Remains of Notorious Bushranger Found

On March 9, 2008, it was announced that archaeologists had found the bones of Australia’s most infamous bushranger. Edward “Ned” Kelly was born in January of 1855, to an Irish convict father and farmer mother. He was one of eight children, and grew up in Victoria, Australia.

From the age of just 14, Ned was accused of several crimes, including assault and cattle-rustling, and was often unfairly persecuted by police. This led to the accidental shooting of three policemen, and several bank robberies. By this time there was a reward of over 8000 pounds for the ‘Kelly Gang’, and it was at this time that Ned wrote his infamous Jerilderie Letter.

On the 28th of June 1880, the Kelly Gang had a final confrontation with the police, in which they wore the extraordinary armour suits that are still easily recognised in today’s popular culture.
Ned was captured, and sentenced death by hanging, and on the 11th of November, 1880, he murmured his famous last words “Such is life.”

Now, over 120 years later, it is believed that his remains have finally been uncovered. A mass grave, containing the bones of several individuals was found last week, following the unearthing of a Department of Justice document yielding information about the bodies.

“We still have some testing to do, but it’s pretty clear that we’ve found them...” stated Heritage Victoria archaeologist Jeremy Smith. “Ned Kelly’s remains were not handled with a great degree of care...”

The mass graves were found near the eastern end of Old Melbourne Gaol, which was closed down in 1929, after over 136 hangings occurred.

Plans for the remains are yet to be finalised, although it is believed that a publicly accessible cemetery will be created, in memory of all the prisoner’s executed in Victoria during this time.