrowan, in north-eastern
Victoria
on June 28, 1880 after he took
60 locals hostage and was
involved in a ferocious gun
battle with police.
Heritage Victoria is
overseeing the month-long
project involving six
archaeologists, a conservator
and
40 students who are mapping out
the site and searching for
relics.
Project director Adam Ford
said the discovery of the two
hard brass cartridges is
"fabulous" and he is
confident they date back to the
siege.
"They are the right age,
right location, so we are pretty
confident they are evidence of
the gun battle."
Police moved from using soft
brass cartridges to hard brass,
just weeks before the siege.
"This is very exciting. We
had spent a whole week here
moving very slowly and trying to
understand
the site so to find this is
amazing," Mr Ford said.
The cartridges, which came
from a Martini-Henry rifle, were
uncovered last Friday during a
dig to the
north of the main site.
Mr Ford said an important
part of the project was trying
to identify the original outline
of the inn.
Two posts that date back to
the original inn, burnt nails
and other burnt or ash covered
remnants also
have been found this week.
"Today is very significant
because we are really getting
down to where we are identifying
outlines, form
and function.
"We're very happy with the
progress at the moment, the
remains are in very good
condition," Mr Ford said.
"The information is coming
out of the ground every second,
really."
He said the burnt nails and
posts were very "evocative" of
what happened on the site.
The archaeological site is
very shallow - with many of the
remnants being found just 20
centimetres below
ground - because there has been
only two other buildings on the
site since.
Once the dig is finished, all
information gathered will be
sent to Heritage Victoria and
LaTrobe University.
The data will be researched
and analysed then added to the
existing history of the battle.
"The great thing about
archaeology is we can look at it
in a very objective way," Mr
Ford said.
"We're finding stuff that has
not been looked at before, or
seen since the siege. That
information can add
to the story of the siege, it's
very exciting."
The dig, which started on May
5, continues for two and a half
more weeks.
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Archaeologists find
bullet cartridges from
Kelly siege
Wed May 14, 2008
One of the
cartridges found
at the scene of
Ned Kelly's last
stand. (ABC
News: Narelle
Graham)
Archaeologists believe
they have found more
evidence of the 1880 gun
battle between Ned
Kelly's
gang and police at
Glenrowan, in central
Victoria.
Bullet fragments were
uncovered during
excavations at the
former Anne Jones Inn
site earlier this month.
Now archaeologists
have revealed that two
bullet cartridges from a
Martini-Henry rifle were
discovered in
the northern section of
the site on Friday
afternoon.
Excavations Director,
Adam Ford believes they
came from weapons that
would have been used by
police
at the time.
"They [the
cartridges] were only
released to the police
approximately two weeks
before the siege event,"
he said.
"They were superseded
reasonably quickly after
the event. I mean within
a couple of years. S I
feel quite
certain that they are
physical evidence of the
gun battle."
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Site of Ned Kelly's last
stand being excavated.

Archaeologists have
begun scouring the site
of Ned Kelly's last
stand at Glenrowan.
It has been nearly
130 years since the
shootout but they hope
to find artefacts from
the siege that
will shed new light on
the episode.
The dig is being
conducted at what had
been a vacant block of
land for the past 30
years.
Now the site of Ned
Kelly's last stand is
being scraped, dug and
sifted.
Project director Adam
Ford says no stone is
being left unturned in
the hunt for Kelly
artefacts.
"I'm pretty sure we
will find physical
remains that I can
attribute to that night
in June 1880," he said.
Kelly historian Gary
Dean thinks the dig
could help substantiate
rumours that Ned Kelly's
brother Dan
escaped the siege and
subsequent fire by
hiding in a cellar.
"Actually locating
the cellar means the
story, the actual oral
histories from families
that tell this story,
means it's probably a
true story.
Archaeology students
from La Trobe University
will spend the next four
weeks working on the dig
and
they are excited about
working on the site of
one of Australia's most
fabled legends.
Student Luke Falvey
says it is a fantastic
opportunity.
"I never thought that
I'd be working on a site
like this. The guy's a
legend and to be working
on the famous
shootout site, it's just
indescribable, really,"
he said.
As the dig begins,
the exhumation of 20
sets of remains has
ended at the old
Pentridge Prison.
