‘Joe Byrne was physically the finest, and morally the least objectionable member of the gang, and he carried the brains of the entire party. Tall, straight, good looking, fairly well educated, and certainly clever, he might have had an honourable and successful career but for the bias towards crime, or the fascination of adventure, that … Continue reading The Finest of the Four
‘Sherritt was an extraordinary man. He could stand anything-endure any hardship. He thought nothing of sleeping out in the wet and cold and letting beetles and things run all over him. One day constable Dixon was in the hut and said to Sherritt, “Didn’t you say you could lick any man in the police force?” … Continue reading An Extraordinary Man
If life as an outlaw wasn’t hard enough, on top of this were the health issues Ned was also dealing with. While being far removed from the comforts of life inside the law, Ned was suffering from sciatica, a chronic condition caused by damage to the sciatic nerve, which would have left him with considerable … Continue reading The Health of Ned Kelly
The term bushranger is defined as being ‘an outlaw living in the bush’, or in America, ‘a person who has broken the law, especially one who remains at large or is a fugitive,’ with both of these definitions relevant to Joe’s situation. Living outside the law, Joe had been stripped of the right to live … Continue reading The Bushranger
Constable Alexander’s description of the Byrne house: ‘The hut is composed of slabs, with a bark roof, and has two small windows in front. It is situated at the foot of the range in a clearing of considerable extent, so that it presents a conspicuous object from any point of view. About 20 yards from … Continue reading The Byrne House
In late January 1876, Joe and Aaron bring a roan coloured calf into Camp Street to be slaughtered by Sherritt butcher James Warner. The calf isn’t branded and Aaron tells the butcher he would like the hide back for the purpose of making whips. As it is a hot day and Warner being without pigs, … Continue reading A Roan Coloured Calf
“My men are in rags and must be fed.” On the 2nd of November 1878, a week after the tragedy at Stringybark Creek, the Kelly Gang, soaking wet and thoroughly exhausted, called at the Victoria Hotel in Everton. According to Mary Vandenberg, she had just closed up for the night and was going to bed … Continue reading A Plate of Stew
In the winter of 1879, the gang retreated into the Buffalo Ranges where they lived in a hut above the snowline. When interviewed after his capture, Ned told a reporter ‘they had been amongst snow’ and at times ‘had to clear several feet of snow off a hut they lived in to prevent it from … Continue reading A Hut in the Ranges
“It is now known for a certainty that Byrne often slept on the premises of a man who lives within two miles of Beechworth. This man, on hearing of the destruction of the gang and the death of Byrne, absolutely shed tears." The man may have been Dick Murphy, a Sebastopol local who was a … Continue reading A Hut in the Woolshed
The following description of Joe was made after the raid at Jerilderie. “Byrne stands nearly six feet high, long features, fair complexion and an effeminate cast of countenance, and of a nervous disposition; his manner is quiet and he appears to a casual observer an inoffensive man.” From the Bendigo Advertiser, 19 February 1879.
