Kelly’s Coming...
The Jerilderie Letter by Ned Kelly
Performed by Peter Finlay and Malcolm Hill
Directed by Lloyd Jones
BRIGHTSPACE for the 2008 St Kilda Festival
February 6th to 16th, 2008

“Remarkable. . . mesmerising” Alison Croggon, The Australian
theatrenotes.blogspot.com
“Hypnotic. . . electrifying” Chris Boyd, Melbourne Herald-Sun
chrisboyd.blogspot.com

The Jerilderie Letter was written by Ned Kelly in 1879 but suppressed for eighty years... The Jerilderie Letter by Ned Kelly, a fundamental document of Australian culture, has never been inhabited by an actor or put to music - until now. Frustrated at having his side of the story of his outlawing not being heard by the public, Ned Kelly wrote a defence of his actions which has become known as The Jerilderie Letter. He boldly took over Jerilderie in NSW in a failed attempt to have it published. Some say he had it strapped to his body in case he was killed delivering it...

Devised and performed by Peter Finlay with music by Malcolm Hill and directed by Lloyd Jones, The Jerilderie Letter by Ned Kelly debuted at the 2007 Melbourne Fringe Festival at La Mama. Since then it has toured country Victoria. The Herald Sun's Chris Boyd wrote:

In Lloyd Jones production, Kelly's shaved, white, severed head - a death mask on a plinth -- does the talking. Peter Finlay is the actor. And what a mighty, controlled, hypnotic recitation he gives! Malcolm Hill's musical contribution -- voice and acoustic guitar -- is electrifying. He's like a rampaging, howling dervish.

Peter Finlay has been at the forefront of Australian theatre over the last 20 years. Having performed with Red Shed, Anthill, Pram Factory and La Mama. Singer/guitarist Malcolm Hill (the subject of the film The Last of The Wild Bohemians) has been described as a 'idiosyncratic rock n roll troubador' and applied his original music to theatre, film and rock n roll stages all around Australia.

Performance details
Wednesday 6th February to Saturday 9th February from 8.30 pm
Wednesday 13th February to Saturday 16th February from 8.30 pm

Tickets
Adults $20 and Concessions $10

Bookings
Telephone 03 9593 9366 or email tickets@brightspace.com.au

Opening Night
Wednesday 6th February (8pm drinks for a 8.30pm start)
Special Introduction by guest raconteur and Australian musical outlaw Dave Graney

Address
BRIGHTSPACE Contemporary Arts Venue
(Gallery Hours 12pm to 6pm Wednesday to Saturday & 1pm to 5pm Sunday)
Level 1, 8 Martin Street
St Kilda Victoria 3182
(03) 9593 9366

For Sale. A piece of Australian History
Ned Kelly's famous Avenel landmark is up for auction

The Avenel Coach House, once home to Richard Shelton who was rescued from the flooded Hughes Creek by a young Ned Kelly on his way to school, is looking for a new owner. It was Shelton’s parents, Esau and Margaret, who presented Ned with a fine green silk sash which he wore at the Siege of Glenrowan.

Located on the Old Hume Highway at Avenel, the building, built around 1847, was once used as a stopover by Cobb & Co. Needless to say it is full of history and carries a National Trust Classification, which apparently means little these days!

With five bedrooms and one bathroom, the sale of this former Royal Mail Hotel also includes the original Mangalore signal box and various outbuildings. The Estate Agents say it has huge tourist attraction potential, then again they are trying to sell Lots 1 and 2, 26 Henry Street, Avenel for $395,000.

Goodbye to one of the last links to the Kelly era

SHELTON Alfred Britton (Brit)
Much loved, last remaining child of Richard John Shelton and Elizabeth Jane Skinner, predeceasing 11 siblings, late of Avenel. Brit passed gently on Friday, February 2 2007, aged 92 years. Educated at Brighton Grammar. Deeply devoted husband to Audrey Sykes Lyons who he now joins with gladness. Australia's last direct link, to a young Ned Kelly's heroic and gallant Act, wherein in 1865 Ned pulled Britton's drowning father from Hughes Creek, Avenel and hence saved the Shelton lineage. He loved electricity, Warwick LePage, his cats and a coffee with friends at the Theatre Royal. Rest In Peace

Ellen Kelly returns to the Old Melbourne Gaol
or the staging of the new Australian play, Quilting the Armour

As a prisoner herself, Ellen stood in that prison’s laundry as her son Ned Kelly was hanged on 11 November 1880. Through the medium of this play, Ellen’s anguished but defiant voice will be heard – as she tells of the injustices that led to one of the best known events in Australian history.

