Black Snake

Thief, Thug, Killer: The Real Story of Ned Kelly

By: Leo Kennedy, Gareth Rickards

Narrated by: Mic Looby

Leo Kennedy is the great-grandson of Sergeant Michael Kennedy, slain by Ned Kelly at Stringybark Creek. Raised in the shadow of his great-grandfather’s murder, Leo witnessed the deep psychological wounds inflicted on successive generations of his family - and the families of other victims - as the Ned Kelly myth grew around them and the sacrifice of their loved ones was forgotten.

Leo himself was nicknamed ‘Red Ned’ at school and taunted for being on the wrong side of Australian history. Instead of celebrating a heroic man of the people, Leo gives voice to the victims of a merciless gang of outlaws. Through meticulous research and family history he tells the captivating true story of two men from similar backgrounds whose legacies were distorted by history.

©2018 Leo Kennedy and Mic Looby (P)2018 W. F. Howes Ltd

Two sides to every story

This book brought perspective to the Ned Kelly storey. So many books and films have been made of the years it was interesting to learn how the bushrangers impacted families on both sides,