Ned Kelly was born in 1855 to a proud Irish Catholic family whose resentment of the British set the precedent for his life. Washed deep with the convict stain, Ned’s destiny was cast in a defiant mould. The story of his short life was one that saw him and three mates take on corrupt police, greedy land barons and an ignorant government in a quest to change their world for the better. Wrongly accused, they survived a deadly shoot out with police in 1878 that saw Ned, his brother Dan, and their mates Joe Byrne and Steve Hart, outlawed with the largest reward ever offered in the British Empire – dead or alive. Over the next eighteen months the Kelly Gang held up two country towns and robbed their banks, without firing a single shot; wrote numerous essays explaining their actions; and became folk heroes to the masses. Their grand plan to derail a special police train and declare a Republic of North East Victoria came to a fiery end in Glenrowan when they donned their famous but cumbersome armour against an overwhelming police force. By November 11, 1880 the era of the Kelly Gang drew to a close when Ned, after a brief trial, was hanged. Yet the legacy of his life and the cord he struck within a young Australia, unwilling to bend to injustice, saw Ned Kelly become Australia’s most enduring legend.
The Victorian State Government has just announced Ned Kelly's remains (minus the missing skull) will be returned to his descendants for a proper burial alongside his mother Ellen, his brothers Jim and Dan, and his much loved cousin Tom Lloyd at the Greta Cemetery. Of course this opens up a logistical nightmare with regards to security, tourism, privacy, traffic, theft, vandalism, exploitation, and hundreds of other descriptive attributes... [bushranger granted dying wish]
NED'S BONES HAVE FINALLY BEEN IDENTIFIED!
After an intensive twenty month investigation, scientists and doctors today revealed that an almost complete skeleton found buried in a wooden axe box were those of the Ned Kelly, who was executed at the Old Melbourne Gaol on November 11, 1880. A DNA sample taken from Melbourne school teacher Leigh Olver (who is Ned’s sister Ellen’s great-grandson) confirmed the remains were those of Kelly. Some key body features, including a distinguishing wrist injury suffered at the Siege of Glenrowan, have aided in the identification of Kelly's remains. According to government sources, consultation will begin shortly with Ned Kelly’s family to determine an appropriate resting place for the remains. Let's hope they actually listen, and respect, the family's wishes as well... [ned kelly's remains found]
NED KELLY BEECHWORTH WEEKEND
For this year's annual Ned Kelly Beechworth Weekend we sent our very own intrepid reporter 'Big Al' Crichton to see what in blazes is happening to this once great festival (and hopefully discover it's continued recipe for success). Along the way 'Big Al' got a chance to watch some great events, catch up with those in the know and a few that should know better... [keep ya powder dry]
BACK TO THE FUTURE
With
all this digging around what better way to bring
back the virtual past than a visit to the Internet
Archive WayBack Machine. Our site has impressions
dating back to August 17, 2001. So if you're
feeling a tad nostalgic but can't afford the
time to whip up a flux-converter simply click
the link below and relive the glory days. The
Internet Archive was founded with the express
aim to build an Internet library, with the purpose
of offering permanent access for researchers,
historians, and scholars to historical collections
that exist in digital format (like us). [wayback
machine]
KELLY LIBRARY TOUR TO FINISH SOON
While
it's always fun to watch the pigeons crap all
over the hanging Judge Redmond Barry's head
outside the State
Library of Victoria in Swanston Street,
apparently it's also worth a visit inside.
Seems not only is there lots of books to read
but IronOutlaw.com's
very own Airi Repetti has been taking punters on a Kelly inspired
tour of the establishment for the past four years now. However, the tours will finish up at the end of February 2012 as Airi plans to depart Melbourne and see the world. So the remaining tour time table is
Tuesdays and Thursdays starting at 1pm. Contact the State Library of Victoria on 03 8666 7214 or visit their web site for more details. [how
a finnish girl ended up as a kelly
tour guide]
FACE TO FACE ON FACEBOOK
Here at
ironoutlaw.com we thought it was high time we joined the social network scene, so we have decided to grab a bit of facebook action. To all you Kelly folk out there who may feel obliged to join in please do so and add your two cents worth, virtually speaking, seeing it's free to join – although facebook will probably collect your soul once you are dead, or maybe sooner... [facebook]
SO WHAT'S NEW?
