The rusting dead-in-the-water Kelly Myth takes a direct hit! Redeeming Fitzpatrick: Ned Kelly and the Fitzpatrick Incident Dr. Stuart E. Dawson (Monash University) Abstract: In April 1878 Constable Fitzpatrick was wounded by Ned Kelly while attempting to arrest his brother Dan for horse stealing. The incident triggered the ‘Kelly outbreak’ that elevated Kelly to the […]
Month: November 2015
The Kelly Gang were not “Boys”
Burning Icons and False Gods Today, November 25th is National White Ribbon Day in Australia, a day in which we are supposed to be reflecting on the dreadful scourge of mens violence against women. So far this year in Australia, 78 women have been murdered by men, and countless thousands bashed intimidated and traumatised by […]
Your Turn
A few weeks ago, a Kelly sympathiser wrote a Comment that began like this : “I know you won’t publish this because you are nothing but a gutless turd , but I will write it anyway…” and then the anonymous Sympathisers rant proceeded to accuse me of being sick twisted and biased, and of having an “anti Ned agenda” before finally […]
Why Another Kelly Museum?
The Big News this week has been the announcement by a Kelly descendant of plans to set up a Ned Kelly Museum. According to a spokesperson for “the family” who says Ned Kelly was her great great Uncle, and another elderly relative who says Ned Kelly “was a rascal but also a bit of a […]
The Execution of Edward Kelly : As Announced in The Argus November 12th 1880
This Newspaper report is a mostly accurate recounting of the story of the Kelly Gang, and of Neds execution 135 years ago today. Kelly sympathisers are busily posting their “RIP Ned”s on Facebook today, not realising that the person hanged was not the one they adulate in their imaginations. The real Ned Kelly was hanged, […]
One Hundred Posts about Kelly Mythology
With this commentary, we have now reached the milestone of 100 Posts, close to 58,000 visits, and 1342 Comments, as good a place as any to reflect what the Blog has achieved in its 18 month existence, on what I have learned, and to contemplate the future of Kelly mythology. Survival has been the first […]
Ned Kellys Letters reveal the pathetic truth about him
On November 3rd, 5thand 10th 1880 in the Condemned Cell at Melbourne Gaol, Ned Kelly dictated three more letters, his last. They were addressed to the Governor of Victoria and contain Kelly’s final attempts at defending his actions and pleading his case. In the first, dated November 3rd, he mostly concentrates on the Fitzpatrick affair, […]