Ned Kelly Found

Geez Louise · 01-09-2011, 12:40 PM

Growing up I was fascinated with the Ned Kelly story and I find it amazing that after 130yrs, with the help of modern technologies, they have identified his body. But where is his head? I have been trying to follow this story and really do not understand how or when it went missing? I hope it is found and not put on public display but buried along with his remains.

Full Story

Quote:

Originally Posted by ninemsn

Remains found at a former Melbourne prison have been confirmed as those of notorious bushranger Ned Kelly.

A DNA sample taken from Melbourne school teacher Leigh Olver, Ned's sister Ellen's great grandson, confirmed the bones were those of the famous outlaw.

Doctors and scientists at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine (VIFM) identified the body.

Kelly's remains have long been rumoured to be at Melbourne's Pentridge Prison, which operated between 1850 and 1997.

The project involved collaboration with the ancient DNA laboratory EAAF in Argentina, which has worked with the VIFM on other forensic projects.

The investigation started when a skull believed to belong to Kelly was handed to the VIFM on November 11, 2009.

The skull had been taken from the Old Melbourne Gaol in December 1978 where it had been on display next to the death mask of the bushranger.

While the skull was being investigated, the team tried to identify Kelly from among the remains exhumed from Pentridge in 2009.

He evaded the authorities throughout his lifetime and even after he was hanged, he was still causing them issues.

American's can keep their Where's Wally, I think Ned Kelly takes out the title of hide and seek champion of Australia

Trevor 57 · 01-09-2011, 04:38 PM

Ned was a relo (by marriage) to my wife who's family comes from Benalla, my wife's great, great, uncle Alenxander Gunn went to jail with Ned for horse stealing, he was married to Ned's sister Anne. My wifes grandmother was a Gunn.

http://www.kellygang.asn.au/people/peK/kellyAnneKf.html

jaydee · 01-09-2011, 07:25 PM

Horse thief, cop killer, today he would probably be a member of the Commanchero's or some other bikie gang.

pulpist · 01-09-2011, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaydee

Horse thief, cop killer, today he would probably be a member of the Commanchero's or some other bikie gang.

Or shot down by rival drug dealers in a suburban Melbourne street.

Keepleft · 01-09-2011, 07:34 PM

Such is life.

flappist · 01-09-2011, 07:45 PM

Well with his no regard whatsoever for the ordinary people of Australia and firm belief that the law did not apply to him he would more likely be a politician, union leader or senior journalist........

jaydee · 01-09-2011, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flappist

Well with his no regard whatsoever for the ordinary people of Australia and firm belief that the law did not apply to him he would more likely be a politician, union leader or senior journalist........

Love it...

zdcol71 · 01-09-2011, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flappist

Well with his no regard whatsoever for the ordinary people of Australia and firm belief that the law did not apply to him he would more likely be a politician, union leader or senior journalist........

Or banker, property development manager, share broker , land owner or any other number of others, who on my side of the fence I would consider an Outlaw

irish2 · 03-09-2011, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flappist

Well with his no regard whatsoever for the ordinary people of Australia and firm belief that the law did not apply to him he would more likely be a politician, union leader or senior journalist........

The people of the time didn't seem to think so. The biggest reward ever offered for a man and nobody turned him in.

gtxb67 · 03-09-2011, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by irish2

The people of the time didn't seem to think so. The biggest reward ever offered for a man and nobody turned him in.

could that not have been because they feared revenge attacks. either way, there are numerous people in any age that suddenly do not remember anything about anything they saw or knew, when the law is concerned. maybe history has made him into a bigger character than he deserved

it is said that he was a petty horse thief, so in todays time, he would probably be a petty car thief - most here think that car thief's are the scum of the earth

irish2 · 03-09-2011, 08:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gtxb67

could that not have been because they feared revenge attacks. either way, there are numerous people in any age that suddenly do not remember anything about anything they saw or knew, when the law is concerned. maybe history has made him into a bigger character than he deserved

it is said that he was a petty horse thief, so in todays time, he would probably be a petty car thief - most here think that car thief's are the scum of the earth

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ned_Kelly

Maybe a little reading might give you some more details. I loath wikipedia but it is always the top of search lists.

