How a Finnish girl ended up as a Kelly tour guide
Airi Repetti

Growing up in Finland, I used to watch quite a few Australian TV shows; Skippy was one of the very first I remember, later I just loved Against The Wind and All The Rivers Run. I have vague recollections of watching something Ned Kelly-related and think it may have been The Last Outlaw miniseries, but I cannot say for sure. Certainly I had heard of Ned Kelly when I moved to Australia in 1993.

I am an avid cinemagoer and like to support the Australian film industry whenever I can, which is why I found myself in my local cinema watching Ned Kelly in April 2003. I came out wanting to find out what really happened to the four young men fighting against the colonial establishment. I do not mind admitting that Orlando Bloom’s performance may have made my interest slightly keener. What can I say? If the girls loved Joe Byrne as much as they are said to have done, there must have been something special about him, and to me Orlando Bloom conveyed that loud and clear. I am well aware that not everyone loves the Greg Jordan film, and I have some reservations about it myself, but casting Heath Ledger and Orlando Bloom as Ned Kelly and Joe Byrne probably has had something to do with why people from far-away countries visit Ironoutlaw.com. Certainly some of the fans of these two good-looking young men have developed a genuine interest in the Kelly story as a result of seeing the film and that can only be a good thing in my opinion. But I digress.

My quest for the real story of the Kelly gang became a passion. The first Kelly book I bought and read was Max Brown’s Australian Son, then I got Ian Jones’ The Fatal Friendship, and now my Kelly library has grown to include some forty-odd books and publications, two photo albums, six DVDs and a few CDs. Ironoutlaw.com and second-hand bookshops have become my favourite haunts. One year I even managed to persuade the family to go on holiday in Kelly Country, and more recently I talked my husband (who does not really share my interest but is wonderfully tolerant of it) into accompanying me to Beechworth for the Kelly Weekend 2008. Perhaps it is no surprise that my youngest daughter is known as something of a Kelly expert at her school!

When I realised that I could go and see Ned’s armour and the original Jerilderie Letter at The State Library right here in Melbourne, I set off full of enthusiasm and joined one of the Library’s free guided tours. You can imagine my disappointment when not more than five minutes out of the whole hour was spent at the Kelly exhibit. Afterwards I got talking to some of the other people who had been on the tour, and they said they also would love to have heard more about Ned Kelly. It occurred to me that The Library should offer a tour specific to the Kelly exhibit. And there was I, a Kelly enthusiast who had read all these books and had a fair understanding of the story...

So I got in touch with The Library, offering my services as a volunteer, and they welcomed me with open arms. After months of planning and talking and school holiday trial runs, “Ned Kelly’s Laptop” tour became part of The State Library’s regular tour schedule in July. The name comes courtesy of a visitor to The Library who on seeing Peter Carey’s laptop on display in the Dome Gallery quipped: “So this is Ned Kelly’s laptop!” The laptop in question is the one Peter Carey used to write The True History of the Kelly Gang which of course is in Ned’s voice. I think it is a perfect name for the tour – how frustrated was Ned that he could not get his side of the story heard? Just imagine if he had had a laptop and an Internet connection at his disposal!

So that is what I try to do, to give Ned – and Joe, Steve, and Dan – a voice, by telling their story how I imagine they might have liked it to be told. Not turning them into either villains or heroes but helping people understand that they were just ordinary young men who became extraordinary through events that ended up making history.

Oh, and before anyone gets too upset about the fact that a Finn is lecturing Australians about their history, let me hasten to add that I am an Australian citizen now and proud to claim it as my history too!

So if you find yourself in Melbourne on a Tuesday morning, come along to The State Library for a Kelly tour.

Ned Kelly’s laptop
Visit the exhibition The changing face of Victoria to discover the story of Ned Kelly. See Ned’s armour, original photographs and records from the time, and even the laptop on which Peter Carey wrote The True History of the Kelly Gang.
Time: Tues 10.30–11.30am
Venue: Meet in front foyer
Cost: Free
Web: www.slv.vic.gov.au