Quilting the Armour, is about the courage and suffering of the many women affected by the Kelly gang, from Ned’s family, his mother and sisters, to the murdered policemen’s wives. Hearing the story through the Kelly women is a powerful means of completing the picture of what happened to the families and why grief, controversy and conflict over the Kelly outbreak still remains in the communities of the northeast.

The play will be directed by Rodney Hall, well known Director and Miles Franklin Award winning author. Having directed the play last year for the anniversary of the Siege of Glenrowan, Rodney looks forward to this production:

The atmosphere in the prison, the challenge of the narrow performance space and, most of all, the fact that this is where Ned Kelly was executed and where his mother was imprisoned, gives the whole production a special power and authenticity. With our fine cast, we are assured of a moving and lasting impact.

Debra Lawrence, well known for her television and film career, leads a superb cast, and is keen to further develop her role as the enigmatic matriarch of the Kelly clan. Having played Maggie Kelly in the television series, The Last Outlaw, Debra is deeply absorbed in Quilting the Armour and the actual historical events. Her great grandfather, William Elliott, was the school teacher who held the bag in the Jerilderie Bank into which Ned emptied the contents of the safe. Debra is passionate about this play because it tells the women’s story at last.

Ned’s courageous sister, Maggie Kelly, is to be played in this production by talented Koorie actor, Melodie Reynolds. Melodie is thrilled to take an all-too-rare mainstream role. Aboriginal actors are often type cast in negative roles and have few opportunities to develop broader profiles.

The Old Melbourne Gaol is an extraordinary and evocative place for the performance. Its gloomy corridors and claustrophobic cells, the grim history of incarceration and barbaric punishments, the death mask displays, and the knowledge that Ned Kelly was executed on its gallows, sends a shiver along the visitor’s spine. Quilting the Armour is not another Kelly Gang yarn; it is a powerful and poignant feminine perspective of how events in the 1880s affected the women and communities of the northeast.

Quilting the Armour
A new Australian play by Brenda Addie, Jeannie Haughton and Rosemary Johns at
The Old Melbourne Goal, 1 to 12 November 2006

Contacts:             
Debra Lawrance 9844 3964 creatingadrama@bigpond.com
Helen Morris 0412 210 761 helenpmorris@optusnet.com.au
Jeannie Haughton 0438 222 138 haughton@dcsi.net.au

Further reading :             
Quiting The Armour PDF

Book Launch: 50 Neds

Renowned Ned Kelly expert Ian Jones recently launched the new book 50 NEDS. Ned Kelly: Icon of Australian Art by Maree Coote at Melbournestyle in South Melbourne.

The book, a compact little tome, beautifully printed and presented, includes an overview of the imaging of Ned Kelly during the past 120 years, and features 50 original artworks by this Melbourne writer and artist, each portrait reinventing Australia's most famous bushranger.

Jones had just returned from Ireland in the nick of time to launch the work at an exhibition of artworks from the series, which is on display at melbournestyle. There he imparted his wisdom on the cult of the bushranger, and said of the new book that Maree has 'had fun with the legend, as Ned himself had fun', and welcomed the playful spirit of the book.

Maree Coote is the author of The Melbourne Book - A History of Now, and also creator of children's Australiana picture book titles including The Black Pot Belly. Her work is eclectic and bright in whatever form it takes - always focussed on a finely honed sense of place and a love of local history.

'I want to make Australia's - and in particular Melbourne's - stories come alive for people today', says Coote. 'Too many of our true and remarkable stories are taken for granted or forgotten. I reject globalisation and the homogeneity it brings. I aim to celebrate Melbourne’s individual dignity, its cultural distinction and local eccentricity. From Buckley and Swanston to Germaine and Dame Edna, we are a marvellously unique mob, and our stories and heroes are authentic, eccentric, unforgettable."

50 Neds is beautifully bound in black saifu cloth with silver embossing detail and dust jacket.

11 November 2006
Book Launch: Ned Kelly The Times Of His Life
ISBN 0-646-260-188

Kelvyn Gill has been working on this book for 35 years and on Saturday, 11th November at 7:30 pm at the Celtic Club, 320 Queen Street, Melbourne he finally releases it to the public. "It uses extensive transcriptions of official documents, reports, newspaper articles and Royal Commission material to provide a detailed day-by-day account of the Kelly period and the years after 1880 during which the legacy of the Kelly saga affected the lives of many people. The most extensive list ever produced of the people drawn into the Kelly saga is included as is much material never before published. The book will provide a significant reference for future researchers and historians. This fantastic new insight into Australian History highlights the roles many different new settlers played, in law making, policing, transport, engineering, lifestyle and so many other ways."

