Beechworth
Weekend August 4th, 5th and 6th, 2006
Brad Webb
On Friday night, to kick start the
Inaugural Ned Kelly Beechworth Weekend, Paul O’Keefe organised
a meet and greet dinner at the Hibernian Hotel. This
favourite haunt of Joe Byrne was a great place to
catch up with about thirty of our closest friends.
With a few donations by Brendan Pearse, Eric and
Judy Douthie, and Ironoutlaw, there were plenty of
take home gifts including an abundance of Ned:
The Exhibition badges (which, by the end of the night,
came in handy for the Handsel and Gretel’s).
Coupled with tales of Ned, the beer and food were
a perfect mix. The night was so successful Paul and
I are considering putting in a request to the Indigo
Shire to make it part of their official events for
the 2007 Weekend. Staying in town afforded easy access
to the weekend’s events, as well as the chance
to savour the local produce, including the impressive
ales by Beechworth’s new brewery The Bridge
(the Australian Ale is a must try).
Saturday morning saw the Edward Kelly being escorted
from the Railway Station to the holding cells, much
to the awe of the many children lining his way. Afterwards
Beechworth Court House played host to Ian Jones,
who spoke to a sell out audience on The
Jerilderie Letter and how it came into his
(or more correctly Bronwyn Binns’) possession.
For well over one hundred years Ned’s 56-page
manifesto was secretly handed down from person to
person while still managing to remain intact, a truly
amazing feat. Considering it was constantly offered
to, and rejected by, the National and Victorian libraries
is a sad indictment on the value authorities place
on some of our national treasures. I shudder to think
that at any time during its “lost years” The
Jerilderie Letter could have been tossed into a fire!
Despite a million dollar price tag placed on the
Letter by an auction house, Binns decided a reinvigorated
State Library of Victoria was now worthy of hosting
this magnificent treasure. On their promise to archive,
catalogue, and present the document to the public,
Jones organised the hand over. Finally, more than
a century after his death, the world finally got
to read Ned Kelly’s
magnum opus.
After midday the Court House was once again the
focal point of the Weekend with a Talk on Ellen Kelly
and the Launch of the Women’s 125th Anniversary
Commemorative Quilt. Speakers included two of the
region’s better-known identities, Noelene Allen
and Noeleen Lloyd. The afternoon saw a Re-enactment
of Ned Kelly’s Preliminary Hearing and subsequent
Trial. It was here in August 1880 that Ned was brought
to Beechworth by special train to answer a charge
of murder. The impressive theatrics were scripted
by Ian Jones and played memorably by a host of local
identities fronted by Mr Gaunson played by ex-stage
coach driver Ian Sinclair. Our step back in time
afforded us the luxury of viewing an abridged version
of the Melbourne trial and the heated exchange between
Ned and his arch nemesis Redmond Barry.
What was clear as you left
the Court House was the massive bias Ned received
by the so-called justice system: Ned’s total legal aid budget was less
than a barristers daily wage; Kelly was refused an
extension to brief his new council; the Judge was
physically unfit to sit the case (Barry died a week
after Ned was hanged); Thomas McIntyre, the only
witness at Stringybark, constantly perjured himself;
when the Crown submitted the Jerilderie Letter as
evidence, the inexperienced Defence counsel Henry
Bindon appealed (rendering as inadmissible Ned’s
only chance of justifying his actions); by ruling
out self-defence, Judge Barry misdirected the jury.
In their rush to get the trial over and done with,
the Government’s list of faux pas was endless.
With pre-debate drinks at the Bourke Museum, the
night’s activities started early. While enjoying
refreshing ales with Paddy, I afforded myself a quick
glance at the current Ned Kelly exhibition, a pale
immitation compared to the magnificent event at the
Old Melbourne Gaol in 2002. It was then over to the
Town Hall for the Great Debate, with the topic: Ned
Kelly – An inappropriate hero for Australia,
where we were shown to our seats by the well oiled
Beechworth volunteers. These enthusiastic supporters
were a main contributor to the overall success of
the weekend. A personal hero of mine, Barry Jones,
chaired the Debate. I managed a quick meeting with
Mr Jones and presented him with a Jerilderie Letter
poster. While the topic of the debate was a little
obscure, I would’ve preferred the word icon
to hero, the opposing sides were well represented.
For the affirmative was ABC broadcaster Kathy Bedford
(who has an unhealthy affection for the Ablett family),
Victorian Police Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon,
and Julian Burnside QC. Representing the negative
was Ian Jones, Keith McMenomy (author of Ned
Kelly: The Authentic Illustrated History),
and John McQuilton (that forgetful Professor who
never replied to my request he write the foreword
to Australian Son).
After a brief introduction
by Barry Jones, Ian Jones spoke first and then
each side took turns at the lectern. Julian Burnside
was quick to point out similarities between Ned’s actions and those recently passed
Commonwealth laws regarding terrorism. Interesting
to note that Burnside was keen to stress we should
make our dislike of these measures known to our local
representatives. Coupled with his work with assylum
seekers, it was magnificent posturing and got him
a loud round of applause. However, I wonder what
Julian’s take on George Washington would be?
For surely Mr Washington’s actions in the
lead up to the War Of Independence was paramount
to terrorism. But of course, history is written
by the victors.
Barry Jones concluded the evening by popular vote
that saw a 70/30 return in favour of the Negative
Side. Ian Jones accepted the stainless steel Ned
trophy that I gather will spend four months on each
of the three Debaters mantle pieces. After the Debate
the VIP paying guests (and a sprinkling of freeloaders)
were invited back to the Tanswell’s Commercial
Hotel for drinks, eats and a chance to chat with
the celebrities. Having a chance for a one-on-one
was a great way to finish the night, with the likes
of Ian Jones and Bill Denheld keen to continue the
discussion. The Great Debate with its pre and post
hospitality showed what should be done to run a successful
evening. The VIP price of only $69 afforded a lot
more luxury than the now defunct Glenrowan Dinner.
It showed up a vast difference in event management,
generosity and client satisfaction. Enough said.
 Sunday dawned to another day of perfect weather.
While the Preliminary Hearing and Trial was again
re-enacted, the Court House was also the focal point
for music and dance as well as a chance to flog off
a few Kelly collectibles. While the life size Kelly
statues were impressive they were nothing compared
to the two-wheeled work of art parked on the lawn.
Legendary blacksmith Nick Hawtin’s Harley with
the appropriate number plate NDKLY is a piece of
machinery worth seeing (in fact we’re setting
up a new section on Ironoutlaw called Ned
On Wheels with Nick’s beast as the first feature). In
the afternoon Paul O’Keefe introduced a light
hearted bout staged between “Ned” and “Wild” which
fast forwarded through 20 rounds of “bruising” action
as a crowd of onlookers cheered and jeered the combatants.
While the “claret” was spilled in the
earlier exhibition round, these blokes huffed and
puffed to the amusement of the crowd. It was a fitting
way to end the weekend, and the kids loved it.
Further reading:
Ned Kelly still brings in dollars
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