Flashback: The convict Hulk "Success" and Her Kelly Gang Connections [Sharon Hollingsworth]

This is an old article (originally published March 24, 2005 - a decade ago!) that I wrote for the now defunct glenrowan1880 website. I noticed that a Kelly related facebook page linked to a wikipedia page about the Success and that the wiki page had linked (now a dead link as the 1880 page is under new ownership and has nothing to do with the Kellys anymore) to my article below. Hopefully those who seek more info will use google and find this again as it is truly a flashback or blast from the past.   The Convict Hulk "Success" and Her Kelly Gang Connections  Written by Sharon Hollingsworth  North American Correspondent Glenrowan1880.com  ​ Early post card of the ship. If anyone ever thought that the history of the Kelly Gang was fraught with conflicting facts and reports, perhaps they should take a look at the history of the convict hulk "Success." The "Success" not only shares the Kelly Gang's predilection for controversy, but has several reputed ties to the gang, too. The "Success," which later became a floating "convict ship" museum, was built in 1840 in Burma. It had been widely, yet erroneously, reported by her promoters that she had been built in 1790 and that she had actually been used to transport convicts. While she had been a stationary convict hulk, she never was a "convict ship." A difference there! It seems these claims were made to perhaps fuel the imaginations and loosen the purse-strings of a public who were not far removed from, yet intrigued with the convict era.* But more on that aspect of the ship's history in a bit. The Success Catalogue for when the vessel was in Melbourne. (A very rare pamphlet, White collection)  The "Success" was built for trade in the Orient and was later used as an emigrant ship between the UK and Australia. In 1843 she made a voyage to the Swan River Colony (what is now Perth) with emigrant families. As an interesting side note, Glenrowan1880's West Australian correspondent Dave Brown relates that some of his wife's ancestors arrived on the "Success" on that 1843 voyage, and that one of them, Thomas Reynolds, was born on board three days out from shore!  ​ Photo of print of the HMS Success taken at the Fremantle Maritime Museum. (D.White) Speaking of the Swan River Colony, another famous ship named "HMS Success" is associated with the area. As a matter of fact, there were several ships with the name "Success" that were contemporaries of and antecedents to the "Success" of which we are concerned, thus making for some confusion!** The "Success" also made voyages to Australia in the late 1840s and early 1850s. After the "Success's" crew deserted her for the goldfields of Victoria in 1852, the ship was obtained by the Victorian Government for use as a prison hulk. She was one of five such hulks and Ned Kelly himself served a term upon the hulk "Sacramento." The hulk "Success" had many notable criminals of the day on board at one time or another, including Daniel ('Mad Dan') Morgan, Frank McCallum (better known as Captain Melville), Owen Suffolk (the Prison-Poet of Australia) and Henry Johnstone (better known as Harry Power), who was a young Ned Kelly's bushranging tutor. More on Power to come.     From 1860 to around 1868, the "Success" was used as a women's prison and in 1869 as sleeping quarters for a boys' reformatory. Later it was used to store powder and ammunition.  After a series of events the "Success" was sold to a UK concern. While other prison hulks were sold around the same time with the condition they be broken up, the "Success" was not dismantled, owing to an error in paperwork. There is some dispute whether or not the old ship had been scuttled and laid submerged for five years (and later raised) in the interval years before becoming a museum. In any event, by 1891 the "Success" was refitted and filled with exhibits such as implements of torture and wax figures and turned into a floating "convict ship" museum. Paying customers around the ports of Australia, were treated to lectures on board by former inmate-turned-tour-guide, Harry Power. Unfortunately, Power was drowned the same year, but not as has been falsely reported as being from a fall from her decks. He was on a fishing trip at the Murray River when he had his mishap.  The "Success" sank at her moorings in 1892. She was refloated in 1893 and under new owners (her ownership changed hands many times before he fateful end decades later) toured around Australia for a time. From 1895 to around 1911 the "Success" toured ports around Great Britain and was a rousing success! Again the ship was sold, this time to an American concern and she left Liverpool headed to the United States on April 10, 1912, the same day that another ship left Southampton headed the same way. Only one of the two arrived at their destination, the other ship was named the "Titanic." The "Success" was shown around US ports from 1912 up until around the early 1940s. It was 1946 when she was ultimately run aground and was then allegedly burnt by vandals. Tens of millions of visitors (one 1924 exhibition catalogue says over 20 million!) had thronged to see her in her heyday and purchased many of the exhibition catalogues and souvenir books about the history of the ship which were printed on board. (One of her later owners was a Mr. Jontzen who owned a publishing firm.) Countless postcards were also sold. Many of them turn up on ebay and in auction houses throughout the world today.  ​ The above image is from a post card of the ship. (White Collection) Some depict "staged" torture scenes and others have the ship afloat and in dry dock and there were others that were pretty astonishing. In reference to those astonishing cards and as concerns a Kelly Gang connection, we will go to the passenger list for the "Success's" 1849 arrival in Australia. It was in that year that Patrick Byrne, aged 18, and his three brothers arrived as free emigrants aboard her. In a few short years Patrick would marry and the union would produce a son, a son he named after his own father, Joseph.***   Joe Byrne, as we all know would grow to young adulthood and become Ned Kelly's righthand man in the Kelly Gang. It is very ironic, that when the ship was made into a floating museum that in one of the cells there would be wax dummies, touted as having been "described by the world's experts as the most perfect ever made," and Joe Byrne's would be one of them!**** (Though one old lag/wag visited the museum in his declining years and upon seeing a wax figure of himself declared that he had been much better looking back then than he was depicted!) The "Success" had a featured exhibit called "The Notorious Kelly Gang" and had wax dummies of the four gang members along with Kate Kelly(!) all behind bars. The exhibition catalogue has the gang listed and gives a brief, albeit error filled synopsis of their career, and says "...The Kellys were never aboard. They are shown here as examples of modern Australian outlaws..." There is a postcard of the scene of the Kellys in the cell and I only wish I had a copy to show here. I have seen it before and it was an odd site to behold indeed!  ​ The copy of Ned's armour on board the Success. There are postcards (see pic above) of Ned's armour which was reported as being on board, too. Oddly, the Ogden Cigarette Company which put out trade cards in the early 20th Century, used the image of the armour from the "Success" on one of them!   ​ Ned's replica armour (courtesy Brian McDonald) Clearly it was a replica suit but was never mentioned as being such in all the literature. In the book "The History of the Convict Ship 'Success' and Dramatic Story of Some of the 'Success' Prisoners" it says the following about the armour: "...Among the numerous relics of lawless life in Australia now shown on board the "Success," none is more interesting than the ingenious suit of shot-resisting steel which formed the impenetrable armour of Ned Kelly, the leader of this notorious "Kelly Gang." This rusty relic of the hunted outlaw swings to and fro on the deck, suspended by a rope, a position which is strongly suggestive of the after-fate of the original wearer. The suit consists of breastplate, shoulder-guards, back-plate and vizour, complete. Indentions made by well-aimed bullets may be seen in clusters, showing that the bushranger was at one time subjected to a hot fire, and that if not for this protection he must have met with instant death..."  This same book is one that Brian McDonald had made mention of in his excellent resource publication "What They Said About Ned!": "Another work, which ran into numerous editions, was Joseph C. Harvie's 'The Convict Hulk "Success." The Story of her life, and the lives of those who filled her cells,' Spectator Publishing Co. Ltd., Melbourne, 1891.....While the "Success" was touring America a revamped edition of Harvie's work appeared as 'The History of the Convict Ship "Success". And Dramatic Story of Some of the "Success" Prisoners, which was 'published on board the convict ship "Success."...These American editions carry additional, and in some cases outlandish, information particularly in the bushranging sections.  One example is the statement that "Red" Kelly, Ned's father, arrived in Van Diemen's Land on the "Success."...' [end of McDonald quote]   Yes, you read that right, the later editions of the book (the one I have has a 1929 copyright) states that "Red" Kelly arrived on the Success and that he was present when Inspector-General of Convict Establishments John Price (he was not Captain of the "Success" as the exhibition catalogue states) arrived to hear some of the prisoner's grievances. The book says (all a fabrication to be sure!) that: "..."Red" Kelly, the father of the bushrangers of later years, asked whether a sentence of three days' solitary, which he received a week before, would affect his ticket-of-leave.  Mr. Price and Mr. Hallis [Superintendent of the ship] agreed that he would have to wait six months, whereupon Kelly shook his fist defiantly, and said, "You –––– tyrant, your race will soon be run." For this display of insolence he was taken back to the "Success" in charge of two overseers.." This is supposed to be a historical record! What happened very soon after was that  Mr. Price was set upon and murdered by some of the convicts! (in another book it says the convict was "James" Kelly, still assumedly not a James Kelly related to Ned, and that he helped in the murder!)  ​From the Success catalogue, White collection. There is even a "cartoon-type" pull-out in the exhibition catalogue showing the assault on the "captain" in progress and other such equally lurid scenes as well as Ned's armour with a strangely hinged helmet faceplate and no shoulder caps.    Who do you think the book says presided at the trial of the convicts accused of Price's murder? It was Judge Redmond Barry, who also presided over the trials of Ellen and Ned Kelly. This was in 1857 that Price was murdered. Captain Melville whom Barry had sentenced to prison in 1853 had a prominent role in the Price affair. How preposterous to have "Red" Kelly even associated with all this! One wonders where the "facts" came from! We know that "Red" Kelly was not ever onboard the "Success"! He had arrived Down Under in 1841 on the "Prince Regent" and got his ticket-of-leave in 1845. By 1857 he was married to Ellen and had fathered several children by then, among them Ned.     Strange to read of such contrived accounts as above about "Red" Kelly being on the ship and yet how many would believe them since they were in print! No telling how many of the tens of millions who saw the ship brought the book! Another murder involving the "Success" and a warder or constable or two (depending on what you read) was in the previous year to Price's murder, 1856. This time it involved a gaol break with Harry Power and Captain Melville (he seemed to always be the ringleader) and others. During the trial, Melville was found guilty but Power and others were acquited. The book also mentions about Captain Melville, previous to the attack on Price, having appeared to have converted to religion and the chaplain was happy to have a dedicated convert and supplied him with books and thus through his piety was able to escape harsh punishment and to go to work ashore in the quarry, and that is where the murder occurred. The book goes on to say that Dr. John Singleton was a one time chaplain aboard the "Success" and I have yet to confirm that. I have read that he had visited Melville before and after the attack. There is a Kelly connection with Dr. Singleton. He was a medical doctor and Christian philanthropist who first exposed the cruel treatment prisoners on the hulks received and started the "Citizen's Committee" to seek reform.    When Ned Kelly was in Old Melbourne Gaol he allegedly asked to see Dr. Singleton. According to a review for a book about the doctor's life called "Pioneer Doctor" it states that he visited Kelly many times and witnessed to him about Jesus Christ. It goes on to say "His visits were stopped prior to Kelly's hanging in November 1880, by the Dean of St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Cathedral, who objected to Singleton's visits to Kelly and his efforts to "convert him to the Protestant faith"..." There was even one article I recall reading where it was said that Dr. Singleton was the one to have heard Ned's final immortal words! Doubtful in the extreme! So after all that meandering, let's review the Kelly Gang connections to the "Success": we have bushranger Harry Power and his myriad adventures onboard, we have Joe Byrne's free emigrant father arriving on her, we have an erroneous account of Ned's father having been sent out to Australia and serving time as a prisoner on her, we have the Gang as educational wax dummy exhibits along with Ned's armour hanging on deck swinging in the breeze, we have Judge Barry who sat on trials related to the ship's prisoners and we have Dr. Singleton who visited Ned in his last days at the Old Melbourne Gaol.  There were sure enough connections to make me sit up and take notice and to delve deeper. I have learned a lot during the course of this research. I have tried to compare and verify facts as best as I could with my limited resources. Amazing to see what has been in print and possibly taken as gospel for many years, isn't it? I am still struck by the fact that the book "The History of the Convict Ship 'Success'.." has parts in it that sound so convincing, yet have been proven to be fabrications. It is hard to know just what the real story was. I guess like with all else, we should take anything we read with a grain of salt, or maybe where it concerns ships, it should be taken with a bit of saltwater? ..............................................  Notes:  *In Ferguson's Bibliography of Australia, he gives this quote confirming the evidence of the "convict ship" museum being a hoax: "Year after year the "Success" was hawked about the sea ports, rivers and lakes of America, and year after year her notoriety and the stories about her grew and spread until 1934, when the Commonwealth Government thought the joke had gone too far and instructed the Investigation Branch of the Attorney-General's Department to make a thorough research into the real history of the "Success".  The Australian Government representatives in America-armed with the official history of the ship, made a public statement that the showman's history of the ship was untrue, and gravely resented in Australia.  "The official representatives of Australia in the U.S.A, asked the Commonwealth Government in 1925, and again in 1931, to explore the history of this vessel. A thorough investigation of official and other records has clearly established the fact that the ship now being exhibited in the United States was never used as a convict transport........." (it went on in some detail debunking much of what was in the "Success" book and exhibition catalog).  **As far as there being other "Success" named ships, the best known one was the "HMS Success" commanded by Capt. James Stirling which was associated with the early exploration of the Swan River area in 1827.  ***In Corfield's 'Ned Kelly Encyclopaedia' it has under the Joe Byrne entry that his grandfather in Australia in 1848 had sent for his sons to come join him, thus seemingly confirming the 1849 arrival, it goes on to say about the 1855 wedding of Patrick and Margret, BUT a couple of pages later in the Margret Byrne entry it says about her 1855 wedding to Patrick and says Patrick was a digger who had arrived in Australia "eleven" years earlier! That would have been 1844!  ****Of course, this would not be Joe Byrne's first time becoming a "man of wax."    The Ovens Murray Advertiser of July 3, 1880 had this: "Byrne in Effigy–An addition has been made to the Chamber of Horrors at the Melbourne Waxworks. The figure of the outlaw Joe Byrne, a cast of whose head was taken by Mr. Kreitmeyer, the proprietor of the Waxworks, has been added to the collection of notorious outlaws." Also on the "More" page here at Glenrowan1880 is this newspaper tidbit: The Herald, Friday Evening July 2 1880.                      "Waxworks… The interest in the details of the encounter which led to the destruction of the Kelly gang and the subsequent doings in what is known as the Kelly country still continues. A life-like representation of the dead bushranger Byrne has been added to Kreitmeyer's excellent collection of waxworks, and will no doubt prove a great attraction." ..............................................  SOURCES  Various webpages and internet databases  Books/Publications: The History of the Convict Ship "Success" And Dramatic Story of Some of the "Success" Prisoners, 1929, 150 pp. The Last of England's Felon Fleet: The Convict Ship "Success," 1924, 16 pp. (Exhibition Catalogue/Pamphlet) What They Said About Ned!–Looking at the Legend of Ned Kelly through Books (including An Annotated Bibliography of The Kelly Gang), Brian McDonald, 2004, 102 pp. The Ned Kelly Encyclopaedia, Justin Corfield, 2003, 525 pp. Australian Bushrangers, George Boxall, 1975, 208 pp. Bibliography of Australia, John Ferguson. Ovens Murray Advertiser The Herald ..............................................

