Saturday, September 6, 2014

CLOSE ENCOUNTER WITH NOTORIOUS BUSHRANGER

Hot on the trail of  many of Australia's bushrangers , filmmaker Gary Hunn,  of   Magnetic Island , is shown closely  examining  the death  mask  of notorious   Dan "Mad  Dog " Morgan (1830-1865 )  in  the  Anatomy  Department of  Melbourne University.   While on the run, the bushranger had many aliases-John Smith, Sydney Native, Dan the Breaker, Down the River Jack , Jack Morgan  and the one under which he died, Dan Morgan .  He  first served  12 years for highway robbery in  Castlemaine, Victoria. Released from a  prison ship in 1860, he breached  terms of his release  and  went  bush , shot  dead a  trooper in 1864  .which resulted in a government bounty of 1000 pounds being  placed on  his  head. He was fatally wounded  after holding up a station in Victoria  and  buried in Wangaratta Cemetery.  Hunn  formed  an unusual  film company for the  bushranger  project, being  shot with  the  help of  son, Kelly.
 
Due  to the  purchase  of an antiquarian volume  at Magnetic Island's  recent bookfest-ADVENTURES IN AUSTRALIA  FIFTY YEARS AGO , being the  account of James Demarr  wandering  through NSW, Victoria and Queensland , 1839-1844  -  this blogger found mention of a  swag  of   bushrangers about  whom  intrepid  Hunn , well researched  on  the subject ,  was not aware , including  a  gang of  16 desperadoes  headed  by   Possum Jack .