Sunshine Coast Hinterland Times

Ned Kelly is Australia’s most notorious outlaw and his capture at Glenrowan in 1878 was a drama of epic proportions. Late last year Hinterland heritage consultant Steve Chaddock (left) was invited to help excavate the controversial site of the seige of Glenrowan, and to be part of a documentary recently broadcast on ABC Television. The documentary was presented by eccentric comedian, Tony Robinson from British TV’s Time Team.
While the Kelly story has been well told, Steve Chaddock says new discoveries at Glenrowan were exciting.
The main dig area was the site of Ann Jones’ Inn, where the Kelly Gang ‘bailed up’ hostages on June 27 1878. It was here that more than 50 police finally cornered the four gang members, killing three of them.
Ned Kelly was the only survivor, despite being shot many times. Ned recovered in Melbourne jail and eventually stood trial. He was sentenced to death by hanging and died on November 11 1880.
Steve says the most interesting finds were made at Ann Jones’ Inn.
“Lead bullets, melted by the heat of the fire, were found on the front side of the internal wall and, on the other side, in a room now thought to have been used as a reloading area, small arms cartridge cases were discovered.
“A remarkable discovery was made using modern forensic techniques – one of the cartridge cases found on the site had been fired by Ned Kelly’s gun. Burnt bone fragments were also found in this reloading area and may have belonged to one of the gang members.
“Throughout the excavation it was interesting to discuss current attitudes to Ned Kelly with Kelly Gang experts such as author, Ian Jones and academic historian Alex McDermott. A hard day excavating on site was often followed by lively discussion over a few beers. Was Ned representing just the Irish interests in Victoria or did the ‘establishment’ keep a broader section of society down? How strong was local support for the Kelly Gang and could they really have expected to stage a localised revolution in North East Victoria?”
It was interesting that in the ABC television documentary even experts like Jones and McDermott were seen to disagree heatedly over the implications of the Kelly story.
Tony Robinson’s team built timber reconstructions of the Ann Jones Inn and a remake of Kelly’s famous armour was shot at to see how well it withstood 19th century gunfire. A part of the reconstructed building was deliberately burnt down in order to understand how glass bottles filled with alcohol would have contributed to the destruction of the inn.
“There are not many people who sit on the fence in Glenrowan”, says Steve. “Feelings still run strongly in relation to the Kellys. Of course, we were stirring up the stories again through the excavation, and people often told us what they thought about Ned and his gang. He is either seen as a hero or a criminal. There is no in between. Whatever the true nature of Ned Kelly, his modern image is of a man prepared to stand up to authority, a trait that has always appealed strongly to the Australian character.
Three days before he was to be executed, for example, a petition was presented to the Victorian governor with more than 32,000 signatures. It took the Executive Council one hour to decide that the execution would go ahead.
In Glenrowan the sound of gunfire continues to be heard over the loudspeakers at the Ned Kelly Experience on the main street, and Steve Chaddock is delighted to have had his own experience of excavating one of Australia’s iconic sites. “Our recent excavations at Glenrowan will contribute to the ongoing and evolving story of Ned Kelly and his gang, and our discoveries will now take their place along with other memorabilia in Kelly country”.