Ned Kelly - Australian Bushranger Quiz

Answer: Joe Byrne, Dan Kelly, Steve Hart

Ned and Dan were brothers born in 1854 and 1861 respectively. Steve Hart was born in 1860 and was from Wangaratta. He was a year older than Dan and so became his best mate. Joe Byrne was born at Woolshed near Beechworth in 1857 and received a good education.

He acted as scribe and wrote out the plans for the attacks upon banks and other comtemplated robberies, which were rigidly adhered to.

Answer: November 11 1880

November 11 is also a significant date in Australian history. It is Remembrance Day for the armed forces who served in WW1 when the Armistice was signed. It was also the date that the Ballarat Reform League was formed which ultimately led to the Eureka Stockade rebellion, in 1854.

It is also the anniversary of the dismissal of the Prime Minister Gough Whitlam in 1975 by the Governor General at the time, Sir John Kerr. With that came the famous words said by Gough on the steps of Parliament House, 'Well may we say God Save the Queen, for nothing will save the Governor General!'

Answer: Old Melbourne Gaol

The Old Melbourne Gaol is now a National Trust Building that has Ned's death mask and one of the suits of armour on display. You can also see the scaffold from where he was hanged.

Answer: 7

He was third in the family and the oldest male. He had 5 sisters, Mary, Anne, Maggie, Kate and Grace and two brothers Jim and of course Dan. Shortly after his father died in 1866, his mother Ellen moved the family near to Greta in north-east Victoria where Ned did jobs such as mustering, fencing, and ring-barking to supplement the family income.

Answer: His mother, Ellen

Ellen, mother of 8 Kelly children and 3 to George King her successive husband (who disappeared in 1878) was sentenced to 3 years gaol for attempted murder. Her first court appearance was for abusing a neighbour and she was fined 2 pounds. She also had 3 charges dismissed by the magistrate at the time for selling sly grog and furious riding.

Answer: He was shot in the legs

The only part of his body that wasn't covered in armour. He was shot in the legs, and he shouted 'You mongrel' followed by 'I'm done, I'm done.'

Answer: 4 suits

The armour was made from both stolen and donated mouldboards (parts of ploughs) around the Greta area. There were 30 odd mouldboards required to make the four sets of armour. Two mouldboards were straightened out, cut to shape and riveted together to form a breastplate, with another 2 or 3 forming a backplate. Each set had an apron to protect the groin and at least Ned had a similar piece at the rear. All had helmets but Ned alone had shoulder caps.

The problem with the helmets was that you could only see straight ahead and not to the side.

His armour weighed 97 pounds (44 kgs).

Answer: False

It is known with a fair degree of certainty that the Kelly Gang did not do any jobs in conjunction with other bushrangers. With Dan Morgan, however, it was an impossibility because he was killed in 1865 when Ned would have been 11 or 12 years old.

Answer: 2141 pounds

All the patrons of the Royal Mail Hotel were held captive while Ned and Joe went next door and robbed the bank. This was a very large amount for the time.

Answer: ah well, I suppose

Over 60,000 people petitioned the Court to have his sentence reprieved but to no avail. At the trial Ned said to the sentencing Judge Redmond Barry that he would see him in Hell. Barry died 12 days later. He was also the judge that sentenced Ellen Kelly in the Fitzpatrick Affair.

Some believe that his last words may have been: "ah well I suppose it has come to this". Re his alleged last words of "such is life" - this is now considered an invented romanticised myth. His execution was witnessed by police officials and journalist, as well as prison guards.
(per State Librarty of Victoria and Monash University, amongst many others).