From stamps
to movies to the opening of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Ned Kelly
has become one with the Australian psyche. He's had more written
about him than anyone else in Australian history. As our greatest folk
hero Ned Kelly has become one of the unsuspecting fathers of Australian
nationalism, and with each passing year Ned's myth grows stronger.
But was Ned Kelly just another crazed bushranger or a victim of the
system – a
desperate young man forced to shoot and steal to protect his own? Come
with us on a journey as we delve into stories from the past 150 plus
years and on the way discover for yourself the true history
of the Kelly Gang.
I've banged on about this nutbag Baxter for years. Everyone in the know reckons he is as crazy as a cut snake. The head he loves to cradle to sleep each night is not Ned Kelly's skull. Sure it has an EK etched into it's side but the initials stand for Ernest Knox, who was executed in 1894 for the shooting death of a jeweller's son during a bungled armed robbery. The real skull was stolen from the Old Melbourne Gaol back in 1978 as a university prank by a well known ex-Prime Minister's son. Trouble is he forgot to give it back. How Baxter got to keep this skull is weird enough, but it probably says more about the complete stupidity of the West Australian police (the Freddo Frog saga is proof enough) more than Baxter being a modern day Indiana Jones... [claimed ned kelly skull returned]
THE FURTHER TRAILS
OF NED KELLY
Captain
Jack Hoyle turns his attention to 19th century journalism and their uncanny ability to sensationalise and embellish. Something we're use to everyday but back then it was an art form. This time around we look at a piece titled Chit Chat about the Kellys. You'll be left wondering how the big mouth interviewee didn't end up with a lead pellet in his head... [the
further trials of ned kelly]
IRONOUTLAW GETS
ALL CULTURED LIKE
We
here at ironoutlaw.com invite
all those budding poets out there to put pen
to paper (or fingers to keyboards) and send
in your best pieces for our Poetry section.
The poet area has taken on a life of its own
with a number of scribes including Mollie
Schollum adding their words on a regular
basis. So, any more takers? [poetry]
KEEP YA POWDER DRY
Alan
Crichton likes to write, just take a look at
our Feedback section.
And seeing Alan's got so much to say ironoutlaw.com decided
to give him his own section. While I'm sure
he'll continue to fill up our feedback pages
he's now got somewhere else to 'Keep
Ya Powder Dry'. This month Alan walks between dream and reality down the paved roads of fools gold known as Siege Street, Glenrowan... [keep
ya powder dry]
FREE KELLY TOURS
AT THE STATE LIBRARY
While
it's always fun to watch the pigeons crap all
over the hanging Judge Redmond Barry's head
outside the State
Library of Victoria in Swanston Street,
apparently it's also worth a visit inside.
Seems not only is there lots of book to read
but Ironoutlaw.com's
very own (now that she's written a story for
us) Airi Repetti takes punters on a Kelly inspired
tour of the establishment. And best of all
it's free! For 2009, the tour time table is
every Tuesday and Thursday starting at 10.30am. [how
a finnish girl ended up as a kelly
tour guide]
Why
did Ned Kelly live
such a larger than life existence, one that has
enthralled millions of people over this past
century? Why didn't Ned just take what was dished
up? Live a poor, honest, harsh life and die a
broken man like thousands of other peasants throughout
time? Well, if Ned did we would never have heard
of him, nor spent countless hours debating his
legacy. It's time to read the facts of his life
and decide for yourself. But before you pass
judgement, remember you should never impose 21st
century sensibility onto harsh 19th century reality. [about
ned kelly]
BACK TO THE FUTURE
With
all this digging around what better way to bring
back the virtual past than a visit to the Internet
Archive WayBack Machine. Our site has impressions
dating back to August 17, 2001. So if you're
feeling a tad nostalgic but can't afford the
time to whip up a flux-converter simply click
the link below and relive the glory days. The
Internet Archive was founded with the express
aim to build an Internet library, with the purpose
of offering permanent access for researchers,
historians, and scholars to historical collections
that exist in digital format (like us). [wayback
machine]
HAVE YOUR SAY
Have
a question or opinion on Ned and the boys you
would like to share with the rest of us? Then
head over to our Feedback section
where you can send in your thoughts or read through
what's been said before. We also have a Feedback
Vault with an archive of thousands of letters
from the past ten years. There's enough words
here to keep you busy for the next few months... [feedback]
IT'S A LONG WAY
FROM TIPPERARY
All
the way from Ireland comes ironoutlaw.com's
own reporter Michele Eve who takes us on a
trip to Tipperary to
have a look into the roots of Ned Kelly's father
John 'Red' Kelly. In the process Ms Eve makes
an interesting discovery about the plans for
a new Ned Kelly tourist centre which sounds
disturbingly like the rubbish some folk back
in Australia are trying to push for poor old
Glenrowan. [it's
a long way from tipperary]
NED
KELLY ON YOU MYSPACE AND YOUTUBE
To
keep our readers entertained (we hope), occasionally
we source a Ned Kelly related MySpace or
YouTube clip.
So this time up click, sit back and enjoy a Channel Ten
report on the (now completed) archaeological dig on the
site of the Jones Inn, scene of the 1880 Siege of Glenrowan
(and marvel at the complete lack of understanding Gary
Dean shows when it comes to how fires 'breathe'). [nedtube]
TEACHING
HISTORY
While
not
everyone wants to read about Ned Kelly or the ANZAC's or
even The Great Depression, we hope they
want to learn something about
Australian History. Politicians from the now ex-Prime Minister
John Howard to a confused NSW Education Minister Carmel Tebbutt
have jumped on the teaching history bandwagon. But at what
cost? From Right Wing Liberals
(remember them?) to the multitude of State Governments, seems
everyone has an agenda. We'd like to let the readers decide
what is worth learning. Here at ironoutlaw.com we
present the facts, the fiction and everything in between. It
all adds to the experience and hopefully makes History an exciting
place to be (and it needn't always be written by the victors).
[site map]
GO SHOPPING
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tees are built to last.
