During a recent google search I stumbled over a great resource for Ned Kelly related material. The University of Melbourne has a Digital Repository where you can find great stuff related to the Royal Commission on the Police Force of Victoria. I found the "Minutes of Evidence Taken Before Royal Commission on the Police Force of Victoria" (what we affectionately call "The RC") there. I have a hard copy so I did not try to download all 720 pages of it...mainly because I am on dial up and it guesstimated that it would take "1 day, 13 hours" to do so!!! Even with the Public Records Office of Victoria archives I usually have to go to the library to get large files to load. If one has broadband and can load the RC from the Digital Repository it would be a good thing as it is a digital copy and not one typed in by someone that may contain errors (either accidental or intentional!).
However, other files there are not so large. I found the First and Second Progress Report of the Royal Commission of Enquiry into the Circumstances of the Kelly Outbreak. (The Second Progress Report is also reprinted in the book "Ned Kelly After A Century of Acrimony.")
Also there was the report called "Police Commission - Charges Against Members of the Police Force" that also included the "Additional Return."
There were others including an Ad Interim Report on the Kelly Outbreak, a General Report on the Police Department and a Special Report on the Detective Branch.
Also the Kelly Reward Board Report is there.
If you have a copy of What They Said About Ned! by Brian McDonald you can read entries (located under "Kelly, Edward") of what each of these reports entails. Brian McDonald's website is www.australianhistorypromotions.com if you would like to order it or other books he reprints.
Originals of many of the smaller reports (some 4 pages and some maybe 20 some pages) have been on ebay in the past and have sold for hundreds of dollars. I prefer to read them for free....hats off to the University of Melbourne's Digital Repository for making it possible for those of us who are short on coin but long on curiosity to be able to do so!
To find all this go to:
http://dtl.unimelb.edu.au
Then use these two search terms:
Kelly Reward Board
Victoria Royal Commission on the Police Force of Victoria
WELCOME TO ELEVEN MILE CREEK. Thanks for visiting us. We hope to use this blog to bring news, views, nuggets and musings, some serious, some lighthearted, but all to do with all things associated with Ned Kelly.
Thank you, Sharon, for posting these links. Now genuine Kelly researchers have no excuse for neglecting these valuable primary sources. Thanks also to Melbourne University for making this available - now if only they can do this with the Hare letters!
ReplyDeletelook what popped up in my research! :D
ReplyDeleteI've been trying to find out how to download "the RC" Sharon, thanks!
Not sure if you have a digital copy yet but if not, I'll make a copy and send it over in a few weeks if you like?
SJ