Ned Kelly

Rare card · No. 15071

Edward Kelly (December 1854 – 11 November 1880) (nicknamed "Ned") was an Australian bushranger, gang leader and police-murderer. One of the last bushrangers, he is known for wearing a homemade suit of bulletproof armour during his final shootout with the police. Kelly was born and raised in rural Victoria, the third of eight children to Irish parents. His father, a transported convict, died in 1866, leaving Kelly, then aged 12, as the eldest male of the household. The Kellys were a poor selector family who saw themselves as downtrodden by the squattocracy and as victims of persecution by the Victoria Police. While a teenager, Kelly was arrested for associating with bushranger Harry Power and served two prison terms for a variety of offences, the longest stretch being from 1871 to 1874. He later joined the "Greta Mob", a group of bush larrikins known for stock theft. A violent confrontation with a policeman occurred at the Kelly family's home in 1878, and Kelly was indicted for his attempted...

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