The daring exploits of Ned Kelly’s little sister

A new book reveals the central role 14-year-old Kate Kelly played in the story of the notorious Kelly Gang’s exploits.

This engraving was the first image of Kate Kelly to appear after the Glenrowan siege.

As the little sister of Australia’s most infamous bushranger, Kate Kelly’s part in the exploits of the Kelly Gang has long been underrated.

But as an expert horse rider, the young teen played a critical role as a messenger and decoy for Ned Kelly and his gang, using clever ruses to throw police off the scent.

Kate Kelly is the subject of the latest episode of the In Black and White podcast on Australia’s forgotten characters, available today.

A new book called Kate Kelly, by Rebecca Wilson, raises the controversial theory that the teen girl was at the heart of the Fitzpatrick incident, the catalyst for the events leading up to the Glenrowan siege and execution of Ned Kelly.

Victorian policeman Constable Alexander Fitzpatrick.

Dan Kelly, one of Kate Kelly's older brothers.

In 1878, Constable Alexander Fitzpatrick, who was later dismissed from the police force, visited the Kelly family home to arrest Ned’s younger brother Dan for horse stealing.

A fight broke out, and the policeman later accused the Kelly family of attacking him.

The Fitzpatrick incident led to matriarch Ellen Kelly’s imprisonment, fuelling the Kellys’ hatred of the police and the beginning of life on the run for the gang.

Ellen Kelly was the mother of Ned, Dan and Kate Kelly.

Ned Kelly, shortly before he was hanged in 1880.

Rebecca, who grew up in Forbes where Kate spent her final years, believes Constable Fitzpatrick and 14-year-old Kate were in a relationship, a scandal covered up by the family.

“It does strongly appear that Kate and Fitzpatrick were having an affair, and I do believe that he was grooming Kate with this goal of getting into the Kelly family and being some kind of hero,” Rebecca says.

“So he arrives at the homestead in April, 1878, and there’s a baby in the household, and I believe that child was the love child between Fitzpatrick and Kate Kelly.”

New book Kate Kelly: The True Story of Ned Kelly's Little Sister.

Artist and author Rebecca Wilson.

Rebecca believes baby Alice, who was raised as Ellen Kelly’s own, was the real reason for the visit that set in train the Kelly Gang’s tragic tale.

“Fitzpatrick arrived saying that he wanted to arrest Dan, but he didn’t have a warrant. I believe he was there to visit the child,” she says.

While the Kelly Gang was on the run from police, Kate rode as a messenger and decoy for the gang.

It was her job to throw police off the scent, including having her horse shoed backwards, in order to lead authorities away from their hide-out.

When Ned was sentenced to hang, Kate hit the streets as his loyal advocate, gathering thousands of signatures on a petition against her brother’s execution.

Enormous crowds turned up to hear Kate Kelly speak on the night of Ned's execution.

After Ned’s execution in 1880, Kate hit the road as the star attraction of a show with notorious showman and shyster Flash Jack Donovan.

The show made Kate a celebrity and further popularised the Kelly Gang story, leading it to become part of the nation’s folklore.

Kate Kelly.

Kate Kelly was photographed in her riding habit by AC Dreier to produce a series of cartes de visite.

But then Kate vanished from public view, changed her name and worked as a domestic servant, then married and had several children, before her death by drowning in Forbes in 1898.

LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR REBECCA WILSON IN THE IN BLACK AND WHITE PODCAST ON ITUNES, SPOTIFY OR WEB.

See In Black & White in the Herald Sun newspaper Monday to Friday for more stories and photos from Victoria’s past.