Justice in Kelly Country

Partway through the Jerilderie Letter, Ned Kelly accused Senior Constable Anthony Strahan of threatening him: 'he would shoot me ... like a dog.' Those few fateful words have echoed through Australian history and been the cause of much bloodshed and violence. They ushered in a national myth: the legend of the Kelly Gang. For two days after Anthony reputedly made his threat, Ned and his gang shot dead three police in an event now known as the Stringybark Creek killings. Ned's reason for opening fire? He thought one cop was Anthony. Lachlan Strahan, Anthony's great-great-grandson, grew up believing Ned Kelly was a heroic outlaw and Anthony the ruthless cop who pursued him. Yet as Lachlan began to explore his ancestor's life, he discovered an alternative story. This is a tale about justice and retribution, morality and vengeance. It is about making a life against the odds in a wild frontier society. It is also a story of inheritance: of the words passed from father to son, and the myths we choose to preserve.