Town wants first shot at last stand
The Border Mail
19 January 2001
source: bazar.com.au/local/bormail

The member for Benalla wants Glenrowan to be the backdrop for a proposed multi-million dollar film about bushranger Ned Kelly. Ms Denise Allen joined with the Wangaratta Mayor and the secretary of the Glenrowan Improvers group in supporting moves to have the filming done on the site of Kelly's last stand in 1880.

Their comments follow internationally-renowned director Neil Jordan taking up the film option on last year's novel The True History of the Kelly Gang written by noted Australian author Peter Carey. The Hollywood newspaper Variety reported that Jordan intended adapting the novel to the screen, but said no studio or talent had been linked to the project.

The 1970 Ned Kelly film, which starred Mick Jagger, was filmed in southern NSW. Ms Allen does not want a repeat of that situation. “As soon as I get more information, I will look at how I can help in securing it being made at Glenrowan,” Ms Allen said.

“I'd love to see it done here at Glenrowan, because they can use so much of the township and area which was where Ned Kelly's last stand was.” Ms Allen, who suggested actor Russell Crowe for the lead role, noted the economic boost the film could create and the possibility of residents getting their shot at movie fame.

“I was up in Port Douglas when they were making The Thin Red Line, because my son was an extra in it, and there is much work local people can be drawn into,” Ms Allen said. The secretary of the Glenrowan Improvers, Mr Neil Aird, pointed to the recently restored railway station as an example of where filming should be done in his hometown. “One of the reasons we're doing a lot of work out there is to make the place more authentic and we've isolated the exact place where Ned Kelly was shot down and the Jones Inn where he hid,” Mr Aird said.

“So if they want an authentic film, it's the place to go.” The Wangaratta Mayor, Cr Geoff Dinning, said the filming could be a boost to tourism. “It is where the siege took place, so it's appropriate it's held in Glenrowan,” Cr Dinning said. A spokeswoman for Carey's Australian agents Hilary Linstead and Associates confirmed a deal had been signed with Jordan. She said a timeframe for a movie would be influenced by how long it took to adapt Carey's book into a screenplay.