It is hoped the
remains include the
bones of Ned Kelly.
Source: ABC News.
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Spade gang hoping
to unearth
|
THE fate of Ned Kelly
may remain forever a mystery because the State
Government
will not spend $200,000 to identify his remains.
In a major archeological coup, the skeleton of
Australia's most famous bushranger is believed
to have been exhumed in March, among those of 31
other executed prisoners, from a plot at
Pentridge Prison.
The sets of remains are being held under the
jurisdiction of the State Coroner at the Victorian
Institute of Forensic Medicine at Southbank, where
it was intended they would be identified
using the latest forensic technology - including DNA
testing.
But sources close to the exhumation say the
Department of Justice is refusing to pay for the
identification of all but two of the sets of
remains.
The remains of Ronald Ryan, the last man hanged
in Victoria, and Colin Campbell Ross, who
was executed for murder in 1922 and later proved to
be innocent, have been claimed by their
descendants and will be identified and handed to
their families
Source Herald Sun 25 May 2008.
.......................................................................................................................
Kelly 'not guilty' in trial re-enactment
SOURCE: ABC NEWS 15 MAY 2008.
Folklore
hero or terrorist? Bushranger Ned Kelly (file
photo). (Anne Delaney)
In 1880, bushranger Ned Kelly was found
guilty of the murder of three policemen and
sentenced to death by hanging.
The Irish Catholic Kelly became a popular folklore
figure. But how would Kelly be viewed
and treated if he was alive today and charged under
Australia's terrorism laws?
Last night the idea was tested by an all-star cast of
defence lawyers and prosecutors along
with a real life Supreme Court judge.
An actor playing Kelly went on trial for terrorism
offences, all part of Law Week in Melbourne.
His defence team included veteran barrister Gerry Nash,
who once represented Tony Mokbel,
and Rob Stary who is currently representing several men
charged with terrorism offences in
Melbourne.
The prosecutor was played by the maverick former chairman
of the NCA (National Crime Authority),
Peter Faris, who did not have a high opinion of the
bushranger.
"Kelly is nothing more than a Irish Catholic secessionist
dog," he said.
Playing the part of Justice Redmond Barry, who sentenced
the real life Kelly to death, was Victorian
Supreme Court judge Justice Lex Lasry:
"Have the prosecution satisfied you beyond reasonable
doubt that the prisoner, Kelly, committed a
terrorist act, that the prisoner caused a death or several
deaths for the purpose of coercing or
influencing by intimidation the Government of the Colony of
Victoria?"
In his defence, Kelly claimed he was acting in
self-defence when he shot three policemen at
Stringy Bark Creek.
"Was it ever your intention to shoot them?" the counsel
asked Kelly at the mock trial.
Kelly replied that it was not.
The counsel then asked if Kelly if he had disarmed them,
what would he have done?
"Sent them packing with the message that I'm an innocent
man, that my family has been
wronged and that this needs to come to an end," the actor
playing Kelly said.
"I'm only defending my family."
When the jury found Kelly not guilty, the audience
applauded and cheered.
Speaking to the audience after the trial, Mr Stary
detailed his ongoing concerns with Australia's
terrorism laws.
"They can encapsulate any conduct," he said.
"Any person who promotes disaffection, any person who
suggests or any person who thinks that
there ought to be a change of government or that there ought
to be some change in the way society
is structured really is vulnerable to the commission of a
terrorist offence."
Mr Faris hit back, defending the laws.
"We have a genuine problem with Islamic terrorism in this
country," he said.
"We need to be as safe and secure as we can."
Based on a report by Alison Caldwell, first aired on
AM.
.......................................................................................................................................
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
Pentridge Prison last month.
The prisoners' remains were re-interred at
Pentridge after being taken out of graves at the Old
Melbourne Gaol
when it closed in 1929.
Heritage Victoria's senior archaeologist Jeremy
Smith yesterday confirmed an amnesty had been
proposed by
the National Trust.
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
skull with the rest of his remains.
"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
Victorian Institute for Forensic Medicine for tests
to identify them.
The Sunday Herald Sun understands the
archaeologists think Kelly's remains were found
without a skull - supporting an
often-told story that it was removed in 1929 after
his exhumation from the Old Melbourne Gaol.