The Kelly Reward Board Rejectees - The Denied Two Dozen [Sharon Hollingsworth]

In late 1880 the Kelly Reward Board placed advertisements in several Australian newspapers asking anyone who thought that they should receive part of the reward for the capture of Ned Kelly to reply in writing. They received 92 applications, of which 24 were rejected. We have always heard about the lucky few who received money from it but what about those whose claims were rejected? Why did they think they should receive part of these funds and why were they turned down? I have not found full on research into this in any books or websites, so I had to go to primary resources, the papers related to the Kelly Reward Board in the Public Records Office of Victoria.

 I was able to find most of the 24 claims filed by the ones who were rejected. There are also what I call rebuttals to them which are in the forms of letters and notes from people like Hare, Sadleir, Nicolson, etc. stating why they think this individual or group should not receive a reward. As usual, I had a slight bit of trouble reading some of the writing, but I got the gist of most of it. The ones rejected for the reward form Schedule A. Schedule B was the list of the "winners." Schedule C was the list of "Claimants recommended by the Board as worthy of Special Recognition for Services rendered during the period of the search for the outlaws." Some on Schedule A were also on Schedule C.

I will list the names as they were listed on Schedule A in the official Kelly Reward Board Report, then do the corrections of who they really were. I am not sure how some of the mistakes were made in these names to start with.




Antonie Wicks

The Reward Board lists him as Antonie Wicks, but we know him as Anton Wick. His claim states that "...through my having been made use of by the outlaws Dan Kelly and Joe Byrne to call out Aaron Sherritt on the night he was shot I was instrumental in their death and the capture of the outlaw Ned Kelly."

In the rebuttal notes to the claim is this "This applicant's claim appears to be of so outrageous a character that the Sect [Secretary] did not send it forward..."

Richard Rule

In his Kelly Reward claim he says that he had been asked to join the police as a private detective and that after Sherritt was shot he was "called upon on the 27th of June without a minutes notice to take the most dangerous post between the Woolshed and Greta when it was expected they [the outlaws] would go to my post.." He only had one other constable with him. Then he spoke of how his brother was in the police force and had spent ten days and nights searching for the Kellys and had gotten "a violent cold" and had died at age 28 as a result. He spoke of how the heavy expense of doctors and so forth fell to his aged and infirm parents and that his family had all been "under the ban of the Kelly sympathisers." He asked that the board members take all that in to consideration for granting him part of the reward.
There was some discussion at the Ned Kelly forum I was involved in into whether or not this Richard Rule is the same one that was the saw-miller who had employed Ned for a short time prior to the Kelly outbreak. We could not find solid evidence as the one identified as the saw-miller was supposedly listed as the only child of his parents. Perhaps full records were not always kept or perhaps records might have been lost or destroyed somewhere along the line.

The final result of Rule's plea to board met with rejection as he was said not to be at the capture.



George Stephens

In his claim for the reward money he told of how he had been employed at Younghusband's Faithfull Creek Station at the time that the Kellys took over the homestead immediately before the Euroa robbery. He tells of how he gave evidence against Ned at his trial. After the Euroa robbery, Stephens, who was a former policeman, was asked to help search for the gang and he related how he had been sent to Glenrowan to work at the railway goods shed ("for no extra pay") so as to keep an eye on the sympathisers. He also helped Bracken a few nights a week to watch Maggie's house. He says "this work was dangerous."
The rebuttal notes to this recommend for him to be taken back in the force.

Interestingly, Stephens was quoted in the Bendigo Advertiser of August 12, 1880 as saying "I left Younghusband's station to go in search of the Kellys. I did not go for the blood money. I went both to catch the Kellys and to get a portion of the reward."

I am wondering what fine line of distinction he draws between it being reward money and blood money?



Anne Sherritt

I could not find a claim form for Anne Sherritt. I take that this is Aaron's sister who was alleged to be quite an active Kelly sympathiser who would help supply the gang with needed supplies and not Aaron's mother who was also called Anne.

Needless to say, the claim was rejected.

Ellen Sherritt

She, of course, was Aaron Sherritt's widow. She states that she submits her claim for the capture of the Kellys "Inasmuch as my late husband was the imminent cause thereof. He was in the service of the government as a police constable at the time he met with his death. As his widow therefore I claim to be dealt with in the same manner as the widows of Sgt Kennedy and Constable Lonigan, through Mr. Zincke my attorney I submitted a general claims for compensation which I trust has come under your notice..."
In the Ovens and Murray Advertiser of April 26, 1881 she stated "'I do not desire any portion of the Kelly Capture Reward, although, as Aaron's widow, I consider myself as much entitled to it as some of those recommended to participate in it; but would rather receive a respectable annuity.'

She did not get the Reward but she did get government compensation as Aaron's widow even though he was not an officer or serving in any official capacity.

