Edward "Ned" Kelly - born circa January, 1855 - is Australia's most famous bushranger/outlaw and, to many minds in this sunburnt country, a folk hero of Robin Hoodesque proportions... with a liberal dashing of Zorro, a pinch of Arthurian chivalry, and a blend of larrikinism, humour, and perspicacity topping up his defiance against the colonial authorities and English mismanagement of what was then a fledgling British colony, named after a distant queen: Victoria.Ned was born near the Gold Rush city of Melbourne, in the minor northern Victorian town of Beveridge, to an Irish convict father. As a young whipper-snapper, he attended school and risked his life to save another boy who was drowning; as reward he was presented with a green sash by the boy's family - which he wore under his armour during his final showdown with police in 1880, at age 25.Growing up in poverty in some of the harshest conditions in Australia, the Kelly family members were constantly suspected by police of cattle or horse rustling, though the charges never stuck. After continuous harrassment, then an incident at his home in 1878, police parties went in search of our hero, leading to the killing of three police officers at Stringybark Creek.Kelly and his accomplices were subsequently proclaimed outlaws, with a sizeable bounty on their heads.The gang committed two major robberies, at Euroa and Jerilderie. Their strategy involved the taking of hostages and robbing the bank safes.On one such occasion, at Euroa, the outlaws gave an exhibition of horsemanship which entertained and surprised their hostages. After having supper, and telling the hostages not to raise the alarm for another three hours, they left.The entire crime had been carried out without injury and the gang had netted £2000, a rather nifty sum in those days.Ned also dictated a lengthy letter for publication, in which he described his own perpective of his activities and the harrassment of his family and, more generally, the treatment of Irish Catholics by the police, as well as by the English and Irish Protestant squatters. The "Jerilderie Letter", as it is called, is a document of some 8,300 words and has since become a famous piece of Australian literature.The gang now knew that one of their own, Aaron Sherritt, was a police informer. On the 26 June, 1880, Dan (Ned's brother) and Joe Byrne went to Sherritt's house and popped him one. The four policemen who were with the wily rascal at the time sheltered beneath the bed, and were so terrified that they didn't actually report the murder until late the following morning.A final violent confrontation with police at Glenrowan, with Kelly dressed in home-made plate metal armour and helmet, led to the death of his fellow gang members, his own shooting and capture, and eventual trial.Ned was hanged at Melbourne Gaol on 11th November, 1880. His daring, notoriety and chutzpah made him an integral figure in Australian history, folklore, mythology, literature, Sidney Nolan's iconic paintings, and film.In the time since his execution, Ned Kelly has been mythologized among some into a political revolutionary, and a figure of Irish Catholic and working-class resistance to the establishment and British colonial ties.A representation of Kelly, based on Sidney Nolan's imagery, appeared in the "Tin Symphony" segment of the opening ceremony for the year 2000 Olympic Games.Song: Black Sabbath - Iron Man.rbs
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