Download the Times Of His Life content list
Pre order the Times Of His Life from the Celtic Club

14 September 2006
Book Launch: Bound For Judgement
ISBN 1-4276-0710-9

Released on September 14, 2006 and aimed squarely at the early teens, author Alan Crichton hopes his book of verse on Ned will spark an interest for young readers culminating in a need to seek further his real life story.

"Bound For Judgement is a collection of poetic verse based on the remarkable life of Ned Kelly, from the arrival of his father John "Red" Kelly as a convict sent from Ireland for the theft of two pigs, to the moment Ned dropped from the gallows for the crime of murder. The book contains twenty four events put to verse, that made this remarkable man an Australian icon. The names of people and places have been omitted in hope that after reading Bounds For Judgement, you will have a need to read one of the many in depth books about this man's life and judge him for yourself."

For more information email A. D. Crichton.

26 and 27 June 2004
Ned Kelly: Behind The Mask
A legendary weekend of drama, debate, revelry and robust reds!

On the 26th and 27th June 2004, the historic winery, Baileys of Glenrowan, will provide an authentic 1880s setting for the 124th anniversary weekend of the famous bushranger's siege. A dazzling kaleidoscope of multi-media portrayals, dramatisations, Irish music, dance and story-telling, will burst onto the public stage in a lively, informative and unforgettable way, with Kelly “the man and the legend” as the star. Organised by the Rural City of Wangaratta in conjunction with Glenrowan Improvers, the weekend pays tribute to Glenrowan’s role in the north-east as the keeping place of the Kelly Legend.

Program
Saturday evening:
Against a backdrop of the Warby Ranges where Kelly once roamed, Baileys historic candle-lit cellar door will provide a chilling atmosphere for Ashley Davies’ evocative production of Ned Kelly - a raw, stripped back musical re-telling of a story that many Australians think they know. Backed by a six-piece band, Davies combines music, images, text and narration by Ian Jones (Kelly expert and author), to create a moving, powerful and true account of the Kelly story. Just like that fateful night in June 1880, where the wit, drink and music flowed, before the final showdown, the evening will roll into good craic at Ann Jones Inn. The pick of Glenrowan wine region's full-bodied reds and fragrant whites will be matched to hearty 'home-grown' dishes and Baileys wines by the glass or bottle, can be purchased from the bar.

Sunday lunch:
A winter's morning of drama, debate and robust reds in the warm ambience of Baileys Wine Room, will be a feature of Sunday's program. Former chief justice of Victoria and Ned Kelly expert and author, John Harber Phillips will perform his dramatic and gripping piece, An Irish Tragedy. A “winter-warmer soup and damper” lunch, all washed down with Baileys award-winning wines, will follow. Guests can then join Kelly experts, John Harber Phillips and Ian Jones, to chew the fat about the political Kelly and other matters.

Pricing:
Saturday: Tickets priced at $65.00 per person — includes welcome drinks, performance, dinner, dinner wine and “Irish meets funk” music and dance.
Sunday: Tickets priced at $25.00 per person — includes performance, lunch and glass of wine.

Bookings:
For ticket bookings and enquiries email nemeet@dragnet.com.au or call The Centre on 03 5721 0200. For accommodation packages call the Wangaratta Visitor Information Centre on 1800 801 065.

Other Highlights
Art in a glass
The talented and passionate winemakers from Baileys of Glenrowan, will conduct a free wine tasting, focusing on the characteristics of premium Red wines and the art of blending including an informal tasting of the current Baileys portfolio.
When: 1.30 to 2.30pm, Sunday 27 June
Where: The Wine Room, Baileys of Glenrowan
Bookings: essential, call The Centre on 03 5721 0200

Kelly Kapers for Kids
Ned Kelly would not have approved of an adults-only program, so some exciting and entertaining activities have been organised for the kids (aged 5 to 12 years) while parents get their cultural fix on Sunday morning. Story-telling sessions, games, role-playing, dress-ups and mask-making workshops will keep little hands and feet busy!
When: 11am-1pm Sunday 27 June
Where: Baileys of Glenrowan
Cost: $5 per child (includes a bushranger BBQ)
Bookings: essential, call The Centre on 03 5721 0200

Tour Kelly Country
Feel the spirit of Ned Kelly on the siege site at Glenrowan, in the Beechworth Courthouse, the Benalla Cemetery and many other significant Kelly sites in the northeast, on a guided tour of Kelly country.
When: Tour departs Saturday 26 June.
Cost: $80 (includes morning tea and lunch)
Bookings: essential, call The Centre on 03 5721 0200

Baileys of Glenrowan
The winery will be open for normal cellar-door activities and visitors can enjoy a memorable glimpse into the past viewing the heritage museum, museum of ancient farming and winemaking equipment, blacksmiths forge and stone Clydesdale stables. Folklore has it that Ned Kelly worked as a fencing contractor for the Bailey family, at the time they were planting their first grapevines.

