Edward "Ned" Kelly (June 1854 or 1855 – 11 November 1880)

Source: Daily Mail, UK

Introduction:

Edward "Ned" Kelly (June 1854 or 1855 – 11 November 1880) was an Irish Australian bushranger. He is considered by some to be merely a cold-blooded killer, while others consider him to be a folk hero and symbol of Irish Australian resistance against the Anglo-Australian ruling class.

Kelly was born in Victoria to an Irish convict father, and as a young man he clashed with the Victoria Police. Following an incident at his home in 1878, police parties searched for him in the bush. After he killed three policemen, the colony proclaimed Kelly and his gang wanted outlaws.

A final violent confrontation with police took place at Glenrowan on 28 June 1880. Kelly, dressed in home-made plate metal armour and a helmet, was captured and sent to jail. He was convicted of three counts of wilful murder and hanged at Old Melbourne Gaol in November 1880. His daring and notoriety made him an iconic figure in Australian history, folklore, literature, art and film.

In August 2011, anthropologists announced that a skeleton found in a mass grave in Pentridge Prison had been confirmed as Kelly's. His skull, however, remains missing. (Source: Wikipedia)

The bushranger Ned Kelly is one of Australia's greatest folk heroes. He has been memorialised by painters, writers, musicians and filmmakers alike. More books, songs and websites have been written about Ned Kelly and the Kelly Gang than any other group of Australian historical figures.

Bushranging was said to have ended with the shooting of the Kelly Gang in 1880 at Glenrowan, Victoria, made possible by the introduction of the Felons Apprehension Act 1865 (NSW) which allowed outlawed bushrangers to be shot, rather than arrested and sent to trial.(Source: Australian Government)

Early Life and Education

Kelly was baptised by an Augustinian priest, Charles O'Hea. As a boy he obtained basic schooling and once risked his life to save another boy, Richard Shelton, from drowning. As a reward he was given a green sash by the boy's family, which he wore under his armour during his final showdown with police in 1880.
(Source: Wikipedia)

Jerilderie Letter

It was a remarkable document — autobiography, statement of fact and self-justification — which ran to well over 7500 words — and became known as the Jerilderie Letter.
(Source: Ironoutlaw)

Read the Jerilderie Letter (State Library of Victoria) - Digitised version (56 pages) and see what you think!

State Library of Victoria

The Conversation 5 May 2014 analyses this work and asks the question: Is Ned Kelly’s Jerilderie Letter a work of literature worthy of our attention? What do you think after reading the original and this analysis?

Ned Kelly's Armour

Source: State Library of Victoria: The La Trobe Journal

While the armour protected Ned Kelly's torso and head, his legs were unprotected. He was shot in both legs at Glenrowan and was able to be captured.

His armour and helmet weighed 44Kg.

Have a look at this video on Ned Kelly's Armour!

9th October 2013: The Sutherland Letter on display.

Letter detailing Ned Kelly's last stand to go on public display in Melbourne which describes a first hand account of Ned Kelly after he was shot: "I was really sorry for him to see him lying pierced by bullets and still showing no signs of pain. His three sisters were there also, Mrs Skillion, Kate Kelly and a younger one. Kate was sitting at his head with her arms round his neck while the others were crying in a mournful strain."

Links:

Ned Kelly - Old Melbourne Gaol's Most Famous Inmate	Australian Government: About Australia: Ned Kelly
Glenrowan 1880 - Ned Kelly's Trial	The Supreme Court Trial - The Sentencing of Edward Kelly
Ned Kelly's Trial and Conviction	Ned Kelly's Trial
Obituaries Australia: Edward (Ned) Kelly (1855 - 1880)	ABC's Law Report - The Trial of Ned Kelly
Iron-icon - links to websites about Ned Kelly	Our Ned Kelly
Ned Kelly's World	Ned Kelly Trail
National Gallery of Australia: Sidney Nolan: Ned Kelly	ABC: Splash: Ned Kelly confronts his judge
ABC: Splash: The hunt for Ned Kelly clues	The Ned Kelly Awards
The Conversation 1 September 2011	The Conversation 9 January 2020

YouTube: Ned Kelly Glenrowan And His Last Stand
https://youtu.be/EqD-r6kliHo?si=1WSjdgmg18svrg-v

YouTube: Who was Ned Kelly? The History of Australia's Notorious Bushranger Gang - Behind the News
https://youtu.be/5Zy7sxwSjw8?si=Ry77FRbExOQJMqdM

YouTube: Ned Kelly’s armour: a suit becomes a symbol
https://youtu.be/HzU4LvYsvIE?si=sVapBXf0fSSDByW7

YouTube: The true story of the Kelly Gang Armour | Did it work? Who made it?
https://youtu.be/xfw3JEppKsw?si=H_Ziua3Noasoxlam

YouTube: Building a bushranger: Relocating Ned Kelly's armour
https://youtu.be/lHH8FRsh0Xo?si=Dl-K22-gacGcmAd7

YouTube: The NOTORIOUS Execution Of Ned Kelly - Australia’s Outlaw
https://youtu.be/WqrNKq4yLcw?si=5yoPLbZSMY2jQF1s

YouTube: Ned Kelly - Song.
https://youtu.be/LOa3HwGdm1c?si=i3fa6bAqVHqyN-Fa

Did You Know? The story of Ned Kelly's Hangman - Elijah Upjohn... Elijah Upjohn was a sewage worker turned quack doctor who found himself behind bars for chicken thievery. But his life took a sharp turn when a notorious bushranger was convicted – and the State was in need of a hangman. Uploaded 29 September 2022 The man who ended Ned - Podcast 49 mins - found on Herald Sun site. Author Michael Adams talks about Elijah and his life. NB. Podcast about Elijah doesn't start until one minute in (ads at the beginning).