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
to be a university student prank in December, 1978.
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
backyard. But evidence - at this time - does not
prove his claim.
.................................................................................................................................
27 March 2008.
AN archaeological dig of Ned Kelly’s last stand at Glenrowan has divided
the community.
In May archaeologists and university students are expected to start work
on the Ann Jones
Inn site.
The four-week dig will peel back about 1m of top soil on the block of
land where the
weatherboard inn stood at the time of the siege.
It is expected to reveal the foundations of the inn and other artefacts.
Professional archaeologist and project director Adam Ford from Dig
International will work
with La Trobe University to excavate the siege site by hand.
“These archaeological excavations at the site of the former Glenrowan
Inn, the location of the
siege and last stand of the Kelly Gang in 1880 aim to uncover, record
and conserve physical
remains of the bloody siege which claimed the lives of three members of
the Kelly gang and
two hostages,” Mr Ford said.
But the owner of one of the town’s tourist attractions says “they’ll
find next to nothing”.
“People have been poring over that block of land for the past 100
years,” Bob Hempel said.
“They have been digging, standing shoulder to shoulder with metal
detectors, they have gone
over it with a fine-tooth comb.
Glenrowan historian Gary Dean, who also runs a Kelly-inspired
tourist attraction, believes they
will pinpoint the site of the inn.
“All they are likely to find is the site of the second hotel she built
six months after the siege.”
He said it was one of the most important digs in Australian history.
“We only get the chance to do this once, we need to get it right,” he
said.
“I have no doubt we will locate the post holes from the first and second
inns and most importantly
finally determine where everything stood at the time of the siege.”
Glenrowan blacksmith Gary Nicholls said it had created great interest in
the town.
“People are coming up with all sorts of theories, some are wanting to
help, others think it is a
waste of time,” he said
The dig is a collaboration between Wangaratta Council, Heritage Victoria
and the Federal Government
and is expected to cost more than $200,000.
It was originally planned to start in late 2006.

Find excites bone hunters.

Lawrie Nowell
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,"
Heritage Victoria senior archeologist Jeremy Smith
said yesterday.
"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
document purported to show the locations of
mass graves in a little-visited area of the prison
complex.
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
of their burials were
lost when old prison
records were thrown out
a decade later.
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
wives
and children during the
1890s.
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
to the Kelly Gang's murder of
three policemen at Stringybark Creek, near Mansfield.
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
£900 in trust for those children until
they were 21 years old.
The Trading Post seller told an amazed Faine that he had found the
deed, handwritten on three pages of vellum, folded
and tied with a pink ribbon,
in a shoebox in a house he had moved to.
With no acquisition interest from the State Government, Faine teamed with two
fellow history buffs, the then Supreme
Court chief justice John Phillips and
barrister Jack Hammond, to buy it themselves, for an undisclosed sum.
The trio have donated the deed to the National Trust. Mr Faine and Mr
Phillips were unable to attend a cocktail party
handover ceremony at the City
Watch House last night, so Mr Hammond did the honours.
The trust's Victorian chief executive, Martin Purslow, said it was an
"extremely generous gift" that would be displayed
at the Old Melbourne Gaol.
CAROLYN WEBB The Age Oct 17 2007.
Thanks Sharon for alerting me to this article.
.............................................................................................................................................
Town and siege site unveil upgrade
Glenrowan glowin’
By BRAD WORRALL
IN 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)
See also: Revitalisation
.........................................................................................................................................................
Plaque theft angers police
By 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.
Suggestions are the bushranger's final resting place is one of two bluestone
quarries - one of which has been turned into Fr Brosnan Community Park - in
Coburg near Pentridge.
Heritage Victoria believes the remains of Kelly and some other prisoners may
have been removed during drainage works at the jail.
Heritage Victoria's acting executive director Jim Gard'ner said the search for
Kelly's bones had ended unless significant new evidence was produced.
"Anecdotal evidence suggests the remains were discarded in nearby
quarries," Mr Gard'ner said.
"However, Heritage Victoria regards this theory as speculative and one of
many possibilities.
"Heritage Victoria does not consider there is sufficient evidence to
warrant excavation of the quarry sites."