Constable Thomas McIntyre

 McIntyre, in his claim says that he was instrumental in the destruction of the gang as he had provided vital information about them early in the hunt. He had arrived at Glenrowan with Standish and his contingent (those listed in the next entry) about 4 PM after the capture had taken place, so he was not able to claim the reward, though he was singled out by the Board for consideration under Schedule C (more on that later).

Sr.-Constable Patrick Walsh/Constable John Coghlan/Constable Robert Griffin/Constable Robert Bunker/Constable Thomas Waldron/Ex-Constable Perkin

Thomas Waldron was actually Thomas Walsh and Ex-Constable Perkin was William Perkins. It said that they arrived at Glenrowan about 4 PM on the 28th of June along with Captain Standish. "They found the Inn in flames and the outlaws destroyed or taken." They also say that they helped keep order and guarded Ned Kelly and were among the escorts when he left by train. All six were listed as being under the same claim (No. 7).

They were all rejected for the reward as not arriving in time to assist in the capture.

Constable J.W. Brown

He submitted a claim due to being on "special duty" in the NE of Victoria and guarding banks and other things that amounted to what he called "long arduous service."

In the rebuttal, Hare said what was usually his stock phrase " I know nothing of this man, he appears to have had nothing to do with the capture of the Kellys."

Constable W. Parker

While the Reward Board has the listing as W. Parker the claim is signed by Anthony Parker. He states that he was on special duty in the NE guarding banks during the day and watching bridges at night.
He says that "I was not at the capture of the outlaws at Glenrowan through no fault of mine..." That seemed to be a regular refrain with a few of them. I wonder if they colluded with one another or were they coached? I have also seen where Sadleir in some of his notations says some were not at the capture "through no fault of their own" before, too.

Constable J. Burton

Constable John Burton stated that he had helped to guard banks during the Kelly outbreak. He also said that "I am of [the] opinion that I am entitled to a portion of the reward although not present at Glenrowan it was my intention to have assisted at the destruction of the gang of outlaws if circumstances had permitted."

The rebuttal from Hare was that "he had nothing whatever to do with the capture of the gang nor did he undergo any hardship." Sadleir said this man's duties were confined to a part of the country where the outlaws were never known to appear.

Sr.-Constable Shahan

This is an interesting one. The Reward Board gives the name as Shahan, but the claim is signed by Sr. Constable Anthony Strahan (remember he is the one who allegedly made the threat about how he would shoot Ned down like a dog just after SBC). What is even weirder, is the fact that In The Ned Kelly Encyclopaedia there is an entry which states:

SHANAHAN, - He was a senior constable in the Victoria Police who was involved in the hunt for the Kelly  Gang in 1879-80. His application for a reward in 1881 was rejected by the Kelly Reward Board in 1881.

But, in that book the listing of the ones rejected for the reward he does not have Shanahan, he has Shahan. Corfield also has claimants who were stationmasters and postmasters being listed as "magistrates" probably because PM and SM had been used in some online reward listings.

Anyway, Strahan made a claim due to being on duty in Kelly country and enduring great hardships and becoming ill and have the expense of doctors, etc. He says he was "not offered an opportunity being present at Glenrowan" due to that illness. He made a point of saying that "some of those present at the capture never endured any hardship..."

He was rejected for not being at the capture.

Constable Hugh Stewart

He made a claim for part of the reward due to being on special duty in the North East from 1878  to 1880 on "long arduous duties" which included guarding banks.

Again, he was rejected for not being in on the capture.

Constable Skeham

The Reward Board lists his name as Skeham but the paperwork is signed Skehan. He makes his claim on the basis that in 1878 he was on special duty in the NE  in which he took "utmost care and vigilance." He said that during the last nine months of his time in the NE that he was selected to sleep at the Bank of Cashel. He says that "Though not present at the attack on Glenrowan through no fault of mine, but I attribute the cause as there being no telegraphic communications to my station although only 3 or 4 hours ride to Glenrowan."

He was another who was rejected for not being in on the capture.

Lawrence Kirwin

While the board spelled his name as Kirwin, it is actually Kirwan (or Kirwans). He was the police spy known as Renwick.
He claims that he was a guide and scout for the police and that he found the saddle taken by the gang from the police at SBC. He also said that he reported other information on the movements of the gang to the police.

He was denied a portion of the reward for not being at Glenrowan.

B.C. Williams

This was the code name used by Daniel Kennedy in correspondence with Nicolson. He was also known as Denny which was his police spy name. He says that he provided information to the police on the mould boards and gave other info.

He was denied a share in the reward for not being at Glenrowan for the capture.

Constable Falkiner

Alfred John Falkiner stated that he was always out on duty when anything of importance happened. That he traveled both night and day on search parties and was always selected for special or secret duty and that he usually got "the heaviest part of the duty." He mentioned about the cave parties and the deprivation and how he (and the others) "suffered other extreme hardships too numerous to mention." He said that he was out for 17 days and had covered 500 miles in his assignment to get intel and that due to his absence in this duty he did not reach Glenrowan until about 4 PM on the day Ned was captured.

Hare, in his extensive notation for this plays up what a great constable Falkiner was and said that "this applicant did as much work in the search for the Kellys as any man in the district and I shall be glad to hear that he has participated in the reward." Sadleir, on the other hand, said that "there was nothing in the work performed by this applicant that led in any way that I can recognise to the capture of the outlaws.."

His claim was rejected but he was listed under Schedule C for special consideration.



Mr. Lang, stationmaster

Henry  Laing was the stationmaster at Wangaratta. He put forward his claim on the ground of service rendered to the police during the whole Kelly hunt and especially on the dates of the siege.

Sadleir said that "the services had nothing to do with the capture as regards Mr Laing's proceedings on the 27th June" but added that his help was an advantage to the police and that "his conduct on the 27th seems to give him some claim on the reward."

He was rejected for the reward but was put on Schedule C for special consideration. 

Mr. Saxe, postmaster

Walter Henry Saxe was postmaster(and telegraph operator) at Benalla. In part of his claim he stated that "I would point out from the commencement to the finish of the Kelly outbreak I was personally in attendance on the police officers both Sundays and weekdays. I frequently had to remain in the office the greater portion of the night and on several occasions had to remain on duty all night and be generally on the alert. These in addition to my ordinary duties kept me completely tied to the office night and day."

At the top of the claim paper the Board Secretary had written "This applicant failed to forward his claim until nearly one month after the time appointing for receiving claims. Under any circumstances the Board could not entertain the claim of Mr Saxe."

However, his name appeared under Schedule C. 

Mr. Stephens, stationmaster


Clement Stephens was stationmaster at Benalla. He said that he is putting in for the reward because he was the means of conveying the news of Aaron's death to the police on Sunday, June 27, sooner by many hours that it might have reached them otherwise. He called attention to the fact of all the services he rendered during the hunt and that on the 27th he served purely voluntarily as he was not on regular duty that day.

Sadleir's reply: "As regards the claim I generally desire to say that nothing could exceed the courtesy and zeal of Mr Stephens at all times in affording such assistance from his department as the police required. Mr Stephens acted with promptness and judgement on Sunday the 27th of June in forwarding the information of Sherritt's murder to Mr Hare sooner by several hours that in might otherwise reach him thus enabling the police to gain several hours for preparation. His conduct on this day seems to give him some claim on the reward."



As listed above, five of the claimants - Mr. Laing - Mr. Stephens - Mr. Saxe - Constable McIntyre - and Constable Falkiner were listed under Schedule C which was for "Claimants recommended by the Board as worthy of Special Recognition for Services rendered during the period of the search for the outlaws."

In the preface to the Kelly Reward Board there is this:

"The Board regret that adherence to the terms of the Proclamation has compelled them to exclude from any share of the reward some meritorious claimants in the service of the Government, whose names will be found in Schedule C, and whom they desire strongly to recommend to the respective heads of the their departments as worthy of special recognition for the zeal displayed by them, at all times, in their several positions during the long period of the search for the outlaws."

I have read where McIntyre wished for his portion of the reward be added towards his pension. I saw a listing in a Victorian Legislative report that alluded to a 49 pound annual allowance for Constable McIntyre in addition to his pension due to being rendered unfit for duty due to the Kelly incident. I am not sure if that is down to Schedule C or not.
As for the others, in The Argus in 1883, two years after the Reward Board findings, there was a listing for "Additional Estimates submitted to the Assembly by the Treasurer" which included a 25 pound payment to Constable A. J. Falkiner, a 25 pound payment to Henry Laing, and a 50 pound payment to Clement Stevens, stationmaster. No mention was made of Mr. Saxe and I could not find subsequent info on if he ever received a portion of the special reward. I did find that in 1882 he was promoted to the head office in Melbourne, though.

Just imagine if  every policeman who had been assigned to the NE of Victoria and suffered discomfort in the Kelly hunt were to have submitted claims! There were other compensation type claims made after Glenrowan by both police and civilians, but they were not considered as being for the reward money. Those are not covered here, and may one day constitute a whole other blog post.

Table of Contents Listing for Doug Morrissey's Ned Kelly: A Lawless Life

My copy of Doug Morrissey's "Ned Kelly: A Lawless Life" arrived today from Amazon (I even selected expedited shipping to get it even quicker which is not like the bargain hunter I usually am!).  Not sure if I will be doing a review at some point or will let others handle that, but did want to list the table of contents which might help others to know what to expect and to help decide if they want to take the purchase plunge. Hey, when a chapter about Stringybark Creek is entitled "Murdering Police" and a chapter about the siege of Glenrowan is entitled "Operation Massacre" I think you get an idea of what the main thrust of the book is, which comes as no surprise. Still, I think many pro-Kelly people will be keen to read this. Even if a book is pro or anti Kelly I like to get the word out on it as it helps prompt discussion and any discussion about Ned Kelly and the Kelly Gang can lead to further insights and understanding (and at times further misunderstandings) on both sides. Still, no matter what is said either pro or con, Ned Kelly's name lives on!