28 November 2003
Outlawed!
The National Museum in Canberra

While the exhibition features items and memorabilia from minor celebrities like Robin Hood and Jesse James, from a Kelly Gang angle, Outlawed! will also include the armour worn by Joe Byrne at Glenrowan and one of the Colt revolvers used by Ned Kelly during the last stand. The exhibition will then tour Australia after it’s run in the nation’s capital.

For further information contact 02 6208 5338
source: nma.gov.au/aboutus/media/media_kit/outlawed

11 November 2003
Besieged — The Ned Kelly Story
The Australian Centre for the Moving Image
Federation Square, Melbourne at 7.30pm

Directors
Gregory Miller
Barrie Dowdall
Producers
Barrie Dowdall
Gregory Miller
Narration
Chris Haywood
And featuring
Peter Fenton
Appearing
Ian Jones: author and historian
Keith McMenomy: author and historian
Siobhan McHugh: author and broadcaster
Ellen Hollow: direct Kelly descendent
Roma Crotty: direct Kelly descendent
An Australian/Irish International Co-Production
Length 52 mins, colour Digital Video, Stereo, M&E

Filmed in the North-East Region of Victoria, Kelly Country. Australian outlaw Ned Kelly's life has been the subject of many films including the Tony Richardson film starring Mick Jagger, and more recently the Heath Ledger film also staring Geoffrey Rush to be released soon in the UK and North America. Ned Kelly's exploits are soon to be well known, and they raise the question was he an outlaw, a freedom fighter or a murdering terrorist? This documentary sets out to examine these issues and to tell the historically accurate story of Ned Kelly.

Ian Jones is one of the most authoritative researchers and writers on the subject of Ned Kelly and was the producer of the television series The Last Outlaw as well as co-writing the film Ned Kelly which starred Mick Jagger.

Keith McMenomy is the author of Ned Kelly: The Authentic Illustrated History which is the most extensive pictorial record of Ned Kelly and the times in which he lived. Both these historians provide critical insights into what it is about Ned Kelly that is so fascinating to a contemporary audience.

Ellen Hollow and Roma Crotty are direct descendants of the Kelly family. Roma still lives in what remains of Greta, the small town in which the Kellys lived and where many of the incidents in the story took place.

This film shows how poor social conditions, combined with harsh treatment meted out by the authorities, and a growing sense of nationhood in Australia, led Ned Kelly to develop the persona of a rebel or as he put it "Forced Outlaw". It gave him the determination to strike back at the authorities he saw as corrupt and unfair. The film shows how Kelly consciously created his own image and how he found a ready and eager public who supported him. It is little wonder then that he has become the folk hero and cultural icon that he is today. His charisma and exploits have inspired both awe, and fury. This new documentary traces Kellys life; his Irish parents, his harsh and poverty stricken childhood, his crimes and struggles and the rise of the peoples hero, willing to answer back to often corrupt authorities. The film also explores the legacy of the Kellys, the effects on generations of Kelly descendants who have, until now been unwilling to talk about what it has meant to be a Kelly, because of the way their lives have been affected by the tragedy of the Kelly outbreak of 1879-80.

“If you tried to create an Australian folk hero, and a frontier folk hero, you would end up synthesizing a Ned Kelly. But you would never dare go as far as Ned Kelly did in creating Ned Kelly.”
Ian Jones, author and historian

“He loomed larger than Robin Hood for me. He was someone who was an Australian and an Irishman who stood against the forces of oppression.”
Pat Dodson Aboriginal Leader

The rise of terrorism in our world, and on the other hand the persistence of social liberation movements and the ambiguous area between, highlights the most persistent question, “what is the right way to respond to a corrupt government, oppression and injustice? People have this lofty idea that he should have gone along with British justice. Well British justice means different things to different people. To the Irish it isn't as high minded a concept as it might be to the English.”
Siobhan McHugh, author and broadcaster

