AUSTRALIA - Famous People

Ned Kelly

Ned Kelly was born in Beveridge Victoria (Australia) in December 1854 or June 1855 according to some historians. We do not know any more because at that time, in the Australian desert, it is often said that babies were declared several months after their actual birth. He was executed on November 11^th, 1880 in Melbourne. Ned was sentenced to death and hanged. He was famous because he was described as a cold-blooded cop killer.

On March 9^th , 2008, a team of Australian scientists claimed to have identified the place of execution. This was an old abandoned prison in Melbourne, numerous bones were discovered there in August 2011.

His father, John "Red" Kelly came from Ireland, he was sent to a prison in Australia as punishment because he stole pigs. He spent 7 years in prison and was then hired in a farm and married the daughter of the farmer. Together they had eight children, among whom, Ned.

At the age of 8 years old, Ned saved Richard Shelton from drowning, he had fallen into the waters of the "Hughes Creek" behind the small family farm. Ned was a very courageous young boy
The social context was difficult. In these remote and notoriously difficult land, landowners were protected by the police but there were many injustices against living farming populations. Many cattle or horses stealings were suspected.

The Kellys were never condemned until Ned's father, Red, was arrested for a fight with his neighbor over the ownership of a calf. Found innocent of theft, but guilty of having removed the mark on the skin of the nimal, he had the choice between a fine of twenty-five pounds or imprisonment of six months for forced labor. Without money to pay the fine, Red served his sentence in the Kilmore prison, with lethal consequences on his health. While Ned was only eleven and a half years old, he had to leave school when his father died in Avenel, on December 27^th, 1866.

At 14, Ned was charged with assault and robbery on a Chinese worker, he was jailed for 10 days, but the charges against him were dropped. Ihe was however considered from that moment by the police as a bushranger (a bandit from the outback). The following year, in 1870, he was arrested and accused of being the accomplice of Harry Power, a horse thief, but he was released for lack of evidence. In 1871, he was arrested and charged with concealment of a mare "borrowed" by one of his friends. He said they did not know that the horse was stolen, but he was sentenced to 3 years in prison, he was only 16 years old.

During his imprisonment, his brothers Jim and Dan, 12 years old and 10 years old, were arrested with a horse that did not belong to them, yet paid by a farmer for which they had done some work, they spend a night in the cells before the misunderstanding was settled. Jim was again banned 2 years later for cattle theft, but not pursued by the owner, he was not condemned. When he came out of prison, Ned worked with George King, a Californian with whom his mother remarried later. Ned describe him as an intelligent horse thief. Ned and his family continued being suspected of theft and arrested quite regularly until his execution.

Anna & Chloé