Descendant unear ths St. Arnaud link to Ned Kelly

VICTORIA Donnelly-Andrews hails from Bunbur y in Western Australia but recently made the trip to Victoria via St Arnaud where her ancestors resided and many descendants still live today

O n h e r r e t u r n t o S t A r n a u d V i c t o r i a popped into the North C e n t r a l N e w s w i t h a most intriquing story of connection to the Ned Kelly saga

Victoria’s great-grandf a t h e r w a s W i l l i a m Donnelly, who had left St Arnaud and disappeared as a young man only to reappear some decade later to resume a normal community-minded and by all reports an honest life in St Arnaud

Victoria believes that in that ‘missing’ decade Wi l l i a m w a s i n v o l v e d with the Kelly Gang and indeed he is named as a ‘reputed cattle thief ’ and was planted as a spy at the Kelly homestead by orders of Capt Standish himself

It seems according to Victoria’s research that William was imprisoned for cattle stealing with the Ke l l y g a n g a n d i t i s alleged was offered the chance of freedom in return for spying on the Kelly family

V i c t o r i a ’ s r e s e a r c h i n d i c a t e s W i l l i a m

Donnelly was a friend of Ned Kelly’s and the cattle stealing was a past time of theirs but on this instance only William was caught and paid the price with a stretch in prison

In the Albury Banner notices it read:

“at the last meeting of t h e A l b u r y D i s t r i c t A s s o c i a t i o n f o r t h e Suppression of Cattle

S t e a l i n g , @ c , i t w a s resolved to bestow the society’s reward of 100 pounds upon Constable Michael Kennedy, stat i o n e d a t M a n s f i e l d , Victoria, for his instrumentality in procuring the conviction of William Donnelly, who was tried at the Jamieson General Sessions in October last [1870] for stealing eight head of cattle, the property of Mr A K Finlay, of Bethanga ”

During the time that William was ‘spying’ on the Kellys, Ned’s sister Margaret confronted him with her suspicions that he was spying.

In his defence William protested that the information he was handing over to Captain Standish was incorrect

In fact, William was claiming he was a doublespy

Below: This gold fob watch (1871) was Sgt Kennedy’s reward (as well as 100 pounds) for arresting W illiam Donnelly SOURCE: Supplied

A f t e r W i l l i a m w a s kicked out of the Kelly h o u s e h o l d V i c t o r i a ’ s research says he returned to St Arnaud to live a m e a n i n g f u l a n d l a wabiding life

On Victoria’s travel to Glenrowan for a reunion she spoke to researcher of the life of Ned Kelly, Gary Dean, who was intriqued with the findings and promised to undertake further research with the possible addition of a last chapter in his book on the Kelly Gang

If the research is verified William Donnelly led a life in St Arnaud that was a far cry from the existence within the Kelly gang

William played cricket for Australia at Lords in England and according to the Geelong Advertiser (26th April 1871) “gave one of the best exhibition of batting seen at Lords this season”