“Not everyone in the north-eastern district was sympathetic to the Kelly's. Many people were strongly opposed to them and would've dobbed them in as they say.”
Keith McMenomy, author and historian

“I know my uncle always said that Fitzpatrick would never have gone to the house if he knew Ned was there. He had certainly been pursuing Kate. Whether Kate had given him any encouragement, I don't know.”
Ellen Hollow, direct Kelly descendant

Synopsis
Ned Kelly has become one of Australia's great Icons. But he has divided the country, usually along class lines, as to whether he was a rebel who stood up to the corrupt and vicious British government, or a murderer and thief. When Europeans came to Australia at the beginning of the colony's history (whether by choice or as convicts) they creating a colony, one founded on cruelty and convict labour, where the power structure of England was transported along with the poor convicts, and settlers. Ned Kelly inherited the status of the poor and downtrodden but also the culture of Irish rebellion towards the English rulers. He kicked back at the authorities and in so doing became a hero to the poor and anyone who hated the English. The Gang held up the bank at Euroa. This was followed by an audacious raid on the town of Jerilderie that further humiliated the authorities who over the next 18 months had no luck in capturing the outlaws. The reward was increased to 8,000 pounds, the equivalent today of several million dollars.

Sympathizers of the gang were systematically rounded up and jailed and held without trial for up to four months. Newspapers of the day carried stories of the latest exploits of the gang. The myth making had begun. The siege at Glenrowan took place in 1880 and led to the death of Dan Kelly, Joe Byrne, and Steve Hart. Ned Kelly wearing his now famous armour attacked the police positions and was shot many times but survived his wounds. After a short trial, Ned Kelly was convicted of murdering Police Constable Lonigan at Stringybark Creek and despite large public rallies seeking clemency he was hanged at the Old Melbourne Jail on the 11th November 1880. He was 25 years old.

September 2003
Albury to Paint the Town Ned
Presented by the Albury Regional Art Gallery, the program for Albury's exciting Paint the Town Ned program is as follows:

Exhibition Opening
Brian Kennedy, Director of the National Gallery of Australia, will open this spectacular exhibition of Sidney Nolan’s "Ned Kelly Series". This collection of paintings produced in 1946 – 47 have an important place in Australia’s cultural heritage and are currently on tour to celebrate the National Gallery of Australia’s 20 th Anniversary. This is a unique opportunity to see these works here in Albury Wodonga.
DATE Friday 5 September
TIME 6.30pm
VENUE Albury Regional Art Gallery
COST Free
By invitation

Exhibition Floor Talk
Brian Kennedy, Director of the National Gallery of Australia, will give an insight into this important series of paintings by Sidney Nolan. You will hear a new perspective that will uncover the many different layers of meaning in the work of Sidney Nolan.
DATE Saturday 6 September
TIME 10.00am
VENUE Albury Regional Art Gallery
COST Free

Art History Seminar
In conjunction with La Trobe University
An engaging seminar presented by speaker Dr Richard Haese, Senior Lecturer Art History. Come along to hear a discussion of Nolan’s Ned Kelly series within the wider framework of 20 th Century Modernist Art, including aspects of Nolan’s relationship with John and Sunday Reid at Heidi and the development of the Kelly theme within his work.
DATE Monday 6 October
TIME 6pm
VENUE Albury Regional Art Gallery
COST Free

Mythical Vision
Artists’ drawing workshop
Local artists are invited to take part in this unique event. Taking inspiration from the works of Sydney Nolan, this drawing session at the Gallery will provide a variety of subjects on a rotating circuit including "Kate Kelly rides again" - with LIVE HORSE and "Leda & the Swan" – life model with props
DATE Sunday 28 September
TIME 1.00 - 4.00pm
VENUE Albury Regional Art Gallery
COST $25/$20 Friends/concession
BYO dry materials only
BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL on 6051 3480
Limited places available.
 
En Armoured
Children’s Sculptural Armour Workshop
If you are 9 – 14 years old come along to work with artist Susi Losch. Produce your own sculptural body armour using a range of interesting materials drawing inspiration from the history of armour, including Medieval European Knights, Japanese Samurai and Australia’s famous Ned Kelly suit, plus that of popular culture such as Xena Warrior Princess and Star Wars.
DATE Tuesday Sept 30
TIME 10-12.30pm
VENUE Albury Regional Art Gallery
COST $12.00
9-14 year olds
Max 10 participants
BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL on 6051 3480
Limited places available

