A Robin Hood of Australia: Why Ned Kelly is not a Hero

Ned Kelly is an Australian Bushranger born in 1854. He lived in North-Eastern Victoria. He was born to a former Irish Convict; He was born in an unjust society. Was he a Hero who defended the rights of poor people and his family or a Victim who was treated badly by the Police and the Government or a cold-blooded Villain who murdered and robbed? With no doubt, he was a Villain who terrorized people and robbed the rich. There is little to no evidence that he was a Robin Hood of Australia who gave the money to the poor. He has been falsely praised as a hero.

Ned Kelly established an infamous gang known as the Kelly Gang, they robbed banks and kept hostages against their will, the only reason Kelly is praised as a hero is because the people of Victoria were longing for a hero. Ned murdered three Policemen and his gang cold-bloodedly killed a man named Aaron Sherritt in front of his pregnant wife and mother.

The book, Black Snake, is biased. It is an opinion or someone’s point of view of true events. In addition, after reviewing Black Snake again to see if this was true, it was. We had been made to believe he was a brave hero defending the people. And the events at Stringybark Creek where Constable Scanlon ducked for cover and tried to kill Ned is because a Police Officer’s main goal when being attacked is to defend yourself and colleagues if necessary, According to an interview with a Police officer

Another reason that Ned was a villain is because that he was a con artist. He stole then resold livestock under a different signature. That is a con artist. Therefore, to sum up from here, he robbed and killed people and was a con. He did not spend his stolen wealth on the poor. He also planned to derail a train off a hill and massacre its occupants, which brings us to the next reason. 

Ned and his infamous gang decided to plan the derailment of a train and a massacre of everyone inside it, which sounds disturbing to what we have discussed so far. “Everyone in 19th Century Colonial Victoria had a hard life, but that does not turn him or her into murderers and massacrers.” The gang also brutally murdered Aaron Sherritt, an old friend of Joe Bryne, He shot him at his house in front of his pregnant wife and mother. They had no mercy for him.

To conclude, Ned Kelly and his infamous gang were ruthless men who murdered, robbed and conned. They were, with no doubt, heroes. And that the book Black Snake, is biased, It only has the point of view of Carole Wilkinson. Ned and his gang are continually praised as a hero of the people, but society has to know real version of Ned Kelly.