Bushrangers

The term "bushranger" was first used to describe individuals who lived in the bush and supported themselves by their survivalist skills during the early years of European settlement in Australia. It later came to mean persons who lived in the bush and supported themselves through criminal activity, such as highway robbery and cattle and horse thieving. Bushranging was prevalent between the late eighteenth century and turn of the twentieth century and was most common in New South Wales, Van Dieman's Land (later Tasmania) and Victoria.

There are three distinct periods of bushrangers. During the first period, from about 1790 to 1850, convicts and free settlers who sought to escape their sentences or the harsh punishments of the penal colony fled to the bush. The second period lasted from 1851 to about 1870 and was characterised by bushrangers who engaged in illicit activities for gain or adventure. The third period was from about 1870 to 1900 and was dominated by gangs who committed flamboyant and daring acts.

Despite their crimes, many Australians glamorised bushrangers' activities and some bushrangers gained legendary status. Stories, films and legends were created about the bushrangers and became an important part of Australian folklore.

Background

The first British colony in Australia was New South Wales. Established as a penal colony, the first Europeans arrived in January 1788 and consisted of soldiers, their wives, and convicts who had been found guilty of crimes in Britain and transported to Australia to serve their sentences. Additional transports of convicts followed, and New South Wales served as a penal colony until 1823. By the mid-nineteenth century, convicts were also sent to Van Diemen's Land, Port Macquarie, Moreton Bay and Norfolk Island. Free settlers also followed, arriving in New South Wales beginning in 1793.

Life in the penal colonies was very difficult. Food and supplies were in short supply, especially during the early years, and many colonists faced starvation and other deprivations. Convicts provided the labour for developing the colonies and constructing their roads and buildings. Some convicts were assigned to private masters. Convicts who completed their sentences were freed, but they often had their sentences extended for minor infractions, such as stealing food or clothing.

Discipline—for both convicts and free settlers—was harsh, and individuals accused of minor crimes were subject to severe punishments, including public lashings and execution. People were sometimes accused of crimes they had not committed and unjustly punished, leading some Australians to consider the authorities corrupt and the judicial system unfair.

Three Periods of Bushranging

The first bushranger was John Caesar, also known as Black Caesar. An African convict transported to Australia for petty theft, he was sentenced to a life term for a second offense committed in Australia. He made his first escape in the spring of 1789 and fled to the bush, where he survived by stealing food from settlers' gardens and Aboriginal peoples. Quickly captured, additional escapes and captures followed. In December 1795 he escaped for the last time and headed a gang of convicts and other bushrangers who survived by stealing. The governor offered a reward for Caesar's capture, and he was shot to death in February 1796.

Other convicts and even a few settlers also fled to the bush. Some escaped believing that they could reach China or Java beyond the bush; others sought freedom from the colonies' harsh punishment at any cost. Most were captured shortly after they absconded and were returned to the colony and jailed or executed—often by public hangings intended as a deterrent. Many Australians had compassion for the bushrangers' plight, and some bushrangers were able to avoid detection and survived by fishing, hunting and aid from sympathisers.

By the 1810s, bushrangers had formed gangs and survived through raids on settlements, highway robberies and other illegal acts. Authorities declared martial law in a mostly unsuccessful attempt to control bushrangers. Notorious bushrangers of this period include Jack Donohoe, William Westwood, Edward Davis, John Whitehead, Michael Howe, Martin Cash and Matthew Brady.

The second period of bushranging began after gold was discovered in 1851. This period was dominated by native-born Australians who were attracted to adventure and easy wealth. Many lived in the bush and stole from people heading back from the gold fields in Victoria and New South Wales. Others robbed banks, inns and stagecoaches and terrorised settlers by raiding their homes and communities. Bushrangers often engaged in cruel acts, including torture and murder; for example, Charles Russell stripped clothing from his victims, filled their boots with venomous bull ants, tied them to trees or logs and left them to die. Shootouts with the police were common. Outbreaks of bushranging also occurred in Queensland and Western Australia. In 1865, the New South Wales government attempted to curb bushranging by enacting the Felons Apprehension Act, which allowed anyone to shoot a declared outlaw on sight. Significant bushrangers of this period include Ben Hall, John Gilbert, Frederick "Captain Thunderbolt" Ward, Frank Gardiner, Dan Morgan and John and Thomas Clarke.

The last period of bushranging began around the 1870s. It included convicts who had been transported from Ireland or their descendants and were political activists and agitators. These bushrangers often presented themselves as latter-day Robin Hoods who stole from the rich and gave to the poor; for example, one gang broke into a bank and burned mortgage debts. Many bushrangers decried the injustices of colonial Australia and justified their actions by asserting individuals had been unfairly accused and convicted of crimes they did not commit. The most well-known bushrangers of this period were Ned Kelly and his gang and the Governor brothers.

Impact

Bushrangers had a significant impact on the government of New South Wales by highlighting the ineptitudes of the authorities, which resulted in the first formal inquiry into the New South Wales police force. Colonial governors attempting to deal with the problem of bushranging occasionally acted in ways that were later deemed unconstitutional.

Perhaps more significantly, bushrangers have become an important part of Australia's national identity and folklore. Bushrangers were often portrayed as rugged individuals who withstood the mental and physical challenges of the bush and stood up to authorities. This image has shaped how Australians view themselves and are viewed by others. While historians and the public have debated whether bushrangers were heroes or villains, a considerable body of songs, poems, films and legends has formed that commemorates bushrangers. The most famous of these is the song "The Wild Colonial Boy", which celebrates Jack Donohoe's exploits and his fighting spirit, which is memorialised in the line "I'll fight but not surrender". Bushranger artefacts, such as Ned Kelly's helmet, armour and Jerilderie letter, are in the collections of museums such as the National Museum Australia. Two major films have been made about Ned Kelly and his gang. The 2003 film, Ned Kelly, starred Australian actor Heath Ledger in the title role, while British actor George MacKay played Kelly in the 2019 film, True History of the Kelly Gang.

Bibliography

"Bushrangers." Not Just Ned: A True History of the Irish in Australia, National Museum Australia, www.nma.gov.au/exhibitions/irish‗in‗australia/bushrangers. Accessed 18 June 2024.

"Bushrangers of New South Wales." Stories, State Library of New South Wales, www.sl.nsw.gov.au/stories/bushrangers-new-south-wales. Accessed 18 June 2024.

"5 Films Based on the Life of Ned Kelly." Culturefly, 28 Feb. 2020, culturefly.co.uk/5-films-based-on-the-life-of-ned-kelly/. Accessed 18 June 2024.

McHugh, Evan. The Bushrangers: Australia's Greatest Self-Made Heroes. Penguin Books, 2011.

Routt, William D. "More Australian than Aristotelian: The Australian Bushranger Film, 1904–1914." Senses of Cinema, vol. 18, Dec. 2001, sensesofcinema.com/2001/feature-articles/oz‗western. Accessed 18 June 2024.

Smit, Lauren. "Australia's Most Notorious Bushrangers." Australia Geographic, 23 Oct. 2014, www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/history-culture/2014/10/australias-most-notorious-bushrangers. Accessed 18 June 2024.

Wilson, Jane. "Bushrangers in the Australian Dictionary of Biography." Obituaries Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National U, 14 Apr. 2015, adb.anu.edu.au/essay/12. Accessed 18 June 2024.