The tagline for 6 Degrees Of Ned Kelly reads, “Melita Rowston’s grandpa stole Ned Kelly’s bones”. Tell us more.
During Sunday roasts, my grandpa used to tell us how in 1929, under the cover of night, he scaled the walls of the Old Melbourne Gaol and stole Ned Kelly’s bones. He loved to tell that story and we loved to hear it. But not for one minute did we believe it was true. Then in 2011, ten years after his death, the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine announced they’d identified Ned Kelly’s skeleton based on a tooth stolen from his grave in 1929. I decided to find out if my grandpa’s story was true.
Is there something about the Australian psyche that makes us enjoy a tall tale?
It’s such a cliché, but Aussies love a beer and a yarn. What I’ve discovered on this journey as I talk to people about their Kelly connection is that this bond between us grows, we’re connected to something bigger – the power of story. It’s a strangely profound experience, especially given our grandparents were essentially grave robbers!
What is it about the Ned Kelly story that endures to this day?
The image of Ned lurching though the mist in his armour is mind-blowingly iconic – the police thought he was a bunyip! The Kelly gang were caught up in the burgeoning ‘social media’ of the day – the first Australian photojournalism was of the Glenrowan siege while Ned harnessed the press to publish his Jerilderie Letter. From these seeds a myth is built. And Aussies love an underdog.
The show also deals with ‘Shit Tourism’. What’s the concept behind that?
Shit Tourism is an ‘experience’ most likely built in the ’70s that purports to educate and enthral, but fails on every level. One of my favourites is the Giant Stubby (now closed) in Tewantin, Queensland. Handmade out of 60,000 stubbies, it was the largest stubby in the world. I think they also had a camel. The bloke who made it had a vision – and not much else on.
If you could write a Shit Tourism guide to another part of Australian culture or history, what would it be?
There are so many! My first Shit Tourism show was about the largest earthworm in the world – fact – that lives in Gippsland, Victoria. I explored the tourism industry that grew up (and declined) around it. We tracked down the largest earthworm puppet in the world. It was dumped by a disused railway station, even though it made The Guinness Book Of Records. It was one of the best experiences of my life. Seriously, I could write a book about that place. I should.
[6 Degrees Of Ned Kelly photo by Dave Quinn]
6 Degrees Of Ned Kelly, part of Sydney Fringe Festival 2015, runs Wednesday September 2 – Sunday September 6 at Erskineville Town Hall.
