Ned Kelly's Last Stand - The Life and Times Australia's Ironclad Outlaw

by Frank Clune

Edward "Ned" Kelly (December 1854– 11 November 1880) was an Australian bushranger of Irish descent. Kelly was born in the British colony of Victoria as the third of eight children to an Irish convict from County Tipperary and an Australian mother with Irish parentage. His father died after serving a six-month prison sentence, leaving Kelly, then aged 12, as the eldest male of the household. The Kellys were a poor selector family who saw themselves as downtrodden by the Squattocracy and as victims of police persecution. Arrested in 1870 for associating with bushranger Harry Power, Kelly was convicted of stealing horses and imprisoned for three years. He fled to the bush in 1878 after being indicted for the attempted murder of a police officer at the Kelly family's home. After he, his brother Dan, and two associates fatally shot three policemen, the Government of Victoria proclaimed them outlaws.

Paperback

First published January 1, 1962

About the author

Australian Dictionary of Biography entry
http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biog...

Checklist of major works
http://www.burnetsbooks.com.au/biblio...

Reviews

[Daren · Rating 4 out of 5]

For Australians, Ned Kelly is a name that inspires bravery, standing up against the system, and fighting for what you consider right. There is even a saying - As game as Ned Kelly. Although is is not plausible that he wasn't guilty of his crimes (murder of policemen, robbery, and he was certainly not shy of a fight or two), as this book catalogues, there was an effort by police, by invariably unfair means to pursue, to needle and to unreasonably punish not just Ned, but his family and associates, for not only some of the minor crimes they had committed, but many they were not guilty of. This constant police pressure, goading and punitive nature of their dealing with the family established a distrust of ever being dealt with fairly (although many more charges were thrown out of court for lack of evidence than they were convicted of), push Ned into a corner, and events unfolded - as are fairly well known, resulting in the death of his brother Dan, and two friends, and in Ned's execution by hanging at age 36.

Clune's book is careful and comes across as evidential based (he states multiple sources for the content), but it is clear from the beginning that the police were guilty of harassment and did not act in a manner becoming of law enforcement - trading on preconceived ideas of guilt and doing their best to entrap the family.

This book was adapted from Frank Clune's earlier The Kelly Hunters, although it is not clear how it was adapted.

4 stars.

[John Humber · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are many books about Ned Kelly and this is one of them. I picked it up in a second-hand market on a visit to Darwin years ago. Kelly has been described as an Australian Robin Hood and the myths surrounding him are just as numerous. A bold hero? A valiant bush ranger? A murderous thug? Opinion is divided. Clune takes the view that Kelly was much wronged and 'excuses' Kelly's actions whilst not justifying them. Given the conditions of the period and the circumstances that Kelly and others found themselves in I can see perfect justification for their actions, with the probable exception of the murder of Aaron Sherritt.

As with most books of this nature, if the historical record is reasonably accurate, the 'read' is in the author's viewpoint and interpretation of those events. In parts there is maybe a little too much of the flash cove style of writing, but Clune is merely attempting to recreate the flavour of the period I suppose.

I enjoyed reading it when I first bought it, have read it again since then and will probably read it again before I die. I can't say fairer than that.

[Nick HH · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enthralling story retold here by Clune taking place over just a few years. Placing emphasis on the relationship with the police, the Kelly gang is seen in a slightly more romanticised way. It is an interesting perspective for sures ho