One night, Paddy Byrne told Jack Sherritt, “Joe has been home and got some clothes, and cleared out; is not he a bloody smart fellow?” The next morning, according to Jack, “I met two of the cave party—Alexander and Armstrong—and I told them about Byrne being home last night, and they seemed like as if … Continue reading The Cunning of Aaron Sherritt
On an unknown day in September 1875, Joe rose from his slumber in Aaron’s hut at Sheepstation Creek and saddled his mare for another day of ‘roaming about the Woolshed.’ With his pipe clenched between his teeth and the reins threaded loosely through his fingers, Joe rode on, following the banks of Stoney Creek until … Continue reading Joe Byrne and the Discarded Saddle
On the morning of the 13th of September 1873, the temptation to take Anton Wick’s horse, which hasn’t been ridden for two months, is too great for Joe and he catches the black gelding and takes him up to Kennedy’s yard. Saddling and bridling the horse with either his, or Kennedy’s tack, Joe mounts and … Continue reading The Black Gelding
On the 31st of May in 1876, Joe and Aaron spent their first day locked within the granite walls of Beechworth Gaol. They had been given a six month sentence for stealing and butchering the El Dorado School cow, which was to be served with hard labour. Upon his arrival into Beechworth Gaol, Joe was … Continue reading Two Prisoners
In July 1879, Aaron bought a couple of horses from Edward Barry, Belle’s father, for £6. Unbeknownst to him and Belle, however, these horses had been stolen by Barry and the authorities had been attempting to track their whereabouts for some time, with Barry having since gone to Wagga Wagga.Later, in early March 1880, Aaron … Continue reading Two Chestnut Mares
On the night of the 3rd of December 1879, Joe and Aaron visited Ye Fang’s store in Sebastopol, where they purchased a bottle of gin, tobacco and opium.During Jack’s evidence at the Royal Commission in 1881 he stated, “I saw the Chinaman at the Chinese store, Ye Fang, I was in there one day. I … Continue reading Tobacco and Gin
‘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
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
"I always said this bloody armour would bring us to grief." The armour was never Joe’s idea and nor did he like it. This is evident in the exasperated words he declared to Ned at Glenrowan. “This bloody armour” are not the words of a man who had put forward the idea of mouldboard armour, … Continue reading This Bloody Armour
2020, what a year it was. Like good Irish whiskey mixed with coke, there has been a bubbly mixture of good and bad, and as I reflect on it all, I realise that despite all that was poured in my glass this year, I was offered more Connemara than coke. Obviously there have been hardships. … Continue reading 2020 – A Reflection
