Daring Facts About Ned Kelly, Australia's Robin Hood
The Last Bushranger
Through the late 1800s, Ned Kelly and his gang of bushrangers looted, pillaged, and terrorized the authorities in Australia—and are still seen as heroes to some.
1. He Had Trouble In His Blood
Long before Ned Kelly became a legendary outlaw, his father proved the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. Ned’s father—John “Red” Kelly—was Irish-born, but was sent to an Australian penal colony in the mid-1800s after stealing two pigs.
At 28, Red gained his freedom and started a family with Ellen Quinn in Australia, but he didn’t leave his illicit activity in the past.
2. His Father Set A Bad Example
The land the Kellys had settled on was unforgiving, and Red eventually turned to drinking. In 1866, this got him in trouble with the law, but not before he had already been caught with stolen hide the year before.
Nevertheless, Ned proved to have something different in his blood.
3. He Was A Local Hero
One story about Ned came from his childhood when, after seeing a child drowning in a creek, Ned disregarded his own safety and saved the boy. Afterward, the boy’s family awarded Ned a green sash in gratitude.
This sense of responsibility would serve him well.
4. He Stepped Up
Only a couple of days after Christmas in 1866, Red sadly passed as a result of his drinking issues. Ned was left to be the man of the house, but this didn’t stop him from getting in with the wrong crowd.
