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Heading off-road in a Ford Model T
Bold Ben Hall – Bushranger
From humble farmer to the most brutal takedown in Australia’s history. The story of Ben Hall – legendary Australian bushranger. The notion of a good man turned bad through the harassment by law enforcement agencies is nothing new in early Australian history, but in most cases, it is a notion based on romanticised fiction, rather than fact. Perhaps the most famous tale along these lines is that of old Ned Kelly, however, the harsh truth is that Ned was always a bad apple, right from the start. Enter Bold Ben Hall, who fell in with the wrong crowd and was targeted by the local Police Chief until the bitter, and brutal end! Ben Hall was said to be born in 1837 in either Breeza or Maitland in NSW to convict parents, Ben Snr and Eliza. They settled in the northern NSW town of Murrurundi and Ben Snr even opened a store selling freshly butchered meat, alongside fruit and vegetables. However, it was around the end of 1850 that Ben Snr packed up the kids and headed off for a fresh start on the Lachlan River, where young Ben would spend his formative years developing his skills as a stockman and bushman – skills would serve him well later in life. Ben Snr eventually returned to Murrurundi, but young Ben stayed behind,…
The Triumph and Tragedy of William John Wills
William John Wills was the man behind the success of the epic Burke & Wills story. He is an unsung Aussie hero, but you have heard of him? He is an unsung hero, but you have heard of him. Seems like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? You mention the name William John Wills in any outback pub, and there will be a bit of head-scratching, but mention Burke & Wills, and you’ll be met with knowing nods and maybe even a deprecating monologue on how foolish they were. But to focus on the few bad choices they made is to do the whole story, and in particular, William John Wills, a massive injustice. Wills was born in Devon, England in 1834 to Dr William Wills, and his wife Sarah. Will’s early life in England saw him attend St Andrews Grammar, and he was also tutored by his father. After school, he worked with his father while undertaking courses at a couple of local hospitals. Like a lot of folks in the UK at the time, Dr Wills had a keen interest in Australia, in particular, the gold mining that was taking the world by storm. An 18-year-old Wills and his brother Thomas both boarded the Janet Mitchell in Dartmouth and set sail for Australia, arriving in Port Phillip in January…