Mr Gard'ner said it was possible the remains had deteriorated beyond
recognition.
Kelly was executed at Old Melbourne Gaol's gallows in 1880.
His decapitated body was buried in an unmarked grave at the prison until it
closed in 1929.
The remains were then transferred to Pentridge.
The disappearance of the grave was discovered during an archeological study.
The site is being turned into housing.
Heritage officials found the grave of Ronald Ryan, the last prisoner executed in
Australia, and a memorial garden will be created at the site.
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.
Hooray!
Finally someone who understands the real story.
Thank you Warwick Frost for setting them straight, now all we need
is to get Mr. Smith to understand the full story. Dave.
...............................................................................................................................................................
Benalla Ensign
May 23, 2007
Firearm Donated
A police-issue firearm found at the site of the Glenrowan Siege has been
donated to Benalla and District Historical Society.
The Martini-Henry rifle is now on display at the society's museum.
Discovered when the donor was digging for bardi grubs along the former
creekbank, the rifle was about 16 cm below the present surface.
Historical Society president Robin Sadler said after 120 years buried in
wet and dry soil, the butt of the single-shot weapon had rotted away.
But combined with the society's existing display of Ned Kelly's
blood-stained cummerbund, it remains a significant addition to the
museum collection.
Mrs Sadler said it was believed the gun had been dropped in the
confusion of Kelly's capture.
"The society is very appreciative of the opportunity to display this
interesting piece in the security of the Kelly Cell with the sash and
other memorabilia."
On Friday, the society will welcome Neil Colston, an expert on antique
firearms, to its general meeting.
..............................................................................................................................................................................
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.
What
a load of rubbish!
There is no way in the world they can be sure Ned was removed from Melbourne
Gaol to Pentridge.
Remember that it was not Ned that was found in 1929, it was not his head that
rolled down the path.
Ned's grave was never marked and they (the authorities) had and have no idea
where he is today.
I believe he is still beside the Old Melbourne Gaol where RMIT students now rest
for lunch.
(the original graveyard site)
Anyway, if you wish to pay your respects don't waste your time looking around
Pentridge.
As a matter of interest I
reproduced all the links to papers covering this story as of 7pm today.(21
May)
Dave White.
No
bones about Kelly's burial mystery
The Age, Australia -
4 hours ago
But this time it's the skeletal remains of the
notorious bushranger which have gone missing. Heritage
officials in Victoria say Kelly's skeletal remains ...
|
Whereabouts
of Ned Kelly's remains a mystery
New Zealand Herald, New
Zealand - 4 hours ago
But this time it's the skeletal remains of the
notorious bushranger which have gone missing. Heritage
officials in Victoria say Kelly's skeletal remains ...
|
Ned
Kelly eludes officials again
NEWS.com.au, Australia -
5 hours ago
NED Kelly is on the run once again and
authorities have no idea where he is. But this time it's the
skeletal remains of the notorious bushranger that have ...
|
Kelly
remains mystery, no bones about it
Sydney Morning Herald, Australia -
6 hours ago
But this time it's the skeletal remains of the
notorious bushranger which have gone missing. Heritage
officials in Victoria say Kelly's skeletal remains ...
|
Kelly
remains mystery, no bones about it
The Age, Australia -
6 hours ago
But this time it's the skeletal remains of the
notorious bushranger which have gone missing. Heritage
officials in Victoria say Kelly's skeletal remains ...
|
Ned
Kelly remains a mystery
TVNZ, New Zealand -
6 hours ago
But this time it is the skeletal remains of
the notorious bushranger which have gone missing. Heritage
officials in Victoria say Kelly's skeletal remains ...
|
Ned's
bones missing
Melbourne Herald Sun, Australia -
6 hours ago
ONCE again, Ned Kelly has authorities
scratching their heads. But this time it's the skeletal
remains of the notorious bushranger which have gone missing. ...
|
Ned
Kelly eludes authorities once again
Melbourne Herald Sun, Australia -
6 hours ago
NED Kelly is on the run once again and
authorities have no idea where he is. But this time it's the
skeletal remains of the notorious bushranger that have ...