The link to order is -

http://www.connorcourt.com/catalog1/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=7&products_id=318#.VNpMKi6Z_tR

Contents

Introduction    
Preface          
Acknowledgements 

Part 1: Larrikin Thief  

1. Horse Stealing  
2. Mrs Kelly's Selection
3. Whitty and Byrne
4. Constable Hall's Farewell

Part II: Bushranger and Outlaw

5. That Bloody Fitzpatrick
6. Murdering Police
7. Going Public
8. Operation Massacre
9. A Bank Robbers' Republic

Conclusion A Lawless Life

Appendices

I The James Murdock Connection
II The Diseased Stock Agent
III Superintendent's Hare's Wound at Glenrowan
IV The Makers of the Modern Kelly Myth
V The Jerilderie Letter Annotated

Index

My Review of Michael Heffernan's novel "Bury My Mare at Glenrowan" [Sharon Hollingsworth]

Once again I was searching through Amazon books for something new to read  when I ran across a work of historical fiction called "Bury My Mare at Glenrowan" by Michael Heffernan which had been published back in 2014 in both print and e-book versions (I paid $9.99 for the e-book version. Also, remember that you don't need a Kindle to read the e-book, you can get the free app for PC at Amazon to read Kindle books on your desktop). Of course, my very first thought was that the title reminded me of the book "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" (and it is referred to in the book).

The author, who is a lawyer (and not related to the other author named Michael Heffernan who is an American University professor - just an FYI for those who might get google-happy) has had a life-long love of horses and you can really tell it from the way he describes the horses and the relationships that develop between horse and rider. In the preface he tells about his background and says that the book is pro-Kelly. He has some interesting insights into the Kelly gang and the outbreak and I like his take on Ned and self-defense at SBC. He also tells about the champion horse on the cover and all of the horses he has known and loved. One interesting turn is how all the chapters are named after song titles (though I was not familiar with a few of them). Also at the start of each chapter are fascinating tidbits from other books that dovetail with the chapter's overall theme.

Before I get too far ahead of myself, here is the synopsis from the website for the book -

"There are many books about Kelly. This is the first about Kelly and his grey mare, Music. Music came to him out of the scrub in the last moments of the Glenrowan siege to offer him his last chance of escape when every gun and rifle was aimed at him. This story tells the reader what part this gallant mare played in his short but drama filled life in words that a horseman can understand."


There is also this important bit from the book:

"This novel is a work of fiction despite the use in some cases of real names which feature strictly as a dramatic device. All characters are the products of the author's imagination and any resemblance to actual persons is entirely coincidental."


As the author stated, there are some real names used for the characters in the Kelly saga that we know, but there are changes for some that I found, such as Judge Barry being Judge Barrington, the schoolteacher Curnow is now Kershaw, Aaron Sherritt is Declan Cassidy, Belle is now Angel, Jane Jones is now Gloria (G-L-O-R-I-A...yes, they go there!) Jones, and Upjohn is now Updike. George King, who married Ned's mother Ellen, is now Roy Kingsly, the pseudonym of a man (Henry Darrington) on the run as a deserter from the US Army.

As far as other characters go we are introduced to Valerie, a brilliant but troubled young woman who was a ward of the Quinn clan. We meet Soapy a very wise and wily Aboriginal man who is friends with Ned. There is "Tennessee" Quinn who became enamoured with the culture of the American Indians after Roy gave him an old army manual about them. He, with the help of his mother Mrs Quinn, wind up making Ned a ceremonial War Bonnet made from feathers from an eagle callously shot down by Stagger Lee, a mulatto sharp shooter/bounty hunter that has come after Darrington/Kingsly. There is Gong who is a progressive thinking young Oriental woman who wants to learn to ride horses and to be more like the Australians than like her Chinese family (to be honest, I would have been happier with her having a much smaller storyline as much of it didn't resonate with me and instead would have liked to have seen Joe Byrne's ties to the Chinese community explored a bit more deeply. Would actually have loved to have had more Joe overall, to be honest.). There is also Kev Kavanagh, the top driver for Cobb & Co who has a great love for horses as well as a profound knowledge and understanding of them that rivals Ned's.There are a few other peripheral players that are way out on the rim, but the characters that I enjoyed the most were the ones of the local police sergeant and his studious clerk, Sarge and Cyril (AKA Four Eyes). They were really a hoot. Now, they really did resonate with me. I enjoyed their bantering relationship more than any in the whole book. Too bad there is not a book called "The Adventures of Sarge & Cyril." I would buy it in a heartbeat!

There are a few timeline shifts, also. Roy was on the run from the Army due to his desertion during the Battle of Little Bighorn which was in 1876, but we know that Ellen Kelly married her second husband George King in 1874. Also the book has Ned and Kate as both being teenagers with Joe Byrne being older than Ned. There are events that did happen in the Kelly saga and some that didn't (like the gang bailing up coaches) but we just go with it as it is historical FICTION.


The book begins with an Army man named Henry Darrington having what he deems to be a prophetic nightmare about a battle with Indians in which everyone in his troop perishes. He decides that he is NOT going to die, that the dream was a warning for him, so he starts to get himself and his horse, Blue Doggy, in prime condition with endurance and other training so they can both escape the carnage he knows is coming. The dream comes to pass at the Battle of the Little Bighorn with Custer in command. Darrington, who had prepared himself was able to narrowly escape a brutal death. His travels eventually take him to Australia, accompanied by Blue Doggy, and a former Civil War veteran turned singer named Bobby McGee. (at least they weren't busted flat in Baton Rouge waitin' for a train!)

Meanwhile back at the "ranch," Ned Kelly's father died after getting kicked in the head by a skittish mare. That mare is taken to live at the Quinn homestead and was mated with a stallion which produced an exceptional foal, which Ned named Music. He spent much time raising and training her and had a special rapport with her.

Later, we first meet Harry Power who ran up on the teenaged Ned and Kate who were out fishing with the traps in hot pursuit of him and Constable Fitzpatrick was one of the pursuers! He gets fresh-mouthed with Kate and she hits him with a freshly caught fish. Harry gets away from the traps this time and shows up at Red's funeral and wake to give Ellen Kelly a big wad of cash to tide her over and suggested that she build a pub. (We know she used her home as a sly grog shanty, but here she did as Harry said and built one up right). She made a sturdy pub with a painting of Custer's Last Stand (what are the odds?) on the wall along with paintings of wild west heroes, Indian chiefs and confederate generals. I loved this bit from the book: "Joe said it was important to have batwing doors and bought some heavy duty hinges from the town hardware store. With the doors installed he would swagger in leaving them swinging as he slouched at the bar and banged his fist down for service." I can just see that!

Ned joins up with Harry Power and they bail up coaches and Ned even spanked(!) one of the young women who would not comply with them. Harry and Ned even dance with the passengers as one of them plays a tune. Eventually, Harry wound up being captured and of course he thought Ned had dobbed him in.

After they got Harry, the traps set a trap by having someone befriend Ned and telling him he lost his horse and could he find it and hold for him. When Ned rides the found horse to town Lonigan (instead of Hall) tried to shoot him but failed and then we had the infamous "blackballing" incident. Ned was gaoled, his horses, including Music were confiscated by the police and sold to Cobb & Co. for a nice profit. In gaol Ned is beaten up by Harry Power and a couple of his prison yard mates. He then goes on to serve time on the prison ship.

While Ned is away from home Henry Darrington, now known as Roy Kingsly, finds his way to Ellen's pub and into her heart and bed. Ned comes home from prison to find his mother married to this flashy American with even flashier ideas. Roy, ever the showman, decides to start a wild west show to make money. As the book states "fortunately for Roy in the Quinn and Kelly clans along with their motley friends and relatives, he had a ready made circus." Roy took on the persona of Buffalo Bill as Master of Ceremonies, Ellen played a comical Calamity Jane, with Ned playing a horse thief that was hanged for his crime on a makeshift scaffold. You can imagine the disarray and craziness that ensued with that mob of Quinns and Kellys and their sidekicks being involved in a mock battle. It sorta reminded me of the scene in Gladiator when the "wrong" side won the historical battle in the arena.

Dan Kelly is shown as a sensitive young man and different from the rest. He loves to cultivate roses and he made some garlands from wild flowers he had in his saddlebag to give to several of the Chinese girls when Joe wanted his compatriots to meet some of his celestial friends. The book describes Dan in a beautiful way: "In his daily existence he wore a permanent, dreamy expression, much like the sober, arctic white rose sitting quietly amongst its robust, brightly coloured cousins." Steve on the other hand, is seen as rough and tumble, and the showdown scene between him and his father when he decided to leave home is really an ugly one.

The Fitzpatrick incident occurred, sending Ellen to gaol and Ned and Dan on the run. They were joined by Joe and Steve and as the Kelly gang tried to rob a Cobb & Co coach and they find Music as the lead horse. They take her (and give all the loot back that they took) and Ned tells the driver, Kev Kavanagh, who had trained her and taken such good care of her, that if anything happens to him that he will see to it that his friends take the horse to Kev in Melbourne.

More things happen that lead to Glenrowan (and it was beautiful how Ned cradled a dying Joe) and Ned's imprisonment where Kev visits him and tells him he will take good care of Music for him. Ned asks Kev to be sure and have Music buried at Glenrowan at the scene of battle once her time comes. Kev agrees, and when the time comes (sadly, rather unexpectedly) he has quite a race on his hands to get the body there with an over-zealous, enraged, crazed, foaming at the mouth (as was his horse as he had nearly ridden the poor beast to death) Sgt Steele on his trail. Steele gets a swift comeuppance that was a long time coming.

I didn't want to fill in all the details of every exciting event that happened, you just have to read the book to get all the spoilers.

The style of writing really captured my imagination, it was almost like watching a movie playing out. It was very easy to get pulled into this topsy-turvy timeline-skewered world. You felt like you were really there at times standing just to the side out of frame taking it all in. It was very easy to lose yourself in this. Prepare for some quiet time to settle in and read and enjoy the journey.

Be aware that there are a few erotic passages in the book. For those who get easily offended, it is best to be forewarned. (Gosh, I almost typed in forewarmed!) Among the passages is one where Ned and Valerie make love in a church, also Kev's wife is caught out doing the naughty with another man in a church as well. Then we have Tennessee Quinn and Gong going at it in the water, then we have Angel and Declan getting really wild with their vigorous lovemaking and she even does it with one of the traps under the bed after Joe and Dan came to dispatch her husband. Then, last, but not least, we have Mrs. Jones and Ned having a bit of a saucy romp in the station-master's office. (Too bad that the song title "Me and Mrs Jones" was not used, or was that just an American hit?) All in good fun but not for the uptight as stated above or for young kids.