Create a Song/Verse about Ned Kelly

Primary Middle Secondary

3. Using the music, add to one of the verses of these songs!

(Source: Bassic Sax Blog)

4. Record your verse and share with the class by making a video.

Ned Kelly: Hero or Villian? - Revamp an old WebQuest

Middle  Secondary

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Information and Communication Technology Capability
Australian Curriculum General Capability: Critical and creative thinking
Australian Curriculum General Capability: Personal and social capability
Australian Curriculum General Capability: Literacy

Cooperative Learning Activity

1. An old WebQuest needs revamping! You are going to invigorate this WebQuest so that it is now an interesting and challenging WebQuest for students in Years 9 - 10 to complete.

 2. Teacher: Go to the Web Archive and download this old WebQuest.

Students  investigate the downloaded WebQuest.

2. Create a template to fill in. Write up an Introduction, Task, Process, Resources, Evaluation, Conclusion and Teacher's Guide.

3. In your group of six students, select one of the 6 perspectives:

• A Film Maker - who will investigate the films made about Ned Kelly and investigate how he is portrayed - as either a Villian or a Hero.
  
• Art Curator - who will investigate the paintings about Ned Kelly particularly the Nolan series and answer the questions: Which paintings from the Nolan series of the Kelly gang in their armour best represent the truth about Ned Kelly? Which events does Nolan represent in his paintings? Who is foregrounded in the paintings apart from Ned? Which other paintings/ posters/ documents will you consider as evidence of Ned Kelly as either Villian or Hero
  
• Historian
   
• Descendant of the Kelly Family
    
• Descendant of the Fitzpatrick Family
    
• Writer researching a non-fiction illustrated book about Ned Kelly

4. You will need to research new websites for your perspective. You need at least 10 websites of repute.

5. You will need to decide how your WebQuest will be assessed [Evaluation] - try to think of challenging and interesting tasks for students to do.

6. The Conclusion should be about a further challenge - not motherhood statements [as this archived WebQuest has] - it might be to do with Justice and young people now.

Sidney Nolan and Ned Kelly: A Visual History?

Secondary

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Critical and creative thinking

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Literacy

Cooperative Learning Activity

1. In groups of 4 - 5 students, you are to analyse the following two articles and the links above to answer the question:

Is Sidney Nolan's Ned Kelly Series a visual history of the gang?

The National Gallery of Australia has 25 of the 27 Sidney Nolan's Ned Kelly Series. Read about the Series and look at the video of Sidney Nolan.

Read about Steve Hart and Sidney Nolan's protrayal from Professor Ted Snell, University of Western Australia in The Conversation 14 August 2018

2. Write down 10 interesting facts from these articles.

3. Share with other groups in the class.

4. As a class, discuss the question: Is Sidney Nolan's Ned Kelly Series a visual history of the gang?

Make sure you give reasons for your argument.

The Ned Kelly Awards: your critique of a crime novel

Secondary

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Critical and creative thinking

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Literacy

Cooperative Learning Activity

1. In groups of 4 - 5 students, you are to critique the Ned Kelly Awards shortlisted authors and their writing for the current year. The Ned Kelly Awards recognise published crime fiction and true crime writing.

2. Using the following The Conversation 24 July 2023 as a template, each of you is to read one of the shortlisted books in the Ned Kelly Awards and critique it as per The Conversation (Miles Franklin Awards).

3. Each of you, within your group, is to write up your critique for your chosen novel but limit this critique to 200 - 250 words only.

For example, the Conversation states:

"Robbie Arnott is the only one of these authors to have been shortlisted for the Miles Franklin before – for his second novel, The Rain Heron (2020), which won The Age Book of the Year award. Arnott is also the only male-identifying author on this shortlist and masculinity is a central theme.

Ned, 14, the youngest of four children, lives on the family orchard on the banks of Tasmania’s Tamar river, during the second world war. His mother is dead, his emotionally distant World War I veteran father suffers PTSD, and his older brothers have enlisted. When Ned’s older sister returns home – suddenly and heartbroken – he does his best to win her approval.

Set over a single summer, the plot is simple but satisfying. Arnott’s capacity to bring the setting and characters vividly to life makes for a fully immersive reading experience. It’s inspired in part by Arnott’s grandfather, who grew up where the book is set. The book would make a good screenplay.

I was slightly irritated by an overreliance on flashbacks to a particular childhood experience, its full details gradually drip-fed to the reader. Arnott’s talent for plot and extraordinary skill for verisimilitude make the novel compelling enough on their own."

4. As a group, you are to create an Introduction to your year's shortlist. This might include:

• an underlying theme

• the styles

• the authors themselves
  

Material sourced from: