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Bridget Harris 2007 (Modern History/Museum Studies Honours Project)
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Chequered Knights
True Blue and White Lies - Australia's anti-police myth and the moments that made it
Curated by Bridget Harris
Criminal Hero and Letterbox – Ned Kelly in Popular Culture
"Foreigners are beginning to talk…is this fixation with Ned Kelly merely another proof of their cultural immaturity? What curious hangup has created this bizarre obsession?"
J.D. Pringle. 'Ned Kelly: R.I.P'. Sydney Morning Herald. 20th March 1971.
Bushranger, hero, villain, criminal, icon. The endurance of the Kelly story in popular culture demonstrates how his character has become entwined with the Australian national character. But his story is largely obscured by legend. While Kelly's armour has provided a symbol for his character, it has also prevented us from discovering the man underneath. But the question must be asked, is the reality relevant?
Kelly was well aware of the communal fascination with the bushranger and played up to this image. It was a career he avidly pursued. Kelly presented himself as the victim, the oppressed, aligned with struggling selectors in Victoria. He complained of police persecution and portrayed himself not as a man who chose a life of crime, but a life of resistance. Kelly sought support and a loyal fan base, consolidated by the linking of is character with the archetypal Robin Hood figure. The burning of mortgages during bank robberies of allowed the evidence of selectors debts to be erased, providing them with a second chance. This was a heroic deed, which saved a great many families. Yet it was also a brilliant act, theatrically, which guaranteed supporters.
"The brutal and cowardly conduct of a parcel of big ugly fat-necked wombat headed big bellied magpie legged narrow hipped splay-footed sons…better known as Officers of Justice or Victorian Police…A Policeman is a disgrace to his country, not along to the mother that suckled him".
Ned Kelly, The Jerilderie Letter.
The Jerilderie Letter, said to be written by Ned Kelly, 1879.
This letter, like the Cameron letter was one of many Kelly allegedly wrote or dictated, to present his story. It was a forum for Kelly to present his version of events, clear his name and gain support. It provided the inspiration for Peter Carey's text The True History of The Kelly Gang.
Since 1906 there have been films about Ned Kelly. For several decades in the early 20th century, many bushranging films were banned as it was believed they would incite criminality. Therefore Kelly films produced in this period had moralistic overtones, with the gang presented as senseless, evil rogues and the police as heroes. Kelly is a timeless character, epitomized as opposed to representing the 'Australian character'. Despite these readings, Kelly largely continued to be seen as a hero, guilty legally but not necessarily morally. There were reports in the 1930s of children cheering in When the Kelly's Rode the Gang evaded police capture. The fascination with the Kelly story has continued, with films and television serials produced, even as recently as 2003.
Ned Kelly Record, 1968. Private Collection.
Yet perhaps the strongest seal of approval for Kelly was given by an incredibly influential generation – the baby boomers with a production in 1968 featuring music and performances by Rolling Stone Mick Jagger. Though he still commands a crowd, the rock icon became Ned Kelly at the height of his career, proving Kelly was cool and internationally known.
However, for police and families of officers killed by the Kelly Gang, Kelly has been viewed more skeptically.
Siege of Glenrowan, First Day Cover, 1980. Private Collection.
He may be a criminal hero but he is certainly a criminal, a cop killer.
When the Federal Government issued this commemorative first day cover in 1980, there were public objections and criticism from the Queensland Police Union and Victorian Police Association.
More recently the character of Ned Kelly has been channeled by iconic gangster, Mark Brandon 'Chopper' Read. Read has been paralleled with Kelly by fans, and himself, in artwork produced. 'Chopper' is a figure of fascination, with bestselling books, a film and games, one more in a series of criminal heroes. Reading the words of both, there are uncanny resemblances between the two; "Do not get me wrong, I am just a regular bloke who, through his own means has tried to do his bit for society…Corrupt cops, corrupt and laying governments and governor generals…who can you trust?". Chopper Read
Get Your Bloody Ears Off Ned.
Metal sculpture by Mark Brandon 'Chopper' Read, 2006. Private Collection.
This work, like other sculptures and paintings recently created by Read, draws on the iconography of Kelly and the link between the two 'criminal heroes'. The gangster, anti-authoritarian figure of both men is internationally recognized. Read, like Kelly has extensive fame and a loyal legion of fans. If not appreciated, Read is certainly recognized as a prominent Australian.
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