PRESENTED BY ALBURY CENTRAL
A Vision SplendNed
Albury Central traders join in the fun to compete for the best-dressed window. Wander the streets and shops of Albury to see our trader’s interpretation of Sidney Nolan and the Ned Kelly theme. Winners of the competition will be announced at the Gala Dinner, Albury Central Service Awards, Friday 12 th September.
DATE September 5 th – October 12th
TIME All hours
VENUE The streets of Albury
COST Free

PRESENTED BY ALBURY REGIONAL MUSEUM
The Men and their Myths
A fascinating talk by Ned Kelly expert Ian Jones, author of "Ned Kelly - a short life" and "The Fatal Friendship: Ned Kelly, Aaron Sherritt & Joe Byrne and Co".
DATE Sunday 28th September
TIME 11am - 12.30pm
VENUE Albury Regional Museum, Wodonga Place, Albury NSW
COST Gold coin donation
Bookings on 6051 3450

Ned Kelly's Armour
Visit the museum to see the Kelly gangs armour. Amazing pieces of home engineering which needs to be seen to be believed.
DATE 8 th August - 28 September 2003
TIME 10.30am – 4.30pm 7 days
VENUE Albury Regional Museum, Wodonga Place, Albury NSW
COST Free Entry

The Notorious Mrs Kelly
Come along to hear about Ellen Kelly, Ned’s mother, a colourful character who made her mark on Australian history.
DATE Sunday 5th October
TIME 1.30pm - 3.00pm
VENUE Albury Regional Museum, Wodonga Place, Albury NSW
COST Gold coin donation
BOOKINGS on 6051 3450

PRESENTED BY MURRAY CONSERVATORIUM
Dead Man Talking
The inimitable George Dreyfus, a truly Australian composer if ever there was one, will be joined by Jane Rayner, Bohdan Krowicky and Peter Lynch for a performance of the Ned Kelly Ballads. As well, 'Voices of the Murray', the Conservatorium's youth choir, will perform folk songs from the era, including a number of Dreyfus arrangements. Conducted by Bronwyn Powell, these young voices will bring to life many of the legends of Kelly and his mates
DATE Saturday 20 th September
TIME 7.30pm
VENUE Old Court House, Dean St, Albury
COST Gold coin donation
BOOKINGS on 6023 8768

PRESENTED BY ALBURY CITY PARKS AND RECREATION
Rehanging Ned
The trees in QEII square come alive with objects and images inspired by Australia’s myths and legends. This annual tree-dressing event continues to be a community favourite so make sure you visit QEII to see what our local schools and universities have dreamed up this year. Brian Kennedy, Director of the National Gallery of Australia, will officially launch the tree dressing.
DATE Official launch Saturday 6 th September. The display continues until 20 th September
TIME 9.30am
VENUE QEII Square
COST Free

PRESENTED BY ALBURY CITY LIBRARIES
Better off Read than Ned
City-wide bookclub
Peter Carey’s True History of the Kelly Gang is the featured book in Albury’s first city-wide bookclub. Join in and read this engaging novel as the community is taken over by Kelly fever. The bookclub will culminate in an entertaining evening of discussion, readings & storytelling.
DATE September 24
TIME 7pm
VENUE Albury City Library
COST Free
Contact Albury or Lavington Library for further details & copies of the book on 6041 6633

Book Display
A display of a range of books focusing on Sidney Nolan and the legend of Ned Kelly. Definitely worth a visit to the Library to discover just how many books have been published on this topic.
DATE September 5 – October 5
TIME 9am – 7pm Mon – Fri, 9am – 2pm Sat
VENUE Albury City Library
COST Free
 
Storytelling for Children
A local storyteller will present storytime sessions on Australian myths & legends. Specifically designed for preschoolers bring along your children and grand children and watch them be mesmerised by the stories that we have all grown up with. (
DATE Wednesday 1 October at 11am – Albury Library
Friday 3 October at 10.30am- Lavington Library
VENUE Albury & Lavington Libraries
COST Free

Ned inspired Holiday fun
Come and be involved in storytelling and interactive workshops based around theme of Ned Kelly and Australian mythology. This will be the place to be during the school holidays.
DATE Tuesday 30 th Sept 10.30 – 11.30am – Lavington Library
Thursday 2 nd October 10.30am – 11.30am – Albury Library
COST Free

PRESENTED BY THE NEIGHBOURHOOD YOUTH SERVICE
Break Out
If you are a young person living in West Albury, Thurgoona or Springdale Heights here is your opportunity to work with performing artist Jane Longhurst or sculptor Bruce Derrick to explore the theme of the exhibition even further. A whole new way of looking at the themes of the exhibition and a whole lot of fun.
DATE Monday 22 nd September – West Albury
Tuesday 23 rd September – Thurgoona
Thursday 25 th September – Springdale Heights
TIME 4.30pm – 6.30pm
COST $2 per workshop
BOOKINGS AND MORE INFORMATION on 6023 8751

