Glenrowan - The Big Ned Kelly Statue
Ned Kelly has been immortalized by being made into a towering 6 metre statue in the town of Glenrowan which is the place of the last siege of the Kelly Gang and the deaths of three of its members.
The Big Ned Kelly Statue stands guard over the historic township of Glenrowan and is situated on the corner of Gladstone and Kate Streets right in front of the Glenrowan Post Office Newsagency.
Chris & Rod Gerrett, proprietors of Kate's Cottage Gift & Souvenir Shop, commissioned the statue asking for one "befitting a national legend." Big Ned was made by special effects technician Kevin Thomas at Proto Patterns, in the Sydney suburb of Ingleburn. At 6 metres high and 1 1/2 tonnes, the fibreglass composite was too big for his usual workshop and a larger shed to do the 4 months' worth of work in had to be hired.
The text on the plaque at the bottom of the Big Ned.
Ned Kelly- Hanged a murderer in Melbourne, November 11,1880 - not 26 years old - described as a rebel, bushranger by necessity, a bush battler, underdog, sometimes gentleman, sometimes larrikin and a man with a strong sense of family.
In a country born of brutal convict settlement, the Kellys were one of many to suffer the English notions of class destruction , property and land tenure and Anglo-Irish hatreds. With the continued persecution of his family by the Police Ned fought back, donning his armour made from plough mould-boards here at Glenrowan, June 1880, made Ned Kelly an Australian Legend.
"He has lost much blood and gone two nights without sleep, he is borne down by the weight of armour. The air is still, the earth icy, the mists of dawn just hang. This is the moment of history. Kelly might have escaped here. Having witnessed the death of Joe Byrne from a massive haemorrhage from a bullet to the groin - most men would have given up here, if not before. Instead Kelly went back to rescue his brother and Steve Hart.
Armed, he lurches through the mist, hulking, swaying, clanging, taunting - the legend is born.
Review:
Here is the chance to stand beside a massive Ned Kelly. For some reason it was difficult to entice the family out of the car - I don't understand why.
Photos:
Location
Cnr Gladstone St and Kate St, Glenrowan 3675 Map
Web Links
→ The Official Ned Kelly Touring Route on Facebook
