Ned KellyPrint Page 
A six metre statue commemorates the bushranger, Ned Kelly. Glenrowan is the place of the last siege of the Kelly Gang and the deaths of three of its members.
On 28 June 1880 Ned Kelly led Joe Byrne, Dan Kelly and Steve Hart in a final confrontation against eight Victoria Police Officers and five Aboriginal trackers from Queensland.
During the dramatic shoot out at the Kelly Gang siege, bullets bounced off the Gang’s ingenious armour made from the shears of mould-board ploughs. The sight of the Gang in their imposing suits amidst the foggy moonlit night struck the fear of the unnatural into the police and it took several hours to subdue the Gang.
Ned Kelly was hung for his crimes while the other members of the Gang perished during the siege.
The text on the plaque is taken from the book by Ian Jones called the "Last Outlaw". The theory that Ned Kelly advocated the forming of a republic is incorrect. Also 82% of the police in Victoria were Irish, so there was no class distinction against the Irish. The police properly addressed the criminality of the Kelly Gang at the Royal Commission. At the time Joe Byrne was killed, Ned Kelly was lying down some 138 metres behind the hotel, as the Royal Commission also found.
Location
| Address: | Gladstone & Kate Streets, Kates Cottage, Glenrowan, 3675 |
|---|---|
| State: | VIC |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -36.463991 Long: 146.22111 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Monument |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | People |
| Sub-Theme: | Crime |
| Designer: | Kevin Thomas (Proto Patterns) |
Dedication
Ned Kelly
Ned Kelly - Hanged a murderer in Melbourne, November 11,1880 - not 26 years old - described as a rebel, bushranger by necessity, a bush battler, underdog, sometimes gentleman, sometimes larrikin and a man with a strong sense of family.
In a country born of brutal convict settlement, the Kellys were one of many to suffer the English notions of class distinction, property and land tenure and Anglo-Irish hatreds. With the continued persecution of his family by the police, Ned fought back. The donning of his armour made from plough mould boards here at Glenrowan, June 1880, made Ned Kelly an Australian Legend.
"He has lost much blood and gone two nights without sleep, he is borne down by the weight of armour. The air is still, the earth icy, the mists of dawn just hang. This is the moment of history. Kelly might have escaped here. Having witnessed the death of Joe Byrne from a massive haemorrhage from a bullet to the groin - most men would have given up here, if not before. Instead Kelly went back to rescue his brother and Steve Hart.
Armed, he lurches through the mist, hulking, swaying, clanging, taunting - the legend is born. Freezing police crouch behind trees and logs. Constable Arthur sees Kelly first and fires.
The Last Stand has begun."
(Extracts - Ian Jones - Last Outlaw)