PRESENTED BY ALBURY CONVENTION AND PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE
Caught on Film
An afternoon of fascinating films that explore the Ned Kelly Myth and the works of Sidney Nolan. The program includes the 1906 film The Story of the Kelly Gang, a film that delves into Sidney Nolan’s Kelly series Ned Kelly – The Making of the Myth plus a couple of other short films that are sure to surprise and impress
DATE Saturday 11 th & Sunday 12 th October
TIME 2pm
VENUE Albury Convention and Performing Arts Centre
COST $10 Adult, $8 Pensioners, $5 Children
Bookings on 6041 4288

27 to 29 June 2003
Kelly Siege Commemorative Weekend
Siege Street, Glenrowan

Friday June 27
7.30pm
Cast and crew screening of Besieged: The Ned Kelly Story followed by a hot supper with the actors and film makers. Adults $20.00 Concession $12.00

Saturday June 28
9.00am — 3.00pm
Join the Kelly Tour to significant sites around Kelly Country with expert commentary including morning tea and lunch along the way. $75.00 all inclusive
7.00pm
Ian Jones provides a unique insight into the Kelly Story at the third annual Glenrowan Siege Dinner. The entertainment will also include Pete Denaghy on the eve of his Irish tour, and The Greta Mob. A three course dinner featuring fabulous regional food and wine, along with the display of Joe Byrne's armour will make the evening one to remember. $90.00 all inclusive

Sunday June 20
8.30am
The morning after the night before Glenrowan Community Breakfast at the Siege site. Further information nemeet@dragnet.com.au or 03 5725 7346

30 January to 03 February 2003
Iron Helmets, Smoking Guns:
The making of the Australian bushranger myth

Ranging from screen classics to popular releases and bizarre shorts, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image’s Iron Helmets, Smoking Guns: the making of the Australian bushranger myth cinema program explores the cultural significance of the bushranger genre and its role in mythologising the Australian bush bandit. The most notorious figure of the nations historical landscape, the Australian bush bandit has been smoking up the screen from the silent films of the early 1900s to contemporary Australian shorts and features. Celluloid incarnations of the Bushranger — from doomed hero of the silent era to pop icon of the 21st Century — have charted Australia’s relationship with this classic anti-hero.

Curated by Natasha Gadd, Iron Helmets, Smoking Guns: the making of the Australian bushranger myth traces the history of the representation of the bushranger. The initial depiction of the bushranger as victim of an oppressive and unjust authoritarian regime resulted in a censorship ban in 1912 — an act that has impacted on the anti-authoritarian sensibilities and political subtexts of later bushranger narratives. Throughout the twentieth century numerous local and international films have been produced that have continued to perpetuate the myth of this iconic Australian legend.

Stringybark Massacre MA
Director: Gary Shead, Australia 1960
7pm Thursday 30 January (with Captain Thunderbolt)
Garry Shead’s avante-guard filmmaking techniques result in a stylish re-creation of the murder of three police officers at Stringybark, Victoria by Australian bush outlaw, Ned Kelly.

Captain Thunderbolt G
Director: Cecil Holmes, Australia 1953
7pm Thursday 30 January (with Stringybark Massacre)
Cecil Holmes’ tale of real-life bushranger Fred Ward (Grant Taylor) was heralded upon its release as stylistically progressive and politically charged; a claim that still holds currency. Holmes’ expressionistic style, an homage to legendary Russian director Sergei Eisenstein, and sophisticated narrative result in an inventive telling of class struggles in colonial Australia.

Ned Kelly MA
Director: Tim Burstall, Australia 1960
7pm Friday 31 January
This superbly crafted short film explores the legend of Australian bushranger, Ned Kelly, through the modernist paintings of internationally acclaimed Australian artist Sidney Nolan and an accompanying bush ballad.

Ned Kelly (Ned Kelly – Outlaw) PG
Director: Tony Richardson, UK 1970 99mins 35mm
7pm Friday 31 January
“Such is Life”, the infamous final words of legendary Australian outlaw Ned Kelly, set the tone for Richardson’s folkloric bushranger tale starring the Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger. Ned Kelly is a retelling of the ill-fated story of Australia’s most notorious band of bushrangers. Set in the broader political context of British colonialism in late nineteenth century Australia, Richardson’s Kelly is a downtrodden Irish Catholic forced into thievery and violence by corrupt British authorities. Gerry Fishers’ superb cinematography captures the menacing threat of the Australian bush country and reinforces the tragic fate that awaits this national hero.

