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Countless
books, novels, periodicals, journals, and whatever
have been written on Ned and his Kelly Gang. Why,
who, when, where, whatever. As long as it made a
buck for the author, which nearly all invariably
have thanks to Australia and the rest of the world's
thirst for Kelly trivia. Below is a selection of
Kelly related books, some good and some bad, that
I have had the pleasure (or displeasure) to review.
If you feel I have treated a book too harshly or
not harshly enough send in your Feedback and
I will add it to the review. The rating system is
quite simple, the more Ned's shown, the more impressive
the book, with 5 Ned's being the ultimate. To keep
load times to a minimum I have split the Book section
into three areas — Non Fiction, Fiction,
and Reference.
 In
books old and new, in old documents and official
reports, in the stained files of newspapers,
in the dumb evidence of trees and rocks and old
buildings, in the quavering voices and still
bright eyes of old folk who knew them, but are
soon to die, I have read something. Sometimes
I felt I had moments of insight into the enigma
of their leader who has been described as low
thief and murderer, and again as “the father
of our national courage — our General — our
King — whose mystical presence is still
growing about us, never to die.
viii. Max Brown Australian Son
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Matthew
Brady & Ned Kelly
Kindred Spirits, Kindred Souls
Paul
Williams
First published 2007 by
Arcadia
...The
signal was given, the drop fell. So
ended a bushranging career that had
spanned the best part of two years.
This man had left his mark, becoming
a legend in his own time; a notorious
bushranger who bailed up towns, with
huge bounties placed on his head. Renowned
for his support of the underdog, he
had won a ground swell of supporters.
Women who fell into his hands as captives
had spoken of his chivalrous conduct,
but if he had ever experienced the
intimate love of a woman in his life,
it is unknown. A traitor had been executed
two days before he fought his last
stand, where bullet wounds to the leg
led to his final capture, trial, and
sentence to hang. This hanging took
place in 1826 in Hobart Town... Published
by Australian Scholarly Publishing,
Matthew
Brady & Ned Kelly: Kindred
Spirits, Kindred Lives cleverly
intertwines the lives of these two
men who shared far more than their
Irish ancestry.
[excerpts] |
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Ned
Kelly's Last Days
Setting the Record Straight on the Death
of an Outlaw
Alex
C. Castles
First published 2005 by
Allen & Unwin
Review by Paul
O’Keefe
Alex
Castle, an Emeritus Professor of Law,
taught at Adelaide University for over
30 years. With his book near completion,
he died in December 2003. It was finished
by his daughter Jennifer and released
in July 2005. The book offers an important
insight into a part of the Kelly Story
least dealt with — the 137 days
from Ned’s capture at Glenrowan,
his trial to his eventual hanging. It
shows a corrupt Government, an equally
corrupt Police Force and the relentless
propaganda from a press baying for Ned’s
death, sooner rather than later. Castles
argues the Felons Apprehension Act had
expired prior to the events at Glenrowan
and that Ned could no longer be treated
as an outlaw.
This is not a new revelation.
In 1929, author J.J Kenneally in The
Inner History of the Kelly Gang discovered
this loophole and reported his findings
to family members. Castles’ book
relies heavily on the unpublished memoirs
of Thomas McIntyre, the surviving member
of the police party at Stringybark Creek.
McIntyre, who was self obsessed with
saving face, changed his sworn statements
on Stringybark so many times he actually
perjured himself. Castle, however, fails
to mention this in his findings.
The
book also rehashes the claim that Ned
Kelly’s “fiancee” was
his infatuated first cousin — the
just 15 year old Kate Lloyd (he cites
the hearsay of a publican’s wife’s
conversation to a Melbourne reporter!).
Within my family’s oral tradition
this relationship is untrue. Simply put,
the union between Ned and his first cousin
did not occur. This
book is neither pro Police nor pro Kelly.
However, Castles does portray Ned’s
eldest sister Maggie as a true heroine — someone
who tried in vain to help her condemned
brother while keeping her family together
against enormous odds (despite the numerous
obstacles the Government and Police put
in her way). I’m glad the book
reflects this chapter in the Kelly story.
Castles
does highlight the atrocious way the
Siege was handled from the quick disposal
of the corpses (of Steve Hart, Dan Kelly,
and Joe Byrne), to Ned’s trial
and his subsequent hanging (and the blatant
cover-ups by the Police and Government
to save their own careers). However,
his book is also full of numerous factual
errors (including Castles claim Ned was
28 years of age when he walked the scaffold).
Some of h | | | | |
