1880: Such Is Life: Ned Kelly Hanged in Melbourne for the Murder of Constable Lonigan
Ned Kelly led Australia's most notorious bushranging gang, becoming a wanted man after the killing of three police officers at Stringybark Creek in October 1878. Among the dead was Constable Thomas Lonigan, whose murder would ultimately send Kelly to the gallows.
Captured after the dramatic siege at Glenrowan in June 1880, Kelly was tried and convicted of Lonigan's murder. He was hanged at the Old Melbourne Gaol in Melbourne on 11 November 1880, bringing one of Australia's most infamous outlaw sagas to an end.
As he stood on the scaffold, Kelly is remembered for words that, whether spoken exactly or paraphrased, have echoed through Australian folklore ever since: "Such is life." The calm acceptance of fate captured in those three simple words has resonated with generations of Australians.
