The Treacherous Thomas Kenton
Matthew Brady was not a killer by nature, but there was one man that pushed him to breaking point: a traitor who played both sides of the law for fools. Continue reading The Treacherous Thomas Kenton
Tag: murder
The most grisly bushranger stories
[Warning: The content in this article may be distressing for some readers. Discretion is advised.] Justin Kurzel’s hyper-stylised and ultraviolent interpretation of True History of the Kelly Gang received positive reviews when it debuted in Toronto in September 2019 and … Continue reading The most grisly bushranger stories
Spotlight: Inquest on the Bodies of Nesbitt and Wernicke
What follows is a report on the inquest conducted into the deaths of the bushrangers James Nesbitt and Gus Wernicke along with a brief account of the condition of Constable Webb-Bowen following his wounding at McGlede’s farm. While some details, … Continue reading Spotlight: Inquest on the Bodies of Nesbitt and Wernicke
The Gilbert-Hall Gang: An Overview
Beyond the Kelly Gang, only one other bushranging gang has truly cemented its place in the culture of Australia so firmly and become synonymous with bushranging. The early 1860s belonged to a rotating roster of brigands that operated mostly on the Lachlan Plains and came to be known under the name of their most distinguished member, Ben Hall. They were said to have committed hundreds of crimes ranging from robbery to murder. The following is not a detailed account of their story as the sheer scale of their depredations makes for heavy reading, but rather it is a summary of the career of the most legendary bushranging gang of the 1860s. Continue reading The Gilbert-Hall Gang: An Overview
The Kelly Gang: An Overview
Few figures in history reach the notoriety and cultural impact of the Kelly Gang. As so much is easily available on the subject already, here is an easily digestible summary of the so-called Kelly Outbreak. For more detailed information, there … Continue reading The Kelly Gang: An Overview
Joe Byrne: An Overview
Joseph Byrne was the eldest son of Patrick (Paddy) and Margret Byrne (nee White). Paddy was the son of an ex-convict from County Carlow, his mother was from County Clare and had travelled to Australia due to the Great Famine. … Continue reading Joe Byrne: An Overview
Dan Kelly: An Overview
Forever consigned to popular culture as Ned Kelly’s little brother, Dan Kelly was a young man of only nineteen when he lost his life fighting the police. Like so many “boy bushrangers” his young life was snuffed out without him … Continue reading Dan Kelly: An Overview
Literature Competition Entry #3: Fragments from an Outlaw’s Journal by Georgina Stones
Joe Byrne reflects on the murder of Aaron Sherritt and some of his formative experiences, as he waits in the Glenrowan Inn for the police train in this competition entry from Georgina Stones. Continue reading Literature Competition Entry #3: Fragments from an Outlaw’s Journal by Georgina Stones
The Murder of William Drew
In October 1817, the bushranger Michael Howe was finally captured. He had been on the run with a string of raids, murders and arson attacks in his wake attributed to his former gang, said to have been 24 members strong … Continue reading The Murder of William Drew
Forgotten Bushrangers: Robert Burke
Robert Burke (aka Bourke) was a small time bushranger who had one major incident in his career that made him particularly noteworthy, as many bushrangers tended to. Hardly prolific, Bourke gained his spot in the pantheon by an unfortunate incident that ended in disaster at a station in Diamond Creek. Continue reading Forgotten Bushrangers: Robert Burke
