| Edward "Ned" Kelly was born at Beveridge, | | | | attacked by revolver wielding members of the |
| Victoria in January 1855, the son of an Irishman | | | | Kelly family including Ned, Dan and Ellen, and family |
| convicted and transported to Australia, and died | | | | friends Bricky Williamson and Bill Skillon, but |
| at the hangman's noose on 11 November 1880 at | | | | believing they would be unable to convince police |
| the Old Melbourne Gaol. He is Australia's most | | | | they went in to hiding and were later joined by |
| famous bushranger even today stirs emotions | | | | friends Joe Byrne and Steve Hart. |
| and rivalry between his descendants and | | | | The Kelly's were hiding out in the Wombat |
| opposers. | | | | Ranges north of Mansfield when a search party |
| While much of his bushranger life is well | | | | of four police officers, Sergeant Kennedy and |
| documented, it is often forgotten that as a young | | | | Constables McIntyre, Lonigan and Scanlon set up |
| boy he risked his life to save another boy, | | | | camp nearby. After a confrontation and shot out, |
| Richard Shelton, from drowning. He was awarded | | | | three of the police officers were killed and |
| with a green sash from the Shelton family and | | | | Constable McIntyre eventually escaped. They |
| wore it under his armour during his final | | | | Kelly Gang was now a wanted band of |
| showdown with police in 1880. Ned Kelly was at | | | | bushrangers and an 8000 pound reward was |
| early age accused of assaulting and robbing a | | | | placed on their heads on February 15 1879. The |
| Chinese pig farmer named Ah Fook and was | | | | Kelly Gang roamed the north eastern part of |
| detained for 10 days before being released. He | | | | Victoria robbing banks until a final violent |
| later met Isaiah 'Wild' Wright who had, unbeknown | | | | confrontation with police at Glenrowan. With all of |
| to Ned, stolen a horse from the Mansfield | | | | his Gang dead Kelly made a final stand. While his |
| postmaster. Wright asked Ned to look after the | | | | armour protected his upper body shots to his legs |
| horse and Ned was subsequently arrested for the | | | | eventually brought him to the ground and he was |
| theft and for assaulting police Constable Hall. Ned | | | | captured Ned Kelly survived to stand trial, and |
| served 3 years for the crime. | | | | was sentenced to death by the Irish-born judge |
| Soon after he was sent to prison his brothers | | | | Sir Redmond Barry. When Judge Barry uttered |
| Jim, then aged 12 and Dan, aged 10 where | | | | the words "May God have mercy on your soul", |
| arrested for riding a horse that belonged to a local | | | | Ned is reported to have replied "I will go a little |
| farmer. The boys spent a night in gaol before | | | | further than that, and say I will see you there |
| being released. Two years later Jim was arrested | | | | when I go". |
| for cattle-rustling. While he pleaded he did not | | | | He was hanged on 11 November at the Melbourne |
| know that some of the cattle did not belong to | | | | Gaol. Kelly's last words were "Such is life" though |
| his employer Tom Lloyd he still received a | | | | some newspapers reported them as "Ah well, I |
| five-year sentence. It was incident dubbed 'The | | | | suppose it has come to this. Such is life".Sir |
| Fitzpatrick Incident' that sent Dan and Ned Kelly | | | | Redmond Barry died of the effects of a |
| into hiding. The Kellys refuted the claims of | | | | carbuncle on his neck on 23 November 1880, |
| Constable Alexander Fitzpatrick that he was | | | | twelve days after Ned Kelly was hung. |