This book was 456 pages long. I was a little daunted to take it on at first due to the length, but once I started reading it the pages flew by and I was done in a couple of days. Oddly, despite the length of it, once I got done I wanted to read more!

Upcoming Book Alert: Doug Morrissey's Ned Kelly: A Lawless Life to be published Feb. 2015

Recently at the kellylegend.blogspot.com website there has been several discussions about Doug Morrissey and his 1987 thesis "Selectors, Squatters and Stock Thieves: A Social History of Kelly Country." In one of the comments sections "Chris H." alerted all of us to the fact that Morrissey was coming out with a new book called Ned Kelly: A Lawless Life. I had not heard about this before, so I googled around and found a link for it.

http://www.connorcourt.com/catalog1/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=7&products_id=318#.VL3AYi6Z_tQ


NED KELLY: A Lawless Life

Doug Morrissey, Introduction by John Hirst

ISBN 978 1 925138 481

PAPERBACK, 280 PAGES, $32.95

PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 2015

Go to the link for more detailed information!


Here's hoping that even if I am not able to secure a copy of it, perhaps Brian can and he will give a review.

Also, for those interested, Brian Stevenson's multi-part review of Morrissey's 1987 thesis start here -

http://elevenmilecreek.blogspot.com/2010/11/douglas-morrisseys-unpublished-thesis.html

Mr. Living: The Bank Teller with the Crooked Halo [Sharon Hollingsworth]

Recently I was looking around in the appendices of the book "Ned Kelly: After a Century of Acrimony" by John Meredith and Bill Scott and ran across an intriguing entry under "Books and Mention in Books" -

Meudell, George   'The Pleasant Career of a Spendthrift' Pp. 74-79. London, Routledge, 1929.

I was curious to know what the man who originally coined the phrase "Australia for the Australians" had to say about Ned Kelly. I then checked Brian McDonald's "What They Said About Ned" to see if the book was listed. It was and the notation for it said:

"In the chapter "Banks and Bankers" he mentions the precautions taken in the Bank of Victoria at the tiny branch of Corop during the Kelly reign."

Next step was finding a free copy online to read. That was soon accomplished through the wonderful Internet Archive.

Parts of the book not even having to do with the Kellys are of great interest (and some were allegedly very controversial in their era), and he had one really good quote that I would like to share here (almost wish I could have a skywriter emblazon it across the horizon!) -

It is almost impossible to carry the torch of truth
through a crowd without singeing somebody's beard.

Ok, now on to the Kelly-ness!

Mr. Meudell opens up his discourse on the Kellys with this gratifying statement:

"Ned Kelly was a man born out of his time with no education excepting his great knowledge of the

Book of the Bush; his leaping thought, rapid action and fertility of resource marked him as a clever

fighter who in a modern war could have entered as a private and ended as a general."


A few more paragraphs go on about the exploits of the Kellys, but the most fascinating anecdote concerns the Jerilderie Raid and its aftermath and Mr. Meudell's association with Edwin Living. You will recall that Edwin Living (sometimes referred to as Edward Living, and even as Lyving) was the accountant at the Bank of New South Wales when the Kellys came to call in February of 1879.

Text from the book:


I met the Kelly gang only in their works and
through Ted Living, my fellow-bank clerk. At one
time Living was accountant at the bank of N.S.W.
branch at Jerilderie, a small N.S.W. town north of
the Murray River. The Kellys had already robbed
three banks and had been posted missing four months
until suddenly and early on a Sunday morning they
appeared at Jerilderie police station. The Kelly gang
rode into the police yard and bailed up the three
policemen whom they locked in the cells. Then the
Kellys donned the policemen's Sunday clothes. In
full sight of the public they spent the day in the
precincts of the gaol and Ned Kelly escorted the ser-
geant's wife to the Roman Catholic church on Sunday
morning and stood guard while she dusted the church
before the visiting clergyman arrived. All day the
gang held the police and not a townsman knew. On
Sunday night they cut the few telegraph wires leading
from the town, telephones and automobiles were not
then invented. Tartleton, the manager, and Living,
the accountant and teller of the Bank of New South
Wales, had been at near-by stations spending Saturday
and Sunday, and they rode to the bank early on
Monday. Tartleton went upstairs for a shower bath
and Living got out his cash and sorted his notes.
The junior clerk had left the front door ajar. Ned
Kelly walked in a little before ten and placing the
muzzle of a Brown Bess rifle against Living's temple,
ordered him to put up his hands, which Ted did with
much zeal and rapidity. Ned said, "Gimme yer keys,"
and Ted replied with the swiftness of a flashlight,
" All right, Mr. Kelly." By this time Steve Hart
had been upstairs and collected Tartleton at the
point of his rifle from under the shower. Tartleton
dropped his soap, threw up his arms and said, "Won't
you let me dry meself." "No bally fear," said Mr.
Hart. "Come along down as y'ar." And come as
he was he did in nine and one-fifth seconds by the
stop watch. Mr. Ned Kelly then filled two saddle-
bags from the safes and tills with notes and gold
valued at pounds 15,000. A big heavy canvas bag took
his fancy, and he was about to drag it along when
Living smilingly remarked, "Them's coppers, mister.'
"That be damned for a yarn," said Ned, but
he drew a jack knife, used for trimming his nails
and cutting tobacco, from his pocket, cut the bag
and punted pennies with his boots all over the bank
floor. "Come and 'av a drink," said their genial
host, Mr. Edward Kelly, so they left the bank to its
fate, disdaining to take title deeds and overdrafts,
loans and advances, and crossed the road to the
public house. Dan Kelly and Byrne had rounded up
every man, woman and child in the village and put
them in the pub. The police had been given some
tucker and beer and were left in the lock up. They
missed all the fun that day.
Just as the gang entered the hotel corridor, Dan
Kelly had drawn a bead with his gun on the publican
who had suggested that Daniel was tipsy. Ned threw
his brother's rifle up and the bullet was shot into the
ceiling instead of through Boniface. One shearer
had a concertina and another a fiddle, so the bar room
was cleared and everybody danced. The Messrs.
Kelly generously bought drinks for all hands, most
generously and frequently, and by noon both cellar
and bar were empty of anything to drink. Living
managed to slip out the back door over to the bank
stable, got his horse and rode like Steve Donoghue,
Tod Sloan and Frank Dempsey, not gracefully but
very fast, towards Deniliquin to break the news.
When he reached the telegraph office his favourite
prad fell down dead. He bought it as a colt for
five pounds. Very bravely Ted pushed on with the
good work, took the first train for Melbourne, and
turned up at ten o'clock precisely next morning before
one Walsh, the inspector of the Bank of New South
Wales in Melbourne armed with a huge red and yellow
carpet bag. Walsh, without looking up said, "What's
that for," and Living brazenly replied, "Want more."
"More what? " said Walsh. "Cash," hinted Ted.
"Mr. Kelly took the lot on Sunday." "Oh, did he,"
said Walsh, and without taking breath, said, "Mr.
Living, why are you absent from your branch without
leave?' Of course the newspapers had answered
that for Ted. However, old Walsh said, "Go back
at once to Jerilderie by the noon train." Then he
relaxed, and Ted and I spent a joyous night with the
lads of the village (and some of the lassies) telling
about the vile and rude behaviour of the Kelly gang
in collaring fifteen thousand of the "best," mixed
and all that it was. Ned Kelly gave Living an account
of his life written in his own blood. This we tried
to sell to the Melbourne newspapers, but the best
offer by Sam Winter of the Melbourne "Herald"
was only five pounds, so Living kept the MS. which
was afterwards lost by a friend. Tartleton was so
angry with Walsh's harsh reception that he resigned
from the bank. By midnight on Tuesday neither
Ted's halo or mine fitted nicely, but we both agreed
the Kelly gang ought to have made the event a
quarterly affair.


Well, that was quite a lively report! I spotted quite a few boo boos (there are some real doozies) but will let you the readers figure out what is what for yourselves for a refreshing change.

I am wondering how and when George Meudell made the acquaintance of Edwin Living. Did they know each other from a previous job posting at a bank? Or did they first meet that day in Melbourne as two young men full of excitement and adventure and ready to take on the world? Living was 29 and unmarried and Meudell was 19 and also single, so I can well see them falling in together and painting the town red.

Accounts like this one really helps to bring the people of the Kelly saga to life, doesn't it? Can't you just see Ted Living propping up the bar and telling his tale (even if not exactly with a Harry Flashman-like "and I alone survived" edge to it but still properly embellished in pertinent parts) to a rapt audience eager to buy him drinks and lap up his every word?

According to "100 Years in Jerilderie," Mr. Living (hopefully with halo back in place) and Tarleton (the proper spelling) returned to Jerilderie on Thursday with the carpet bag full of money (with a trooper in tow) to replace what was taken during the Kelly Gang raid. Also, interestingly, according to a newspaper account, on Living's way to Melbourne the train made a stop in his old stomping ground of Castlemaine, where news of the robbery and Living's journey had already been telegraphed, and his mother and uncle and old friends rushed to the station "anxious to see that he was not maimed and wounded in the encounter with the noted bushrangers."


To read what came before and after the Jerilderie Raid portion of Meudell's book, please see the link below.


https://archive.org/details/pleasantcareerof00meudiala

My review of The Iron Fists of Ned Kelly (the latest in the Fight Card book series) [Sharon Hollingsworth]

I recently ran across a new series of books at amazon.com, (also available at amazon.com.au), called "Fight Card" in which several authors write under the shared pen name "Jack Tunney" (which is culled from the famed American boxers named Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney).  Some in the series are available as a kindle e-book, some in paperback and some in both formats. According to the Fight Card website "The books in the Fight Card series are monthly 25,000 word novelettes, designed to be read in one or two sittings, and are inspired by the fight pulps of the '30s and '40s...."