With
a web site this big you tend to lose track of
what's going on, so in this section we will list
all the updated stuff from the past
few months:
• Shopping - get your Ned gear
• Feedback - viewer's
thoughts
• Ned Kelly GPS Tour - tourism
• Facebook - have your say
• Poetry - Simple Things
• Links - Ned Kelly on the Web
• Books - Ned Kelly and the Green Sash
• Keep
Ya Powder Dry - Alan
Crichton
UNCOVERING NED'S BONES IS ONLY THE START
One of Australia's leading social commentary web sites Independent Australia recently commissioned IronOutlaw.com to write an article about the rediscovery of Ned Kelly's headless skeleton and it's possible implications for both the government and the family. The article also examines a number of possibilities as to the whereabouts of Ned's missing skull and the current the location of his brain. [rediscovery of ned's bones]
THE LIFE AND TIMES
OF NED KELLY
Why
did Ned Kelly live
such a larger than life existence, one that has
enthralled millions of people over this past
century? Why didn't Ned just take what was dished
up? Live a poor, honest, harsh life and die a
broken man like thousands of other peasants throughout
time? Well, if Ned did we would never have heard
of him, nor spent countless hours debating his legacy. It's time to read the facts of his life
and decide for yourself. But before you pass
judgment, remember you should never impose 21st
century sensibility onto harsh 19th century reality. [about
ned kelly]
NED KELLY GPS TOUR
IronOutlaw.com is proud to be associated with the development and launch of the Ned Kelly GPS Tour, an all-in-one audio book, tour guide and satellite navigation system which provides the user with a unique travel experience. Now with the touch of a screen, travellers can be entertained and informed with historical information and legendary local stories. Our interactive guide encompasses a planned route rich in multimedia content and direct navigation instructions to chosen Kelly Country locations. With the Ned Kelly GPS Tour you and your family, from the comfort of your own vehicle, will be taken on a journey back in time to nineteenth century Victoria! Available to hire for one, two and three day Kelly Country tours. [ned kelly gps tour]
COME HAVE YOUR SAY
Have
a question or opinion on Ned and the boys you
would like to share with the rest of us? Then
head over to our Feedback section
where you can send in your thoughts or read through
what's been said before. We also have a Feedback
Vault with an archive of thousands of letters
from the past ten years. There's enough words
here to keep you busy for the next few months... [feedback]
THE NON-DEAD POETS SOCIETY
We
here at ironoutlaw.com invite
all those budding poets out there to put pen
to paper (or fingers to keyboards) and send
in your best pieces for our Poetry section.
The poet area has taken on a life of its own
with a number of scribes including Mollie
Schollum adding their words on a regular
basis. So, any more takers? [poetry]
GET YOUR KELLY FIX ON NEDTUBE
To keep our readers semi entertained we occasionally source a Ned Kelly related video clip to help while away the minutes. So this time click play, sit back and enjoy YouTube's teddie488 Waylon Jennings song Ned Kelly from the 1970 self titled movie soundtrack starring that freaky drug addled skinny kid Mick Jagger... [nedtube]
TEACHING
HISTORY
While
not
everyone wants to read about Ned Kelly or the ANZAC's or
even The Great Depression, we hope they
want to learn something about
Australian History. From the ex-Prime Minister
John Howard to a confused ex-NSW Education Minister Carmel Tebbutt
(see the pattern here?) a number of politicians have jumped on the teaching history bandwagon. But at what
cost? From Right Wing Liberals
to the multitude of State Governments, seems
everyone has an agenda. We'd like to let the readers decide
what is worth learning. Here at ironoutlaw.com we
present the facts, the fiction and everything in between. It
all adds to the experience and hopefully makes History an exciting
place to be (as it needn't always be 'written by the victors').
[site map]
GO SHOPPING
If you're looking for that perfect gift then head over to the IronOutlaw.com shop where we have just landed a new shipment of extra large (XL) size Ned Kelly T-Shirts. We also have some specials on at the moment including A. N. Baron's Blood In The Dust for only $19.95 and Ned: The Exhibition for $9.95. Please note all our items carry Free Postage within Australia and all money raised goes back into building the world's greatest Ned Kelly web site, IronOutlaw.com!.
