yrs before being excavated - but his skull is missing.
Quick to lose his temper by all accounts, Kelly has now completely lost his head... It's possible I have too... I can't believe I'm entering this crazy design in a contest! Egged on by my partner and my friend, I decided - what the heck if the Spoonflower crew think I've lost my head? ;-P Featuring a variety of Australian wildflowers, including Sturt Desert Pea, everlasting flowers, native hibiscus (desert rose), flannel flowers, kangaroo paw, waratah, gum flowers, bottle brush, Christmas bells and native orchids, this design pays homage to Ned Kelly - arguably Australia's most famous criminal - who commented on the flowers in the prison garden while being led to his death. Kelly’s Irish father was sent to Australia as a convict charged with pig stealing, where he became an expert cattle-stealer. Ned's first brush with the law came two years after his father died (shortly after being released from prison): at the tender age of fourteen Ned was charged with assault and robbery. The charges were dropped when police failed to find an interpreter for the victim. From these beginnings, Ned went on to become a notorious bushranger and controversial folk hero. Decked in armour made from farm ploughs, the Kelly gang were feared throughout Victoria. In June 1880, a shootout in the Victorian town of Glenrowan led to the deaths of all the Kelly gang - bar Ned, who was taken to Melbourne Gaol. He was hung on November 11. His remains were uncovered during an excavation at Pentridge Prison in 2009. The many injuries he had suffered during his short but violent life made identifying his skeleton reasonably straightforward, but despite a number of leads - including a very odd tale of a skull in a Tupperware container hidden in a tree stump - the skull has not yet been found. My crazy design was inspired by an article in my son's science magazine about the hunt for Kelly's skull (a book has recently been written about the topic). DNA tests, study of teeth, phrenology and Kelly's death mask (the making of which was a ghoulish but common practice of the day) have all proved fruitless. While I doubt that a man as violent as Kelly deserves his status as folk hero, he does seem to have fought an uphill battle against police opinion (covered in an 8000 word manifesto he authored), which might have helped propel him towards his unfortunate choice of career. Nonetheless, he is part of Australian legend - he and his iconic helmet and huge beard (represented here by a crop of Sturt Desert Peas). His beard was shaved off in gaol - his death mask shows a face previously hidden from the world - so I have also represented him thus, with eyes of the desert rose to see him into the next world. The gun in the design is based on Kelly's gun (and it gave me a great excuse to try out my new textures! teehee). The weird looking helmet is based on his homemade helmet - part of a heavy suit of armour that saved him from countless injuries. The suit is on display in the State Library of Victoria. Ned Kelly is said to have uttered the famous last words 'Ah well, I suppose it has come to this' or 'Such is life', depending on which version of the story you hear. * * * This design can be resized to meet your specific project needs. I can even put a variety of designs together on a yard. Just drop me a line – I promise to get back to you quickly! bippidii boppidii designs may be used for making items for resale. Where possible please credit bippidii boppidii as the designer and a link back to my Spoonflower shop would be much appreciated. © bippidii boppidii/Robyn McLean. Please do not copy my designs – contact me if you are interested in licensing any of my designs.