|
Ned
Kelly eludes authorities once again
NEWS.com.au, Australia -
6 hours ago
NED Kelly is on the run once again and
authorities have no idea where he is. But this time it's the
skeletal remains of the notorious bushranger that have ...
|
Outlaw
Ned Kelly gives authorities the slip again
Radio New Zealand, New
Zealand - 31 minutes ago
Make no bones about it - Australia's most
notorious outlaw, Ned Kelly, has once again eluded
authorities. More than 120 years after the bushranger's ...
|
 |
Dead
Australian Outlaw Still Eludes Authorities
Javno.hr, Croatia -
2 hours ago
Kelly, who became a folk hero of Australia's
colonial past with his gangs' daring bank robberies and police
shoot outs, was hanged for his crimes in 1880 ...
|
 |
Ned
Kelly eludes officials again
Advertiser Adelaide, Australia -
3 hours ago
NED Kelly is on the run once again and
authorities have no idea where he is. But this time it's the
skeletal remains of the notorious bushranger that have ...
|
Kelly
remains mystery, no bones about it
Central Midlands &
Coastal Advocate, Australia - 5 hours
ago
But this time it's the skeletal remains of the
notorious bushranger which have gone missing. Heritage
officials in Victoria say Kelly's skeletal remains ...
|
Kelly
remains mystery, no bones about it
Milton Ulladulla Times, Australia -
5 hours ago
But this time it's the skeletal remains of the
notorious bushranger which have gone missing. Heritage
officials in Victoria say Kelly's skeletal remains ...
|
Kelly
remains mystery, no bones about it
Blayney Chronicle, Australia -
5 hours ago
But this time it's the skeletal remains of the
notorious bushranger which have gone missing. Heritage
officials in Victoria say Kelly's skeletal remains ...
|
Kelly
remains mystery, no bones about it
Aratat Advertiser, Australia -
5 hours ago
But this time it's the skeletal remains of the
notorious bushranger which have gone missing. Heritage
officials in Victoria say Kelly's skeletal remains ...
|
 |
Ned
Kelly eludes officials again
Sunday Times.au, Australia -
5 hours ago
NED Kelly is on the run once again and
authorities have no idea where he is. But this time it's the
skeletal remains of the notorious bushranger that have ...
|
Kelly
remains mystery, no bones about it
Kalgoorlie Golden Mail, Australia -
5 hours ago
But this time it's the skeletal remains of the
notorious bushranger which have gone missing. Heritage
officials in Victoria say Kelly's skeletal remains ...
|
Kelly
remains mystery, no bones about it
Bendigo Advertiser, Australia -
5 hours ago
But this time it's the skeletal remains of the
notorious bushranger which have gone missing. Heritage
officials in Victoria say Kelly's skeletal remains ...
|
Kelly
remains mystery, no bones about it
Bay Post/Moruya
Examiner, Australia - 5 hours ago
But this time it's the skeletal remains of the
notorious bushranger which have gone missing. Heritage
officials in Victoria say Kelly's skeletal remains ...
|
Kelly
remains mystery, no bones about it
The Wimmera Mail Times, Australia -
5 hours ago
But this time it's the skeletal remains of the
notorious bushranger which have gone missing. Heritage
officials in Victoria say Kelly's skeletal remains ...
|
Ned
Kelly dodges the authorities after death
The West Australian, Australia -
5 hours ago
Once again, Ned Kelly has authorities
scratching their heads. But this time it’s the skeletal
remains of the notorious bushranger which have gone missing. ...
|
Kelly
remains mystery, no bones about it
Brisbane Times, Australia -
6 hours ago
But this time it's the skeletal remains of the
notorious bushranger which have gone missing. Heritage
officials in Victoria say Kelly's skeletal remains ...
|
Ned
Kelly escapes jail
Courier Mail, Australia -
6 hours ago
ONCE again, Ned Kelly has authorities
scratching their heads. But this time it's the skeletal
remains of the notorious bushranger which have gone missing. ...
|
Ned
Kelly's remains missing
Daily Telegraph, Australia -
6 hours ago
But this time it's the skeletal remains of the
notorious bushranger which have gone missing. Heritage
officials in Victoria say Kelly's skeletal remains ...
|
Kelly
remains mystery, no bones about it
The West Australian, Australia -
6 hours ago
But this time it's the skeletal remains of the
notorious bushranger which have gone missing. Heritage
officials in Victoria say Kelly's skeletal remains ...
|
|
Has
Ned Kelly been nicked?