The one I have previously read and enjoyed featured Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson involved in a mystery in the shadowy underworld of Victorian London's bare-knuckled fighters with Holmes himself going a few rounds with former champs. Good stuff!

I got really excited when I saw that there was one in the series entitled "The Iron Fists of Ned Kelly" (based on the 1874 brawl between Ned Kelly and Wild Wright) that was released in e-book form on November 11, 2014, a very fitting launch date. See now that it is available in print, will definitely be ordering that. The cover art is fantastic, really evocative of another era in publishing made to look like a well-thumbed and somewhat yellowed, musty (or musky?), perhaps cigarette smoke infused book featuring Ned and Wild battling it out. I would actually love to get an enlarged poster of this cover!


These links give some background information on this title and an image of the cover.

http://fightcardbooks.com/fight-card-update-november-2014

http://fightcardbooks.com/the-iron-outlaw-writing-the-iron-fists-of-ned-kelly

The gentleman who takes a turn as Jack Tunney for The Iron Fists of Ned Kelly is David Foster. He does a wonderful job bringing the young Ned Kelly to life. Actually, Ned is more real here while being part of "speculative fiction" than he has been portrayed in many works of straightforward fact. When I got to the end of this book, I was like "Whoa! Wait!!! I want more, more, MORE......" But, it seems I am putting the cart before the horse, best if we go to the beginning and see how the story begins and progresses. No worries about me giving spoilers, because if you know the Kelly story, then you know the basic plot line. I duly note that this is a work of historical fiction and that dialogue has been invented, some characters and situations have been invented and so forth. I accept that. I applaud that. Just me being me, though, I like to point out some things that are not exactly in keeping with the known facts so anyone new to the Kelly world might gain proper insight.


As the book opens, we first encounter Ned in his cell at the Old Melbourne Gaol on the night before his execution. He is thinking back of what has led him to this place in time. During the course of this Father O'Hea stops by to visit with Ned to offer comfort. Ned reaches into the back of his copy of Lorna Doone and gives O'Hea two letters written for his mother and sister Maggie and asks him to see that they get them. Ned soon begins to tell Father O'Hea about some of the events of his past with emphasis on one escapade in particular. His tale begins in 1870 when a hawker named Gould had a wagon bogged in mud and sought help in getting it out. The ever obliging and industrious young Ned goes to help and soon has it extracted from the quagmire. Within a short while a horse appears before them having bolted away from a rival hawker, Jeremiah McCormack (actually McCormick, but it was spelled as McCormack in the Jerilderie Letter so I see why it was used). Gould recognises it as McC's horse and Ned offers to take it to town and see it gets back to its rightful owner. When Ned does this, the ill tempered McC is rude and abusive and grabs the wrong end of the stick, jumping to all sorts of ill-conceived conclusions, and starts a fight with Ned. Later McC goes to Constable Hall to make a complaint against the young ruffian saying Ned assaulted him and stole his horse's blanket. (supposedly it was Jim Kelly who took the horse to town to give back to McC. McC went to the Kelly homestead and fussed at Gould who was staying there until the roads dried up about how Gould had used his horse, etc) A bunch of stuff goes down, none of it good, with the main one going down Ned Kelly! Throughout all this no mention was made of the note and calf's testicles that really got things going. So, Ned was off to gaol for a while.

Fast forward a little while to the next year, 1871. In Beechworth, Ethan Rogers (actually was Edward Rogers) was the owner of the Imperial Hotel. He bemoaned the fact of how he had to keep making repairs to his barroom a little too often than he would have liked because Isaiah "Wild" Wright would inevitably bust the place up when he was in his cups. We are treated to a fun little episode/exercise/romp wherein two young rubes are apparently not acquainted with Wild's reputation (as the unofficial bare knuckle champion of the North East, no less) and refuse to get out of his way when he wanted to belly up to the bar. During the melee, which Wild easily wins even against two opponents, he "unleashes his trademark punch - a rugged haymaker - or a wild-right, as the locals called it." The two lads went down for the count and Wild was still ready to fight! After a bit of drinking and carousing he was making his way home on foot and comes across a welcoming sight - the postmaster's horse grazing by the side of the road so he decides to "borrow it." Alarm bells should be ringing about now for all Kelly enthusiasts!

Meanwhile in the book Ned Kelly has been released from gaol and has a long hard slog home, arriving to find a celebration in progress. It was not for him, though, because they did not know he had been released. This was an engagement party for his sister Annie and a young man named Alex Gunn (actually, they were wed in 1869). At the party Alex introduces Ned to his good friend Wild Wright. Wild says that his horse had strayed and was wondering if he could have use of one of Ned's horses until his could be found (hopefully by Ned) and they could do the exchange. With Alex vouching for his friend, Ned agrees not realizing that the horse in question was a stolen one. (actually this event took place 3 weeks after Ned got home, not the first day, but I suppose the narrative had to be quickly and neatly moved forward).

Having found the mare, Ned decided to ride it around a while, still blissfully unaware of her stolen status. Constable Hall, who played a large part in him being sent to gaol before, saw him and decided to arrest him for horse theft. Even though Ned kept saying that the horse belonged to Wild Wright, Hall was having none of it and attempted to murder Ned right there in the street, thankfully the gun misfired three times. What ensues next is a battle between Ned and Hall with Ned delivering "a brutal uppercut that caught Hall on the point of the chin." The true story is that Ned did not hit Hall, remember in the Jerilderie Letter where he said "I dare not strike him or my sureties would lose the bond money." However, he did grab him by the collar and trip him. Ned said "I threw him on his belly I straddled him raked both spurs into his thigh." That doesn't really sound like riding him like a horse as the book says, but it makes for a jolly good read and mental image. Anyway, it all ended up with Hall getting the better of him after Ned was grabbed by Lonigan of all people (this was just to drive the plot along because Ned would not meet Lonigan or have any dealings with him whatsoever until 1877) and another trooper and Hall beat him about the head with the butt of his revolver.  Ned goes away again after not being free for long. He was given 3 years gaol time, Wild was given 18 months and though the book says Alex for his part in it all got 18 months it was really 3 years also.

The story proceeds with Ned having a fuss/set to with some cranky prisoner inside the gaol and for the first time he gets to meet Father O'Hea acting in capacity as gaol chaplain.

After serving his time he heads home again in 1874, finding that during his absence that his brother Jim had been gaoled for 5 years and that his sister Annie had died in childbirth. The child on Ellen Kelly's hip is said to be Annie's but we know that Annie's baby by then was buried alongside her and this was Ellen's baby from an illicit affair with Bill Frost. Ned starts to take on responsibility and works hard and is well on his way to making something of himself. One day he stopped by the Imperial Hotel to have a drink with his cousin, Tom Lloyd, when in walks you-know-who. Ah, yes, the current unofficial bare-knuckle champion of the North East was in the house and due for some major payback from our young hero. They were about to mix it up right there but publican Rogers stepped in and suggested they stage a match outside (hoping to save his bar from being demolished and maybe profit from the wagers, too, no doubt). They accept and the time is set and bets are placed. This is where the book really earns it's Fight Card distinction.

Over the course of several pages we are given a quite literal blow by blow (pun intended) account of how such a fight might have ensued. Both men gave and took tremendous hits that would have felled lesser men in a short time. It was exciting and the dialogue between them and others really moved the story along. We had Lonigan there mouthing off to Ned trying to make him madder than he was to get him off his game and then Lonigan slithered over to Wild to try and bribe him to get Ned good! Of course, Wild hated the traps as much as Ned, so he rebuffed the surprised policeman, earning Ned's respect. Of course, Lonigan didn't do any of this in reality, but it makes for a bit of lively banter and fun and a show of solidarity between the two young combatants. Eventually, Ned wins the coveted title of champion (even if unofficial) from Wild and goes in the bar to have a drink, soon he is sharing one with Wild and a friendship born in blood and sweat was firmly cemented.

We are then taken back to Ned in gaol as he winds up his tale to O'Hea and the rest of the story plays out very quickly.

As stated above, I wanted more!

I highly recommend this book. The action was great and the dialogue crackled. The price for the e-book is very reasonable, too.

A bonus is that the name of Fitzpatrick does not appear at all. Thank God for small mercies!

A Review of Ian Jones's 2014 publication The Kellys and Beechworth [Sharon Hollingsworth]

Earlier this year it was announced that author Ian Jones would be launching a new Kelly book during the 2014 Beechworth Ned Kelly Weekend. A swirl of excitement and conjecture promptly ensued. Many hoped it would be the long-rumored and hoped for memoir of Jones's "pursuit" of Ned Kelly throughout much of the 20th century and into the 21st. Eventually, word filtered out that it would be a "short" book (or, rather, a booklet) on the Kellys and their Beechworth connections.
 I wondered if it would be a combined and possibly expanded version of his papers written for the “Ned Kelly: Man & Myth” symposiums in 1967 and 1993 entitled “The Kellys and Beechworth” and “The Kellys and Beechworth Revisited.”

No one who got a copy of this new publication that weekend seemed to be keen to report on what exactly was between the covers. All I read was that it was part of a series of booklets from the Burke Museum in Beechworth and that it was 62 pages long.

 I remained curious along with many other Kellyphiles. I know of more than one person who has been trying in total vain to procure a copy via mail order from the Burke Museum. Perhaps one will turn up on ebay at some point.

I was lucky enough to eventually receive a copy thanks to Brian McDonald. He has been a very kindly benefactor to me, a virtual knight in shining armour who has come to my rescue more than once! He is something of a bibliophilic godfather because when it comes to anything to do with books, Brianmac is THE go-to guy!

Ok, here we go with a report of what the booklet is all about for those who have been wondering. First up, as noted above, the title is "The Kellys and Beechworth" and it has a nicely illustrated cover and glossy pages and measures 5 and a half by 8 and a half inches in size. Also, as stated earlier, it is 62 pages long.

