The untold story of the Age journalist who cut off Ned Kelly's boot
Research for a new exhibition on Australia's most famous outlaw has revealed new details from McWhirter, whose coverage from Glenrowan was breathlessly awaited by his readers.
State Library curator Dr Kate Rhodes and library staff uncovered new information about McWhirter's involvement and reporting after finding an original edition of The Age covering the siege that was thought to have been partially destroyed.
Until now, historians and writers have mainly been relying on a copy of The Age uploaded to the online archive Trove that was badly damaged and missing in parts, but the full copy gives a more comprehensive account.
McWhirter accompanied police on the train to Glenrowan, filing stories under the headline 'Extermination of the Kelly Gang'.
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'There's a note that it's 'from our own reporters',' Rhodes said. 'John McWhirter is not mentioned by name, but as far as we know, he is one of only four journalists and an illustrator who travel on the special train by invitation from the police. It's really sort of gonzo journalism, they become very involved in the fighting, as opposed to reporting neutrally on it.'
The interest in the story was so great that the reporting in The Age is time stamped with new updates given on June 29, 1880 at 9.30am, 10.30am, 12.20pm, 1.20pm then 4pm.
'The narrative supplied by our special reporters contains a full account of the proceedings and will be read with extraordinary interest,' the report states. 'Edition after edition was issued by The Age and the sheets were seized with avidity as the runners left our office.'
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