BushRangers

BUSH
RANGERS

It's not surprising that Australia has had more than it's share of early
bushrangers, considering our beginnings.
From 1789 until around the 1850's our bushrangers comprised mainly
of escaped convicts. But from the early 1850's onwards, there was a notable change from convicts to free men and women, who had fallen foul of the law for some reason or other.
Punishment for bushranging varied from terms of imprisonment on the mainland, to deportation to island prisons such as Norfolk Island, to execution by hanging.
There are far too many convicted bushrangers for me to list on my page, so I have selected just two such felons to tell you about briefly.

THOMAS HAYWOOD

Thomas Haywood was a real 'escapologist', and proved a hard man to keep under lock and key.
Arrested in England in 1847, and convicted of stealing clothes, he was transported out to the colony of New South Wales in 1849.
Soon after arrival he was granted a 'Ticket Of Leave' and put to work for a property owner. However, he fell foul of the law not long afterwards for stealing horses. He was arrested again and imprisoned in 1852, but soon escaped from the lock-up. By this time he was known by many alias's, such as John Haywood, Thomas Anderson and also Hewitt.
He was recaptured in the Willingrove area, but escaped by slipping his handcuffs...this was something he became quite deft at.
He was recaptured in the Condemine area, but again escaped by slipping out of green hide rope with which his arms had been tied.
Whilst on the loose he was known to have committed rape of women, stolen more horses, house breaking and other smaller offences.
He was at last arrested and detained successfully near Grafton NSW
and was hurredly transported via steamer under heavy chains, to the goal at Woolloomooloo in November of 1853.
He was moved shortly afterwards to the Darlinghurst goal, and then on to the Cockatoo Island prison. Almost 12 months later, after being examined by a doctor, he was proclaimed 'insane', and moved to the 'Lunatic and Invalid Establishment' then based at Parramatta.
Later opinions varied as to whether he was really insane, or simply very crafty....as he escaped quite easily from that establishment....
however, he finally met his demise at the hands of Constable Giles, near Maitland, when he was shot, in early January 1855.

NED KELLY

By FAR..our most famous and most written about bushranger is Ned Kelly. Many many books have been written, songs have been sung and movies made about Ned.
Ned Kelly was one of our last bushrangers to reach notoriety in our short history.
Even today, events that happened and the circumstances they happened
under, is considered controversial and people are still divided on whether he was a villian or a latter day 'Robin Hood'.

Ned Kelly was chistened Edward Kelly, by his parents,
father John (Red) Kelly and mother Ellen Kelly (nee Quinn).
His father John, was convicted of stealing pigs and transported from Tipperary, Ireland to New South Wales in 1855 and the four Kelly children were born here in Australia. Ned, James, Daniel and Kate were reared on a

small farm in Victoria, and the family barely eked out a living, as many did in those days. The four children seemed to inherit a deep hatred of the well-to-do's and the authorities, from their parents. But remained a very close family unit to the very end.
Even their mother Ellen, was arrested and found guilty of attempted murder and goaled for 3 years, when a constable was injured when he arrived looking for Daniel, in 1878.
The criminal careers of the boys began in their teens, and as they were poor, seemed to excuse them, ( in their minds) of stealing horses from the rich to earn extra money. They were constantly being pursued by the local constabulary even at a tender age.

They evenually joined forces with Steven Hart and Joe Byrne, and became known as the 'Kelly Gang'...robbing banks, the rich land holders, hotels etc...but they would never rob the poor, which is probably the reason why sympathy fell with them from the public.
The inevitable showdown with authorities came in late1880,while being pursued they took hostages and holed up in the local hotel at Glenrowan.
In the skirmish, Byrne and two of the hostages were shot dead. However Dan Kelly and Steve Hart were burned to death, when police set fire to the building.

The showdown with Ned himself, is well recorded. He donned a 'suit of armour' including a roughly made helmet, chest plate, leg covers etc.
but he was eventually gunned down in a hail of bullets from the police, subsequently arrested and taken to Melbourne. He spent some time recovering from his wounds, only to be sentenced to death by hanging at his trial.
Public protests were held, but to no avail.

And so it was, that on the morning of 11th November 1880, he was put to death, thus ending the career, of our most famous and controversial bushrangers in our history.

If you found these stories on our bushrangers interesting and would like to read more...I have been kindly given permission to add the link to the most comprehensive bushranger site I have found on the net...please click here :-

Whiskers Hill Online