Courier
Mail, Australia - 6 hours ago
ONCE again, Ned Kelly has authorities
scratching their heads. But this time it's the skeletal
remains of the notorious bushranger which have gone missing. ...
|
Ned
Kelly eludes authorities once again
Daily
Telegraph, Australia - 6 hours ago
NED Kelly is on the run once again and
authorities have no idea where he is. But this time it's the
skeletal remains of the notorious bushranger that have ...
|
Ned
Kelly eludes authorities once again
Advertiser
Adelaide, Australia - 6 hours ago
NED Kelly is on the run once again and
authorities have no idea where he is. But this time it's the
skeletal remains of the notorious bushranger that have ...
|
Ned
Kelly eludes authorities once again
Courier
Mail, Australia - 6 hours ago
NED Kelly is on the run once again and
authorities have no idea where he is. But this time it's the
skeletal remains of the notorious bushranger that have ...
|
Ned
Kelly eludes authorities once again
Sunday Times.au, Australia -
6 hours ago
NED Kelly is on the run once again and
authorities have no idea where he is. But this time it's the
skeletal remains of the notorious bushranger that have ...
|
Ned
Kelly's remains 'most likely discarded'
ABC Regional
Online, Australia - 8 hours ago
Heritage Victoria says Ned Kelly's remains
have most likely been discarded or removed from the old
Pentridge Prison site in Melbourne's north. ...
|
Ned
Kelly eludes authorities once again
The
Australian, Australia - 6 hours ago
NED Kelly is on the run once again and
authorities have no idea where he is. But this time it's the
skeletal remains of the notorious bushranger that have ...
|
Ned
Kelly's remains 'most likely discarded'
ABC
Online, Australia - 8 hours ago
Heritage Victoria says Ned Kelly's remains
have most likely been discarded or removed from the old
Pentridge Prison site in Melbourne's north. ...
|
Ned
Kelly missing
Sky News
Australia, Australia - 40 minutes ago
Infamous bushranger Ned Kelly has escaped
authorities 120 years after his death - with archaelogists
failing to find any trace of his skeletal remains while ...
|
Outlaw
Ned Kelly gives authorities the slip again
Radio New
Zealand, New Zealand - 1 hour ago
Make no bones about it - the nation's most
notorious outlaw, Ned Kelly, has once again eluded
authorities. More than 120 years after the bushranger's ...
|
Ned
Kelly escapes jail
Courier
Mail, Australia - 5 hours ago
ONCE again, Ned Kelly has authorities
scratching their heads. But this time it's the skeletal
remains of the notorious bushranger which have gone missing. ...
|
|
..........................................................................................................................................
The HeraldSun Newspaper.

..............................................................................................................................
Police anger over Ned Kelly logo proposal
CURRENT and former veteran police officers are offended that
bushranger Ned Kelly
was suggested as the emblem for a taskforce that investigates the state's most
dangerous
armed criminals.
Sources said a suggestion the new armed crimes taskforce take on a logo of
Kelly - a bank robber
who killed a policeman - was insulting to former armed offenders squad
detectives and the force in general.
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
by police at Glenrowan in 1880.
But former armed robbery squad stalwart Ray Watson, instrumental in the
capture of notorious bandits during the
violent 1980s and early '90s, said the mere suggestion of using a Ned Kelly
image was shameful.
"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
armed robbery squad were disgusted with the idea of the Ned Kelly emblem and
what it represented."
Many armed robbery squad detectives were close friends with Sgt Gary Silk,
who with Sen-Constable Rod Miller,
was shot dead by two bandits in 1998.
The Ned Kelly idea, floated late last year, has been rejected.
"I can say that a logo containing any reference or image related to Ned
Kelly would definitely not be considered,"
police spokesman Sgt David Spencer said.
Source: Sunday HeraldSun.
..........................................................................................................................................
Ned Kelly still brings in dollars
By BRAD WORRALL
BEECHWORTH’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
February 14, 2007
They
destroyed Pentridge, now it seems Beechworth is next.
....................................................................................................................................
|