The Glenrowan Affair G
Director: Rupert Kathner, Australia 1951
5pm Saturday 1 February
The Glenrowan Affair features the bushranging exploits of Ned Kelly and his “wild colonial boys” on their journey of treachery, violence, murder and terror. Told from the perspective of an aging Dan Kelly in present day Benalla, Kathner presents the narrative as a factual retelling despite his obvious embellishment of the Kelly myth. The production of the film generated more controversy than the film itself due to creative fallouts between Kathner and the film’s original director, Harry Southwell (The Kelly Gang 1920, When the Kelly’s Were Out 1923, When the Kelly’s Rode 1934) and the casting of local football hero, Bob Chitty as Ned Kelly.

Mad Dog Morgan M
Director: Philippe Mora, USA 1976
7pm Saturday 1 February
Philippe Mora’s haunting account of the pursuit and capture of legendary bushranger, Daniel Morgan, explores the psychological impact of colonialism on mid nineteenth century Australia. Morgan (Dennis Hopper), is a gold prospector driven to a life of bush banditry after being identified as a Chinese sympathiser during the massacre of the Chinese on the goldfields. Incarcerated for an armed bailup, Morgan is branded, tortured and raped by a system determined to bring about his demise. Mora’s representation of the colonial authorities – the sadistic Cobham (Frank Thring), vengeful Manwaring (Jack Thompson) and corrupt Judge Barry (Peter Collingwood) – depict a barbaric and brutal British administration. Despite his alliances with an Aboriginal man named Billy (David Gulpilil) and the local working class, Morgan becomes increasingly alienated from society fuelling his psychological unravelling and eventual demise.

A Stone in the Bush MA
Directors: Mick Glasheen, Martyn Sanderson, John Allen, Australia 1970
7pm Saturday 1 February
An experimental documentary on the making of Ned Kelly (1970) staring legendary rock musician Mick Jagger. Accompanied by an explosive soundtrack by the Rolling Stones.

Robbery Under Arms PG
With an original score performed live by the Ang Fang Quartet
Director: Kenneth Brampton, Australia 1920
3pm Sunday 2 February
Brampton’s screen adaptation of Rolf Boldrewood's novel restored the moral codes of good and evil and law and order that many early bushranger films attempted to disrupt. Robbery Under Arms follows the Marsden Brothers (Roland Conway and Cliff Pyatt) on their descent into crime and lawlessness with notorious bush maverick, Captain Starlight (Kenneth Brampton). Succumbing to the allure of bush banditry, the brothers leave their life of domestic order for cattle raids, stagecoach robberies and gold prospecting only to find themselves imprisoned for their outlaw ways. In a move to allude the censors, the film ends with the redemption of the brothers via their return to society and their childhood sweethearts.

Reckless Kelly PG
Director: Yahoo Serious, Australia, 1993
5pm Sunday 2 February
Yahoo Serious’ satirical take on the Australian bushranger myth places Ned Kelly (Yahoo Serious) in a contemporary setting as a new-age outlaw on a mission to save his homeland from international bank executive and cunning arch-nemesis, Sir John (Hugo Weaving). Subverting the stereotype of the gun-totting, cattle duffing and violent bushranger, Serious’ Kelly is an anti capitalist, environmentalist Republican. Reckless Kelly’s political undertones and historical references make this a “must for all students of Australian culture". — Adrian Martin, Film Critic.

Bush Westerns? The Lost Genre
Adult $9 Concession $6
7pm Monday 3 February
Presented by film historian, Bill Routt, Bush Westerns will examine the codes and conventions of the lost genre of bushranging films that dominated the Australian film industry in the early 1900s. This presentation will draw on excerpts from surviving footage of the world’s first feature film, The Story of the Kelly Gang (1906), as well as Thunderbolt (1911), The Sick Stockrider (1911) and Trooper Campbell (1914). Co–presented by Screen Sound Australia: National Screen and Sound Archive and the Australian Centre for the Moving Image.

Screening venue:
ACMI Cinemas, Australian Centre for the Moving Image
Federation Square, Flinders Street
Public information:
03 8663 2200 or visit www.acmi.net.au
Ticket Costs:
$11 Full / $8 Concession / $7 Children
For further information/preview tapes/interviews/images:
Brendan Wall ACMI Publicist on 03 8663 2406 or 0417 852 118