For those wondering, there is nothing new in it for the seasoned Kelly student/researcher/aficinado, it is more of a distillation of Jones's "Ned Kelly: A Short Life" and "The Fatal Friendship" than anything else. There is a smattering of info throughout emphasizing the Kelly connection to Beechworth, but, again, there is nothing new to me. Still, this is a good little booklet to have in hand for those visiting Beechworth who are interested in the Kellys but have not made a major and involved research endeavor prior to their journey. As usual, with anything to with Ian Jones, it is well written and presented. It is also good to obtain for those of us who are completists (Brianmac being the classic and quintessential example and one we should all strive to emulate even if only in our dreams).

The introduction gives us the background on Beechworth and the gold rush and lightly touches on the Kelly connections to be delved in to deeper within. The first chapter tells about Ned's Beechworth connections from 1868 to 1877, detailing court cases, Harry Power, the Ben Gould adventure, the Wild Wright stolen horse debacle, Constable Hall's attempted murder of Ned, Ned's imprisonment, his honest years, the fight with Wild Wright, as well as trouble with the squatter Whitty. That was a lot to cover in 9 pages. Chapter two is all about Joe and Aaron and their backgrounds, their friendship, the Chinese connection, imprisonment and the falling in with Ned in the wholesale and retail horse business.

Chapter three features Constable Fitzpatrick and his foolishness and how it started the whole outbreak. Chapter four very quickly gives us info on the Stringybark Creek episode and start of the gang. Chapter Five details the "Charge of Sebastopol" wherein the police raid the Sherritt household and Aaron is recruited as a spy. 

Chapter six touches on the Euroa and Jerilderie robberies, the arrest of the sympathisers, and letters written by Ned. Chapter seven touches on Aaron and the cave parties. Chapter eight covers July 1879 to June 1880 with Joe visiting Aaron and trying to recruit him and then Aaron and his brother Jack having various and sundry escapades and then Aaron getting married.Chapter nine covers June 1880 with the killing of Aaron, the siege of Glenrowan and Kelly's last stand, this covers 8 pages.

 Chapter ten starts with Ned Kelly in the dock of the Beechworth court house and briefly touches on the Melbourne trial and execution. The chapter ends with a few paragraphs summing everything up about the Kellys and Beechworth with the final paragraph being a really evocative look at how the feel of Beechworth now is the same as when the Kellys roamed there back in the 19th century. 

 There are 28 photographs and illustrations in the pages, too, but, again, there are none that are new to me.

All in all, get it if you can, but it is not an absolute must, especially given how difficult it will be for those not traveling to Beechworth to obtain or who are not as well connected as I am.

Oh, yeah, before I close,  you know me, I had to find at least one error, and there was one on the back cover. They have an attribution of the cover illustration of the Kelly gang (which is taken from The Eagle Book of Amazing Stories 1974) as being by Fortunino Matanja. The correct spelling of this wonderful artist's name is actually Fortunino Matania. Google him for some splendid illustrations, particularly his wartime ones.

A very nice review of the Eleven Mile Creek blog

The Eleven Mile Creek Blog has received a very nice review from Dee over at her new blog at http://kellylegend.blogspot.com/

For the record, I am not personally acquainted with Dee at all and I did not even know she had a blog, I only found out when Brian alerted me to the review. I used to read one of her former forums, but had never contributed there.

I would like to profusely thank her for her kind words of appreciation for all that Brian Stevenson and I have done with this blog. Both Brian and I have not been very active this past year due to several reasons, not the least of which is that we both have had family tragedies occur, so you can imagine that regular posting on a blog would be the least of our concerns.

I do have a couple of reviews coming up, though, so stay tuned and I am still considering bringing some of my old articles from the now defunct glenrowan1880 website back to life. I just need to get motivated.

To answer one of the things in the review, no, Brian and I have not met in person, though we have been very good friends since 2005 after having met on a Kelly forum. He has traveled to the USA  since then to visit family but that was a few thousands of miles from here. Perhaps one day we will get to meet up! Never say never!

The direct link to the review can be found at:

http://kellylegend.blogspot.com/2014/10/site-review-eleven-mile-creek.html

The Fine Art and Pleasure of Collecting Kelly Books (by guest blogger Brian McDonald)

Note from Sharon: I recently asked Brian McDonald if he would like to do a guest posting here at Eleven Mile Creek and he readily agreed. Of course, the subject he chose is one near and dear to his heart (as well as mine) which is collecting books (in this particular case about Ned and the Kelly Gang). Brianmac has well earned the sobriquets of "Book-Keeper" and "Keeper of the Flame" due to his expansive bushranging and Colonial history personal library collection. Anyone who wants further information on available Kelly books should consult the marvelous book which Brian penned/compiled called  "What They Said About Ned: Looking at the Legend of Ned Kelly through Books including An Annotated Bibliography of The Kelly Gang Comprising a comprehensive list of books, magazines, articles and journals on Ned for the use of librarians, researchers, and collectors." Whew! That was a mouthful! Behind the scenes in emails all of us just refer  to it as "WTSAN." (and, yes, I do put a "tick" beside each title that I have acquired, just as he refers to in the following blog post.)

You can find "WTSAN" and other reprinted works of Colonial Australian History at Brian's website http://australianhistorypromotions.com

Now on to the meat of the matter.

The Fine Art and Pleasure of Collecting Kelly Books

by Brian McDonald

Have you ever tried to count the number of books that have been published about Ned Kelly?

I’m referring here to books that have been devoted to Ned and his gang. Books by people such as Ian Jones, Keith McMenomy, John McQuilton, Frank Clune, John Molony, Graham Jones, Justin Corfield, John Phillips and the list goes on and on.

Then, of course, there are the general books written about bushranging that incorporate a chapter or several chapters on Ned Kelly written by the likes of Bill Wannan, Charles White, George Boxall, Allan M Nixon and more recently by Robert Coupe, Evan McHugh, Susan West, etc., etc., etc.

What about reminisces? Those people who penned accounts of their experiences in Australia and who mentioned Ned and his exploits such as John Sadleir, Francis Hare, Charles Trevelyan, Henry Nesfield, John Singleton, Frederic Spurr and others.

But wait … there’s more.

Then there are the official publications such the Royal Commission into the Victorian Police Force and the resulting published reports, newspaper accounts, magazine articles, art books, children’s books, encyclopaedias, and so on and so forth.

In 1954, Frank Clune stated in his introduction to The Kelly Hunters that his interest in Ned was revived when he began collecting books on the history of Australia in the 1930s. He began collecting Kellyana, and stated:

…my Kelly Shelf now extends to three shelves, and I have copies, including press-cuttings and photostats, of over 1000 Kelly “items”. (Clune, 1954, p. xii)

This is born out when you read through Frank’s bibliography in The Kelly Hunters, although he does miss the 1000 mark, he lists an impressive 159 items of Kellyana. Clune’s friend, Clive Turnbull, had only listed 42 printed books in his publication Kellyana in 1943.

In 1980 John Meredith and Bill Scott’s excellent book Ned Kelly After a century of acrimony was published. I know John had a lovely collection of Kellyana, I’m fairly sure that Bill collected Kellyana too, and consequently the resulting list of Kelly items and souvenirs in the appendix is extremely comprehensive.

If you happen have either of these two books on your shelf, the chances are that the bibliographical entries may have little ticks beside some items. If they were in the book when you purchased it, then it came from a collection of Kellyana as the previous owner would tick each tome in their personal collection.

If, however, the ticks are yours … then it’s too late … you are a bibliophile! The collecting bug has hit you too!

I still remember the feelings of euphoria as my small collection of bushranging books finally reached the end of the first shelf. As each new edition was added to the shelf I would search for it in Clune’s bibliography and put that satisfying little pencil tick against it.

When I purchased John Meredith and Bill Scott’s book my stomach sank to my feet as I perused the enormous number of books that they had listed. When I had finished ticking the entries that were to be found on my shelves, the resulting un-ticked entries would have equalled the number of shots fired at Glenrowan! But now I was aware of the books that I wanted to find for my collection … and the search was on.

For many collectors the hunting down Kellyana has, in some cases, taken on the same proportion as the original 1879 hunt. As items of Kellyana come on the market they are usually snapped up with the same speed as reloading a Martini-Henri rifle … and high prices are being paid for some items too. If an original copy of George Wilson Hall’s Outlaws of the Wombat Ranges or The Book of Keli were to come on the market tomorrow, they would command in the tens of thousands of dollars if not hundreds of thousands!

One of the numerous editions of The Life and Adventures of the Kelly Outlaws, published in Adelaide by Frearson and Brother around 1881, sold at auction for $7,281 in 2004.

One of the largest private collections of Kellyana and bushranging sold at auction in 2000 and the prices realised for some of the rarer items were quite astounding. A copy of Iron Ned Kelly and his Gang had a pre-sale estimate of $80 to $120 sold for $345. A very rare Belfast, Ireland, publication entitled Adventures of the Kelly Gang of Bushrangers: A Thrilling Story of Australian Police Duty and Bush Life had an estimate of $200 to $400 ended up selling for $1,150.

The cream of this private collection was the hand written brief for the Prosecution in The Queen v. Edward Kelly. There were only five briefs compiled in 1880 and this was the only one in private hands – it sold for $27,400.

If you are one of those poor (literally with some of these prices I’ve mentioned above!) souls that collect Kellyana, don’t despair. Kellyana is out there, it’s just a matter of tracking it down. A good place to start is www.abebooks.com.You can type in the author and title or just type “Ned Kelly” as a keyword. Book shops around the world list on this site and you should be able to find the book you’ve been looking for. They list books from the cheapest to the most expensive (that can be reversed if desired), but don’t forget postage costs if buying from overseas.

eBay is another source for buying Kellyana … but do be careful! I’ve watched items sell for exorbitant prices, particularly if people become involved in a bidding war. Something that I have found worthwhile is checking to see if the item you are going to bid on is listed on abebooks. Knowing that you can buy a copy if you don’t win the eBay item definitely takes the disappointment out of losing. Keep searching and good luck!

