Ned Kelly - The Australian Robin Hood PT 1/2

Edward 'Ned' Kelly was an Australian bushranger folk-hero who was convicted & hung for theft & murder throughout the early settling days in Australia. He was born in the British Colony Of Australia, December 1854 to an Irish catholic couple and was hung in 1880 at the young age of 25.

His father, John 'Red' Kelly was an Irish convict from County Tipperary in Ireland, exiled to Australia in 1841 for stealing two pigs. Ned's mother, Ellen Kelly (Née Quinn) had migrated to Australia with her father the same year from County Antrim, Ireland and took a liking to John in 1849. They married in 1850 and had their first-born in 1851 - a girl who only survived briefly. John took off to the goldfields in 1853 where he made enough to buy a farm near Beveridge, and early in 1854 Ellen gave birth to Anne Kelly, and in December the same year, Edward 'Ned' Kelly. The couple went on to produce a family of seven children, and in 1864, sold their land in Beveridge and moved north. By this time there was six children, and soon John (a heavy drinker and rebel who had come into a numerous clashes with British law and the police) passed away from oedema.


Ned, age 15.

With the history and passing of his father, Ned became the oldest male in the house before he'd turned 13, and thus learnt at a young age to fill the footsteps. This independence, combined with the influence of his convict father and the rebellions of poor Irish settlers against a harsh British authority, led Ned on a journey that would seal him into the Australian hall of fame.

The Kelly family moved far north east of Victoria after Ellen's court appearances for apparently being a violently tempered mother. To make ends meet, Ellen distributed grog at the new property and soon their family was approached by Harry Power, an Irish bushranger who was on the run after escaping prison. The family became friends with Harry, and soon Harry offered to take the 14 yr-old Ned under his wing, to become a bushranger. Ned couldn't resist the chance to earn some money for his family and so took the opportunity to follow Harry's guidance, introducing him to life as a bandit bushranger.



Photo taken in 1880 of the 25 yr old, Ned Kelly. Quite a beard for such a young lad.


-To Be Continued-



Thanks for reading,
                            Shredlord

Img Src 1- www.badassoftheweek.com
Img Src 2 & 3 - en.wikipedia.org