Ned Kelly is probably Australia’s most regarded bushranger. More books, songs and websites have been written about Ned Kelly and the Kelly Gang than any other group of Australian historical figures. Born to Irish Catholics, his father was a convict and mother a migrant. His father was arrested and goaled for horse stealing when Ned was young and died before finishing his sentence leaving Ned to be the main bread winner. At age 14 he was sent to live with and learn from Harry Power, a bushranger who was friends with the Kelly’s extended family, the Quinns. In order for his family to survive Ned Kelly was forced to resort to stealing stock and other illegal activities and, as a result of an unfair accusation, was gaoled at the age of 15, initially for 3 months and then again, not long after his release for receiving a stolen horse which he did not know was stolen. This time it was for 3 years hard labour from which he returned a grown and hardened man. A number of unfortunate events led to Kelly’s mother being gaoled for shooting Constable Fitzpatrick as she tried to protect her daughter from being assaulted by him. Although he’d only been shot in the wrist and she had tended to him, fed him and had agreeance from him that the incident would go no further he later returned with police telling a different story. He stated that he’d been hit on the head with a shovel in an ambush by Kelly sympathisers while being shot at three times by Ned Kelly despite Ned being 400 miles away. His mother was sentenced to 3 years hard labour which incensed Kelly and consequently led to his retreat into the bush with his brother Dan and their two friends, Steve Hart and Joe Byrne, formally known as the Kelly Gang. A police party of four set out to track them down and were ‘jumped’ by the Kelly Gang at Stringybark Creek which resulted in a shoot-out and three of the police being killed. The Kelly Gang went on to rob two banks, one at Euroa, the other at Jeilderie, which earned them around £4,400. They also murdered a friend who had turned police informant. In 1879 they built their metal armour for which they are famous and on 27th June, 1880 they were responsible for the Glenrowan siege which was to be their downfall. Three of the Kelly gang were killed and Ned Kelly was shot and captured. He was tried, sentenced to death then hanged on 11th November 1880.