Havelock Ellis, Early 'Sexologist' on Ned Kelly [Brian Stevenson]

Havelock Ellis (1859-1939), the British writer and ‘sexologist’ wrote extensively on sexual behaviour in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He lived in Australia for four years, 1875-1879, and so would have heard much of the exploits of the Kelly Gang. At 19, he was teaching school at Sparkes Creek, New South Wales. He might have been more happily at home in the 1960s and 1970s with his belief that sexual freedom could bring about a new age of happiness. He is famous for writing the first serious study of homosexuality in Britain, Sexual inversion (1897) but a previous work, The criminal (1890, but reprinted many times) contained a couple of pages on Ned Kelly which I could not find online. Perhaps the Ned bits did not appear in all editions, but here is what I found.

The extract below is from:

Havelock Ellis, The criminal . 5^th edition, revised and enlarged. London, New York and Melbourne 1914, and is contained in chapter 4, Criminal Anthropology (Psychical), section on Intelligence, pp 161-163.

Ellis was not big on paragraphs, so I have inserted paragraph breaks – the last five paragraphs were contained in one. Ellis gets many of the facts wrong (Fitzpatrick gets it in the noggin with a frying pan instead of a coal shovel!), but seems to have a high opinion of some aspects of Ned’s character.

Ellis writes:

'A more recent example of a criminal who exhibited mental qualities of a high order and capacities of organisation, though under different conditions from those under which [Jonathan] Wild [English highwayman discussed on immediately preceding pages], is furnished by Edward Kelly, the Australian bushranger, the leader of the Kelly gang.

Ned Kelly, as he is usually called, was born in 1854, near Kilmore, in Victoria, but his ancestors came from Ireland, and on both sides the future outlaw may be said to have had outlawry in his blood. His maternal grandfather, James Quin [sic] was a notorious horse-stealer; his paternal grandfather took part in the Irish insurrection of 1798; while his father, who was transported for an agrarian outrage in Tipperary, is described as a man who possessed all the virtues of his race, but with something of the rebel in him that would not harmonise with civilisation. At an early age Kelly and his younger brother began to follow in the steps of their ancestors, but went little beyond horse-stealing until a fray [sic] occurred in which a constable was wounded. This incident is still obscure; it is said the constable made improper advances to Kelly's sister, but in any case Kelly was intensely exasperated, especially as his mother, to whom he was devotedly attached, was sentenced to a long term of imprisonment for wielding a frying-pan in the fray. Thenceforth the Kellys took to the bush.

The Kelly Country, as it is sometimes called, covers about 1600 square miles in the north-east of Victoria, a wild and picturesque region of forest and valley and mountain. All over this district, and beyond it, the outlaws had friends and sympathisers; an army of police, detectives, spies, and blacks were on their track, but they were always warned in time, although a price of 8000 pounds was set on the heads of the four chief outlaws. When an encounter occurred it was the police who left their dead on the field, and on one occasion, indeed, the police preferred to hide under the beds of their hotel rather than fight. Kelly's men were mostly of ferocious character, but he had them under perfect control; while his sister Kate was ready to leap into her saddle by day or by night to carry messages or food, or to test the trustworthiness of waverers. The outlaws wore iron caps and breastplates fashioned from ploughshares, which withstood the best modern rifles. Kelly himself is described as a fine and noble-looking man, tall and well-proportioned, with a flowing brown beard.

He never permitted any unnecessary violence, was always ready to respond to an appeal to sentiment, and showed the greatest consideration for women and children. His chief exploits consisted in 'sticking up' banks. The raid on the Euroa bank is a wonderful example of his generalship and of that fine economy of means in attaining a startling success that stamps the master-mind. It was necessary to obtain a base for the operation; coming down with his three men to a squatter's station near the town, he quietly explained what he wanted, obtained refreshment, and even kept his victims in good humour. In a few hours all hands on the station, including several gentlemen who were armed, were left locked up in the store-room, within a few yards of the railroad, in charge of one of the band.

On the same afternoon, in broad daylight, the outlaws drove up in two carts to the bank in the centre of the town. A revolver was held at the head of the manager, Mr Scott, and before he had time to seize his own from the table before him, all the gold and notes were secured to the amount of nearly 3000 pounds, and Kelly was soon on terms of the 'utmost good feeling and affability' with Mrs Scott. Then he harnessed the manager's buggy, and the whole household was invited to depart, Mrs Scott driving the buggy. The raid was arranged for bank-closing time, and the townspeople supposed that the Scotts were starting on a pleasure trip. The bank party were [sic] left at the squatter's station with the others, now over forty in number; Kelly gave strict orders that no one was to leave the house for three hours after the departure of the gang, and so great was his moral authority that none disobeyed him.

An end came at last to the impunity of the outlaws, and they were surrounded by overwhelming numbers. Even then Kelly himself escaped, but returned to give himself up, seeing that his men were doomed; when the police in the early dawn saw the tall figure, on which their shots produced no effect, we are told that some thought they had seen a ghost and were overcome with terror. Kelly was executed; the other outlaws had committed suicide. There are curious points of resemblance in Kelly's story to the doubtless legendary story of the famous old English criminal, Robin Hood, though, while the latter has been idealised by the ballad-makers, Kelly's exploits have been vulgarised by the reporter and the policeman. Yet both are episodes in an imperfectly evolved society, in which much of the virtue and more of the skill are on the side of the rebels.'

Ellis concludes:

(In the above account of Kelly I have largely quoted from an article of my own (mainly founded on H A White's Tales of crime in Australia) in the Saturday review.)

I have looked for Ellis’s Saturday review article online, but have had no joy yet, not even the date. If anyone has it, could they let me know via my email?

Brian Stevenson

brianfstevenson@hotmail.com

My review of Monty Wedd's NED KELLY comics in book form [Sharon Hollingsworth]

Sometimes wishes do come true! For the better part of a decade I have been very keen for Monty Wedd's Ned Kelly newspaper comics series (which originally ran in Sydney's Sunday Mirror and was syndicated in other Australian newspapers between 1974 and 1977 for a total of 146 "episodes") to once again see the light of day. On forums and blogs I have, again and again, lobbied and wished for it. What I had put on one of the earliest blog posts here at Eleven Mile Creek back in 2010 was this:


At the top of my wish list/(book) bucket list  is what has not been published in book form - Number 770 in WTSAN - Monty Wedd's "Ned Kelly" comic strip...one hundred and forty six episodes of it...talk about sugar plums! Hopefully one day someone will finally gather and publish these comics for the enjoyment and edification of all of us. 

Then, in January of 2013 I was alerted to the fact that a gentleman named Nat Karmichael had been in negotiations with Monty Wedd (and later the Wedd family after Monty passed away in 2012) to publish the series in book form.
There were many twists and turns in bringing his vision to fruition, but FINALLY this magnificent volume has been made available for sale to the general public. This book is HUGE in scope and dimension. (One website has the size as 250mm x 350 mm. As you can see from the photos in American measurements it is nearly 10 inches high by 29 inches wide from edge to edge.) I want to give a big thank you to Brian McDonald (who wrote the foreword for the book actually got to meet Monty while they were both guests on a tv program)  who kindly and generously gifted me with a copy. Brian sure was right when he said of Monty Wedd in his foreword: "His presentation of Ned Kelly's life is enthralling and you can see Monty's ardour for our history in every panel."

  

After Brian McDonald's terrific foreword there is a page by Justin Wedd entitled "My Father, Monty Wedd" in which he gives the reader a little background into his father's very illustrious life.

Next in the book comes an introduction written by Roger Fletcher (creator of Torkan and Staria comic strips) in which he talks about Monty's style of illustration and his friendship with him.

Next we have a page with the background history of the Ned Kelly comic strip that is very enlightening and whets our appetite.

THEN we get to the meat of the matter...the comics themselves!

Each week's comic strip has its own page and the panels, which I can imagine were a bit smaller in the original newspaper run, are really big and easy to read. Sometimes looking at the comics in my local paper I have to use a magnifying glass to read the text, but not here. It is large and crystal clear. The best part of these illustrations is how you can actually see the emotions being conveyed on every character's face. Monty did an amazing job. I can imagine that these weekly comics would have kept the punters on the edge of their seats anxiously awaiting the next installment as he ended every strip on somewhat of a nail-biting cliffhanger. You are left wondering how Ned and the boys are going to get out of the latest pickle or problem. The modern reader need only look to the right or turn the page to find out without having to wait! Those of us who have studied the Kelly story for many years generally know the outcome of the cliffhanger but for those who are new to the story (and this book should make for some renewed interest in Ned Kelly particularly among the young) will be tantalized.

All major aspects of the Kelly story are covered with barely any mistakes in fact. I found a few things, but those did not detract from the enjoyment of the story (such as what Red Kelly died from, George Metcalfe's wounding, also the strip has how Ned brought back money from his time with Power which clearly was not the case as all he brought back was an empty belly, a lot of dirt and a bad habit.) Also, a small handful of other things, one of which I bet that has Francis Hare turning over in his grave as he was not mentioned at all in the capture of Harry Power but instead Nicolson gets the full faith and credit. Again, none of this detracts from the enjoyment of this unparalleled series.

The comics surely entertain and educate and live up to Brian McDonald's assessment. In these panels there were sad moments, glad moments, worry, angst, heartbreak....the full gamut of emotions are run in these 146 episodes. I am still chuckling over the panel where Steve Hart, disguised as a woman, has to nervously ride past some police troopers. One of the troopers says aloud: "There's a pretty one." Steve Hart's thought bubble says "To think that I've been fancied by a trap." Good stuff! And fun!

At the end (and I did not want it to end!) there is a page with a Tribute to Monty Wedd which is a speech by Craig Baumann, MP, Member for Port Stephens, given to the NSW Parliament shortly after Monty's death in 2012.  He gives a glowing speech and there is some good detail in that about Monty's private military museum which sounds like a wonderful place to visit.

I am hoping that everyone can get a copy of this long-awaited book. I am wondering if the publishers are maybe planning on more of a budget version for those who might not be able to comfortably afford this deluxe hardback because this book should be on the book shelf of every Kelly fan in the land. This is a volume to treasure!

http://www.comicoz.com/store/p4/NED_KELLY%2C_Narrated_and_Illustrated_by_MONTY_WEDD.html

I have also seen this on offer from the Angus and Robertson bookseller website and at ebay.