FOR a former policeman and Chairman of the Ararat Blue Ribbon Foundation, Terry Weeks, to be invited to launch a book about a bushranger, could be seen as 'brave'.
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Even more 'brave' for the fact that bushranger Gypsey Smith was involved in the killing of police Sergeant John McNally - the police man who is the focus of the Ararat Blue Ribbon Foundation fundraising effort.
Earlier this month at the Ararat Library, the book 'Liberty borne of fire. Gypsey Smith 1815 - 1879' was launched by the Ararat Genealogical Society.
Ian Batty, president of the society, welcomed the audience and said that the book by Laurie Moore, was four years in the making, with editing by society members and print production taking two of those years.
After a brief history of Gypsey Smith, Mr Batty then called on Terry Weeks to deliver the main address.
"How many of us here tonight grew up believing that people like Davey Crockett, Audy Murphy or Superman were our heroes, when all along we have history books full of Australian heroes," Mr Weeks said.
"We have just marked the 100th anniversary of the Anzacs of WWI, when hundreds of heroes were created, yet it is only in these last few years that those heroes are being introduced to us more visibly than previously.
"This book, Liberty borne of fire, written by Laurie Moore, researched by Laurie, Marion McAdie, and Greg Vivian is not the story of a hero. In fact because of my career of 35 years as a policeman I find it very hard to put the main character in this book as anything other than a murdering thief who should have been locked up and the key thrown away.
"It is mentioned in the foreword that, 'While many serving and retired police officers may regard this book as a glorification of a criminal, that is not our intention and we can only respond that newspapers are biased towards sensation.' It would appear that the same newspaper sensationalism exists still today.
"When we open our newspapers today with six page spreads, photographs and diagrams of the reign of terror, robbery and murder, it seems that nothing much has changed since the 1800s.
"I was asked to speak at this launch as I am at present the Chairperson of the Ararat Branch of the Victoria Police Blue Ribbon Foundation.
"The mission of the Foundation is to create living memorials in hospitals, of the police family who have died and to that end the Ararat branch adopted a police member who died performing his duties in this area, namely Sergeant John McNally.
"Sergeant McNally was shot and killed on the goldfields at Cathcart in 1856, and a colleague, Constable John Moore was shot and wounded. The Blue Ribbon Foundation has over the last 13 years contributed in the vicinity of $800,000, for equipment in the Ararat Hospital which includes the Emergency Department, the X-ray and CAT scan equipment, and the much used helipad which has greatly assisted in saving lives.
"Now to the book, Sergeant John McNally, mentioned in this publication is the real hero in this story. Imagine being a policeman on the goldfields in the 1800s. The conditions they worked in, the isolation, the probable knowledge that they were pawns of an inept administration and most likely the most hated members of the goldfields community. I would suspect that to be a policeman in that era you would need to be tougher, harder and more cunning than the community you served.
"In 1855, in the Beaufort area 35,000 miners were policed by a detachment of 12 police. Sergeant McNally was one of the 12 and was placed on the then moving frontier of gold discoveries. He was 29 years of age when he joined the Victoria police.
"On reading accounts of his arrests in this book, you would say he was no shrinking violet and was indeed energetic in his duties. In 1856 when the goldfields extended to Cathcart, there were only four police on the field, one being a very capable Sergeant McNally.
"The subject of this book, Gypsey Smith, a convict bushranger of the Victorian Goldfields perhaps an unfortunate victim of the times.
Born in 1815 and recorded as living in Taunton, England, working as a tailor's assistant. At age 12 he was sentenced to six weeks' imprisonment for larceny and in that same year was lashed. At age 14 he was convicted for stealing two handkerchiefs and because of his two prior convictions was sentenced to transportation for life.
"From then, his life was in a downhill spiral. He spent the next 24 years as a recalcitrant prisoner in prison hulks, prison camps on Norfolk Island, and work gangs in Van Diemen's Land, before absconding to the Victorian Goldfields.
"Gypsey was involved in armed robberies from Melbourne to Yackandandah, Beechworth, Maryborough, Geelong, Ballarat and leading what you would call an active criminal life.
"Gypsey made his way to Cathcart and on the 16th of October 1856 wrote himself into the history books of Ararat when Smith's associate William Twiggem, fatally shot Sergeant McNally and wounded Constable Moore.
"On the 23rd of October, a few days later, Smith was arrested without a struggle, by police in the Maryborough area.
"I won't say anything further about this book, other than to say that Sergeant McNally died a hero, performing his police duties to the highest degree, supporting and protecting the community of Ararat area, and I am quite happy to promote the qualities of Sergeant McNally and I am proud that his legacy is still serving the community, through the Blue Ribbon Foundation, today 158 years after his death.
"Smith on the other hand after serving time for the manslaughter of McNally, did lead a better life in his later years as opposed to his teen and adult life. He went on to be a reformed man and was ultimately granted a conditional pardon.
"I have to say that I am not a big reader of history books and this type of book is not something that I would normally read, however I have fleetingly been through this book for some insight as to what I would say tonight and I will not put this book away until I have read it thoroughly.
"I must say that the author and the researchers have spent hours pouring over historical documents to put this together, it would appear to me to be a huge amount of work...I congratulate you for your perseverance.
"History buffs, especially Ararat history buffs, will get a great insight of the bushranger activities that occurred on our own doorstep.
"Thank you for inviting me to this launch, and as stated earlier I cannot glorify a criminal. My focus will always be on the hero policemen serving the community of Ararat.
"Sergeant McNally is one of 159 Victorian Police members killed on duty, so he has not signed off, and is still serving the community."
Mr Moore signed copies of the book following Mr Week's speech. The crowd queried the whereabouts of Sergeant McNally's remains, and the possibility of an archaeological survey to find the unmarked grave at the Cathcart cemetery.
The book 'Liberty borne of fire. Gypsey Smith 1815 - 1879' can be purchased at the Ararat Library, Mrs McAdie's bookshop at 278 Western Highway, Ararat (5352 4199) or the Ararat Genealogical Society, PO Box 361 Ararat, Vic. 3377. Extra cost for postage.