Immortal

Why a Ned Kelly Site you ask?

G'day my name is Mike, and I thought I would put together a little summary on myself for people who would like to know about me and my life. So here goes.
I was born in the Royal Essendon Hospital on the 15th of April 1987,I was two months early but still I weighed 7.7 pounds, at this point my father whose name is Mark Lawson, was a sales-rep at the company named Black & deacker,my mother was a full time house wife. We lived a fairly normal life, and some time in between this we went to a town called Glenrowan.

Above: Me and my father in 1997 at my folks' place.

I remember vaguely flash-points in my mind, but not a good mate of mine today, named Mr Gary Dean, I have a few reaming photos of this warm trip, but nothing drastic. It was around the month of February, my mother and father split-up, I went with my mum and visiting my father every second weekend ,eventually, they were divorced in 1996,and me & mum moved down to the "Lower Class" area around Broadmeadows, and here is where my Kelly Hobbies came along. I was now hitting the age of ten, My step-Father by the name of Gary Boness,took us on a holiday to Wangaratta in eastern Victoria, on the way we went past, the huge, dark brown tourist signs on the Hume telling you there is 3km until you meet the turn-off to Glenrowan, as I read these signs I asked My mum whether we could stop she said "alright" but on the way back from Wangaratta.

We did go to Glenrowan,and as soon as I stepped out of our cream coloured Sigma and Breathed that fresh,bush air and all the Kellyana that was around,from this day on I knew exactly what I wanted to be,a historian,and here I am today and I have lived and breathed Ned,it has now become more a religion to me,than a interest.When I nick up to the libary,and borrow all the bushranger and Ned books,I have read them all but instinct tells me to borrow them for some reason.I often find myself day-dreaming in class,of what Ned would think of all this,and,what is happening at Glenrowan at this moment,and before the end of the period,I am drawing Ned or Glenrowan or something in that text.It really hurts to be away from Kelly Country for a long period of time,like a sicking feeling in the stomach,and the meeting of Chris & Rod Gerrett at Glenrowan,Brad Webb,Brendon Pearce,Matt Shore,Dave White and Gary Dean have all helped me along this long but exiting track,my very most Thanks go to these wonderful people,for all they have done for me,now my friends wonder "Why,is it you love Kelly?",I just reply "You would not understand".I try to educate my friends and family on the Kelly Story-I seem to drag on,and my Father,who thinks Kelly is a no-good cop-killer and robber,I think I have a little made him understand,but his mind is set,my mum who says she would like to give Ned a big Kiss,doesn't know much on the Kelly subject but has learnt a fair bit along the way.

I have also bought nearly all the books from The extremely rare book The Kelly Hunters,to a story book I got out of a block of chocolate,and I have spent on average of going up to the north-east around 100 dollars at a time,I get all this money from where I work,I am a pizza maker.

I have a painting of Ned which is very rare,only 2500 made and I have number 487,I don't enjoy playing sport but enjoy watching it,I am in year 8 (form 2).My pets,I have a wombat who was recently on Harrys Practice,and he is 16 months old,we have had him for 12 months,his name is bob.I have 2 dogs Jasper and Nala, too many fish to count all named after the Kelly Outbreak from McIntyre to Ned,and that is about all.So that is me and I hope to be a historian and live-out my days in Glenrowan,that is me,thank's for reading and all the best
Mike Lawson.

NED: THE EXHIBITION

I THINK NED: The Exhibition will change my life forever,I had the pleasure of meeting everyone,I had spoken to on the email,including Brad Webb owner of Iron Outlaw Site,Dave White the owner of Bail Up Website and Dave is the person who taught me all about the way of making a Kelly page,Ian Jones Author of Ned Kelly: A Short Life,that is just to name a few,

There was 'munchies'at the launch,and soft drinks & wines,they all went very quickly,I only managed to guzzle down two glasses of coca-cola and a sausage on a stick.The day started off with with the tourism minister,Mr pandazadoples,with a speech on how important Kelly was to this fine nation,and then a speech from Brendan Pearce,co-Organiser of Ned: the exhibition,and then everyone was off running up and down the stairs,looking at the armour was the most attracting piece.Then it eventully died down I said my goodbyes and left around 4pm.

Above: Rod Gerrett, Mike Lawson & Brad Webb at Ned : the exhibition launch.

MY KELLY GANG CONNECTION.

ASK ANY AUSSIE,they will all tell you they have some connection with the Kellys,But fear not! so do I, mine may not be as big as Leigh Olver's but still it is there.

My Grand mother's Grand mother (My great-great Grandmother)
was named Ann Smith,she was supposedly the girlfriend at one time or another of JOE BYRNE,The smith family came to my side of the family and told us,I have done my homework,and with help from a few mates (Icluding Gary Dean)we discovered the truth.She supposedly came from Beechworth,it is not known where,how or when they met,but there is certanly a link.So there's my Kelly Connection

Gallery

Ned: the exhibition

The Last Outlaw

Tourism

Ned News©©

Men & Myths

Links

Why a Kelly site?

E-mail Mike info@kellygang.cjb.net