It is no co incidence that a royal commission took place after the Kelly trial and many police involved were reprimanded or demoted. Arresting his family and friends and holding them for 3 months with no charge doesn't seem very Australian to me.

Franco Cozzo · 04-09-2011, 12:18 AM

Pretty sure they knew they relocated his body to pentridge prison a while after they executed him in the melbourne jail.

So its not like its a big deal they come across his dead body a century later.

flappist · 04-09-2011, 09:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by irish2

The people of the time didn't seem to think so. The biggest reward ever offered for a man and nobody turned him in.

Hmmm....

Was the reward greater than that offered for Osama Bin Laden?

No one turned him in either but the end result was basically the same....

fmc351 · 04-09-2011, 10:16 AM

Some might argue he was more like a guy who stole his own car back, and got railroaded for it which escalated to an all out war with the traps (lets not confuse them with todays Police force). Might even have caused the start of another "damn weak legal system favours the criminals" thread.

Using some common sense, and logic, Id say a family targeted by circumstances and not helped by their own attitude learned from a convict fathers attitude to British law.

gtxb67 · 04-09-2011, 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by irish2

Maybe a little reading might give you some more details. I loath wikipedia but it is always the top of search lists

maybe, but there will not be to many unbiased accounts this long after the events. the reason for writing anything is to get people to read it, and most people want to read about a hero, not a villian. from the books i read when younger, he was a petty horse thief

Quote:

Originally Posted by irish2

It is no co incidence that a royal commission took place after the Kelly trial and many police involved were reprimanded or demoted. Arresting his family and friends and holding them for 3 months with no charge doesn't seem very Australian to me.

what does that really prove. maybe the police acted incorrectly within the law itself, but if the family was guilty, i do not see a problem with it. there are many criminals in the world that the authorities know have done something and yet cannot bring them to justice

there are precious few people in our jails that are guilty. the cops, the lawyers, the people that witnessed . . . . . all have something against them. they are innocent, but the world hates them

people (in general) hate authority and love to see things from criminals sides. there are many people that think the characters in underbelly are nice guys. maybe they are to their family and friends . . . . and when television shows or books glorify their good deeds and justify their bad ones, sometimes perception gets confused with reality

Peter B - CV8 · 04-09-2011, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fmc351

Some might argue he was more like a guy who stole his own car back, and got railroaded for it which escalated to an all out war with the traps (lets not confuse them with todays Police force). Might even have caused the start of another "damn weak legal system favours the criminals" thread.

Using some common sense, and logic, Id say a family targeted by circumstances and not helped by their own attitude learned from a convict fathers attitude to British law.

Well said - agree 100%

Trevor 57 · 04-09-2011, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Trev

Ned was a relo (by marriage) to my wife who's family comes from Benalla, my wife's great, great, uncle Alenxander Gunn went to jail with Ned for horse stealing, he was married to Ned's sister Anne. My wifes grandmother was a Gunn.

http://www.kellygang.asn.au/people/peK/kellyAnneKf.html

It is strongly alledged that Anne (while Alexander was in jail) was raped by a constable and died in childbirth, when Alex was released he headed into NSW.

irish2 · 04-09-2011, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flappist

Hmmm....

Was the reward greater than that offered for Osama Bin Laden?

No one turned him in either but the end result was basically the same....

No it was the greatest reward for a man, in the world, at that time.

pottery beige · 04-09-2011, 09:52 PM

Neds head on sbs tonight...

