Deconstructing an Australian Icon - Ned Kelly

If you went into any Australian classroom and asked if anyone knew who Ned Kelly was, chances are you'd get an answer of something like: "mm yeah, that bushranger who had the steel bucket on his head who got shot". Not many people know the real story, but it is an intriguing one. Ned Kelly has, over the years, been described as a hero, "one of the most romantic figures in history", "the father of our national courage", an Australian icon. To a person with no knowledgeable background of Ned Kelly, he would be seen as exactly that. The real truth is though, Ned Kelly was a thief. He held o…