1998 School Magazine

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Girls 6rammar ^ichool jusrisbane 1998

unD KELLY:

The Real Me

1story has treated me in a callous way. 11 is said I am The hostages were secured in the Glenrowan inn. I did not Australia's most famous bushranger, murderer and villain. harm a single one but the police were so eager to get their hands But this is not the truth of things. There were reasons for what on me they ended Lip killing or injuring most of the hostages I had sabotaged the railway line, hoping the impatient and wild I did men in blue suits would plunge to their deaths. But all to no My family and I were quite poor and we all needed money avail. The plan failed because the train master informed the to be fed and clothed so I became what you could call a police common horse thief. I made a living by stealing horses and smuggling them into New South Wales. This was a very risky My protective gear to shield me was homemade armour job, always having to oLit think the police to avoid capture. I was fabricated from stolen ploughshares, as I had not the money to first arrested at the age of fifteen on suspicion of armed robbery, afford anything better. This armour, unfortunately, was nor arrested again for drunkenness and eventually gaoled for horse enoughto protectme dLiring the bloodthirsty battle at Glenrowan I was wounded badly: twenty-eight times in all. Captured and stealing transported to Melbourne by train, I was put on trial once all my I turned to crime because I was proud of my Irish back- wounds had healed Judge Redmond Barry sentenced me to ground and hated the British for arresting my mother, Ellen, for death and I said to him "1'11 see yoLi in hell". I was hung at the aiding and abetting me. Nor only that but I despised them for young age of twenty-five the way they had mis- on the 11th of November treated my father, Red 1880 saying "such is life", Kelly, an Irish convict. I while the crowd num- left a letter saying the beling four thousand above after one of my stood silently in the street While at hold-u ps outside Stringybark Creek, I killed Far from being a vil- Ihi'ee policemen. The po- lain, I am regarded as a lice were there to arrest Robin Hood character, a me for hoi'se stealing bur gentleman misunder- had earlier triggered Iny stood and heroic. My life anger because of the way has been tLirned into TITey had treated my pal'- something legendary and Grits, especially when they tile alea in whicli I lived tool< lily 1110ther into cus- is now 1

Then artei two 1110nths in litding, desperately needing In oney, I lield Lip tile Banl{ of New SoullT Wales in. Ierildetie, taking the w1}o1e town nostage in ille process, ITolding the IT\ in the Royal Mail Hotel. 111erded the police into their own PI is on cells, whicli is where I thought they beloi\ged. I stole tileir clothes and dressed as a trooper so as not to be IToticed. Tilen came the ramoLis siege at GlenrowaiT wheie I lield sixty people ITostage to give 111e the Lipper nand against the police

by DOMINIQl. re MAYO Winning entry (Class O Royal Coriumonwealth Society of Queensland ESSAY COMPETfTION 1997

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