Geez Louise · 04-09-2011, 09:56 PM

Thanks for the "heads up" Pottery

prydey · 04-09-2011, 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gtxb67

television shows or books glorify their good deeds and justify their bad ones, sometimes perception gets confused with reality

ain't that the truth, and not just about ned.

duaned · 04-09-2011, 11:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pottery beige

Neds head on sbs tonight...

Well it didn't turn out to be ned's head at all. Just the rest of his skeletal remains.

jaydee · 04-09-2011, 11:31 PM

Ironic isn't it. A thief gets his head stolen.

LTDHO · 05-09-2011, 09:44 AM

He weasn't shot then hung, it was all staged! LOL

Why don't we have Ned on our flag?

mytgxl · 05-09-2011, 10:19 AM

Setup by the traps all the way! in todays society with the right legal representive he would have got off the first charge of horse thief & had a good claim on his hands!

lilmattie · 05-09-2011, 11:18 AM

I've read the biography for Ned. The book, not the shortened wikipedia version.

Interesting read if anyone is interested.

He was put into a position (by the traps) that was common at the time, and he responded by standing up for himself and his family and was outlawed because of the false charges.. charge built on charge - some of which were true. But the original one of horse theft was false, but the injustice was what caused him to make the decisions he did.

He's iconic because he stood up for himself, his family and what he believed in, not because of his outlawed actions.

Trevor 57 · 06-09-2011, 12:40 AM

My dad was a 40 year Policeman, he had a book which was a transcript of one of Ned Kelly's trials, it was a great big book, about A3 potrait paper in size, I don't think it was the trial which had him hung, but it was very interesting reading, I don't know where it finished up, my dad died 3 years ago and it wasn't in in house, one of my dodgey brothers probably took it.

Velociraptor82 · 06-09-2011, 01:40 PM

I'm glad that Ned's remains are now free from the walls of pentridge. However I am also curious to find out what happened to his head. I'm guessing it was most likely souveneered when his remains were moved from the old Melbourne goal. But I like to joke that it was put on top of Tower Bridge alongside William Walace. lol

We have all made stupid mistakes and also done stupid things to escalate an issue caused by injustice and I think the the story of the Kelly gang is just that, escalation. It is a controversy opinon that seems to be accetped by most experts in this area but obviosly opposed to by members of the government and police force fearful that more people would stand up to them if Ned was branded a hero.

As I understand it begins with Ned being arrested for horse steeling in his teens. At the time the poor farmers couldn't afford to mark their livestock and there was little fencing. Often a horse would wonder onto the land of a rich farmer who would then brand the horse as his own. Upon finding this out Ned then stole the horse back but was caught. Since the horse was marked with the rich guys label. Ned was charged.

A little later on it was apparent that one of the officers (I get the officers names mixed up) had developed an interest in Ned's sister however she was not. One night he called on her drunk trying to force his intensions on her, swinging his gun around. The family were able to subdue him but not before he shot his own hand. Ned's family treated the wound trying to advoid any repocussions however sadly it didn't stop him from running back to the police station and telling everyone that Ned Kelly had shot him. Ned wasn't even there. However this started the man hunt that resulted in the shootout at Stringybark creek. After that Ned figured that the police force was already trying to kill him so what difference does it make to rob a few banks. He wrote the famous Jerildrie letter to spite the governmenthe destroyed morgage papers which made him a hero of the people. Those people would never turn him in, even for 8000 pounds.

Sorry for the dodgy placename spelling.

Trevor 57 · 06-09-2011, 02:20 PM

Interesting the remains of the Kelly homestead are still near Benalla, the local council put up a sign directing people to where they were, the locals keep taking it down, people were stealing the house reamins, they are now overgrown and are safe from theives.

pottery beige · 06-09-2011, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Trev

Interesting the remains of the Kelly homestead are still near Benalla, the local council put up a sign directing people to where they were, the locals keep taking it down, people were stealing the house reamins, they are now overgrown and are safe from theives.

how cool.. any idea where??.. wouldnt mind a chunk for my bar...