Friday, 1 July 2022
Vale Tommy Dysart
Scottish-Australian actor Tommy Dysart has passed away. Some bushranger enthusiasts may remember him from brief appearances in Ben Hall and The Last Outlaw or as the mysterious wizard in the Glenrowan animated theatre.
Dysart had a long and varied career in film and television, but was most beloved for his appearances in advertisements for the Yellow Pages phone directory and Don Smallgoods.
Read more here: https://7news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/goggomobil-yellow-pages-and-prisoner-actor-tommy-dysart-dies-c-7181082
Kate Kelly exhibition
Rebecca Wilson, painter and author of the recent Kate Kelly book, is exhibiting her work this month. The exhibition will be hosted at the Parkes Library on 15 July, Wilson will be doing a talk for the opening night event on Monday 4 July. Admission to the talk is a gold coin donation with RSVP required in advance for catering purposes Entry to see the exhibition is free.
Read more here: https://artsoutwest.org.au/events/the-kate-kelly-collection/
Eliza Reilly Hops On The Anti-Ned Bandwagon
Eliza Reilly, author of Sheilas: Badass Women of Australian History, has made her views on Ned Kelly abundantly clear in a piece for The Sydney Morning Herald and in an interview on ABC Radio. Her dismal assessment of Ned as a “tin-hat weirdo” whose story has been done to death extends to those who have a fascination with him. In her opinion piece, Reilly states that a more important historical figure is Grace Tame who she refers to as a “Rebel, game changer, outlaw. This sheila is the real deal.”
If you would like to read Reilly’s take on Ned you can do so here: https://www.smh.com.au/culture/celebrity/enough-of-this-tin-hat-weirdo-australia-needs-a-new-cultural-hero-20220620-p5av39.html
The Jones Family Meets Ned Kelly
The Yarrawonga Chronicle published a piece this month about a reputed link between the Kelly Gang and the Jones family at Mulwala.
The article explains that as the story goes the bushrangers visited Mary Jones’ saloon near Mulwala cemetery while on their way to Jerilderie. They bought drinks and chaff and miraculously avoided detection by the police. They also reputedly met Mrs. Jones’ daughter the next day and Ned yelled at Steve for frightening the girl after he tried to steal her horse.
Read more here: https://www.sheppnews.com.au/news/the-jones-family-meets-ned-kelly/
New Edition of Glenrowan Released
Glenrowan, Definitive Edition, launched on 28 June in conjunction with the anniversary of the Glenrowan siege. The new version of the book includes revised and expanded text, new illustrations and bonus material, bringing the page count to just under six hundred.
The book will be available online as a print-on-demand title worldwide. For more information you can go to glenrowanthenovel.com or the Facebook page Glenrowan – by Aidan Phelan.
Mini-Spotlight
Punishment Hood
Punishment hood: In the mid to late colonial period prisoners were often made to wear hoods that covered their face to prevent other inmates from recognising them. This was combined with absolute silence, being housed in individual cells, and restricted exercise and labour to force the prisoners to be trapped with their conscience and contemplate the error of their ways.
Prisoners were made to communicate with warders using sign language, and often times the corridors would be carpeted to muffle the sound of the warders footsteps. In more extreme cases, such as seen at the Port Arthur separate prison, the isolation and silence induced madness.
This example is on display at Old Melbourne Gaol.