Self-published author Aidan Phelan says of his first work, the historical novel “Glenrowan” that it is ‘the story of how one man’s burning obsession can have far reaching consequences, and how a tiny town between towns became as iconic as Gettysburg or Waterloo’. Actually, most Australians know almost nothing about Glenrowan, and anyone who did, […]
In Discussion
Why was Ned Kellys trial moved from Beechworth to Melbourne?
The following Post was originally submitted as a Comment by Dr Stuart Dawson to my review of Graham Frickes book “Neds Nemesis”. Instead Ive posted it here, with Stuarts permission, because I felt this identification and debunking of yet another Kelly myth warranted greater exposure. Dawson discusses the claim promoted by Ian Jones thats become […]
Book Review : Neds Nemesis : Final Part
Anyone who has read Frickes book and part One of my review might be wondering why I completely ignored its first four chapters. In those Chapters Fricke provides what he must have thought was relevant background detail, describing the origins of Melbourne itself, of Redmond Barrys early life in Ireland, the colonial milieu into which […]
Book Review : Neds Nemesis by Graham Fricke. (Part ONE)
“Ned Kelly as we all know, was no angel. But how much better was his nemesis, Sir Redmond Barry, who sentenced Ned to death and who succumbed to Kellys courtroom curse by dying within two weeks of the bushranger’s execution?” That question is asked on the back cover of “Neds Nemesis”, a small book written […]
The Actual True Story: Part VIII – Euroa
Shortly after the police murders at Stringybark Creek, legislation was passed that made the Kelly gang outlaws, meaning they had no legal protections, and could be shot and killed on sight by anyone. Rewards were posted in ever increasing amounts for the supply of information that would lead to their capture, but nobody ever attempted […]
Why would anyone want to Commemorate the Glenrowan atrocity?
On one of his Facebook pages bushranger writer Aidan Phelan is asking us to ‘commemorate’ the Glenrowan Affair, by sharing our thoughts on what makes the Story ‘so gripping and engaging for us’. I am banned from his sites for having opinions he doesn’t agree with, so am unable to share my thoughts at that […]
The Actual True Story of Ned Kelly : Part VII – The murder of Scanlan and Kennedy at Stringybark Creek
As recounted in the previous post, the Kelly Gang of four armed men bailed up two policemen at their Camp beside Stringybark Creek, killed the one who was armed almost immediately – Lonigan – spared the life of the unarmed one – McIntyre – and then laid in wait for the other two policemen in […]
The Actual true Story of Ned Kelly : Part VI Stringybark Creek Police Murders
Immediately after the Fitzpatrick ‘incident’ Dan and Ned Kelly went into hiding in the Wombat Ranges, taking over an abandoned mining claim, reinforcing an existing hut to make it bullet proof and, as a visitor to the site noted some months later using all the trees around it for target practice. Bullets fired into them […]
The Actual True Story of Ned Kelly Part V: Prelude to Stringybark Creek
Here’s a question that the Kelly sympathisers have never wanted to answer: If their claim is true that Ned Kelly was innocent and had not assaulted Fitzpatrick on April 15th 1878, why, immediately after ‘nothing happened’ did he and Dan Kelly go into hiding at a reinforced hut in the Wombat ranges and spend so […]
The Actual True Story of Ned Kelly Part IV : 1877 and the Fitzpatrick Incident
Early in 1877 Superintendent Nicolson visited Ellen Kelly and her children in their shack on 11 Mile Creek, near Greta. This was the year that Ned Kelly claimed he was living the indulgent life of a ‘rambling gambler’ but Nicholson reported that his mother and siblings ‘appeared to be living in poverty and squalor’. It […]