James McBrien, Caroline Chisholm and Ned Kelly

James McBrien

James McBrien can rightfully be called the first person to discover gold in Australia. Originally from Enniskillen in Ireland, McBrien had travelled to Australia and worked as an assistant surveyor.

On 15 February 1823, McBrien made the discovery that would eventually change the face of Australian society, when he found flakes of gold in the sands of the Fish River, near Bathurst in NSW. McBrien made the first official record of gold discovery in Australia when he recorded his finds in his field book.

Although the amount of gold found was very small, it was significant because it alerted government officials to the presence of the precious metal in Australia.

Unfortunately for McBrien, being on government business meant that he was never able to profit from his discoveries. On hearing of the gold finds, the colonial authorities decided to hush the matter up. McBrien returned to England by 1825 and is believed to have emigrated to Canada thereafter.

Caroline Chisholm

Caroline Chisholm is one of the best known figures from the gold rush period. A philanthropist, Chisholm was a tireless worker for women's and miners' rights. Her work began after she moved to New South Wales with her husband and children in 1840. See image 1

On her walks around the still-small convict town of Sydney, Caroline was horrified to see women and children sleeping in the streets. Caroline decided to start a house to look after the homeless girls. She applied to Governor-General Gibbs for assistance. At first her proposal was refused. Undaunted, Caroline retuned to the Governor's office twice more to pursue her case.

The Governor relented and offered Caroline the deserted immigration barracks. The barracks were filthy and rat-ridden, but Caroline was determined to make the best of her situation and set about restoring the barracks to a liveable state.

Caroline then taught the rescued girls how to cook and clean, gave them lessons in speech, literacy and numeracy and generally prepared them for productive lives in the workforce. Within two years, Mrs Chisholm had taken in and rehabilitated over 1,000 women, finding them gainful employment and good homes.

Caroline then set about improving the lot of migrants. She convinced the authorities that conditions aboard the passage ships were inhumane and needed to be improved. She returned to England in 1846 to persuade the government to give the families of former convicts free passages to Australia. This resulted in many families being reunited and being able to start new lives for themselves.

Caroline Chisholm died at her home in England in 1877. By this time she was very poor and lived in relative obscurity, however, Caroline Chisholm has never been forgotten as one of Australia's most remarkable women.

Ned Kelly

By far one of the most notorious figures to emerge from this period, Ned Kelly (1854-1880) is celebrated by some as a rebellious larrikin who fought for the rights of ordinary people, but reviled (disliked) by others as an outlaw and murderer. See image 2

The eldest of eight children, Ned Kelly was born to Irish parents in Victoria in 1854. Kelly grew up on a selection farm, a small piece of land set aside by the government. The harsh conditions of selection farming forced many to turn to a life of crime simply to survive. Selectors often robbed wealthy squatters for livestock and other goods.

At 16, Kelly was convicted of receiving a stolen horse and served three years in gaol as a result. In 1878 a police officer by the name of Fitzpatrick accused Ned's mother of assaulting him and Ned of shooting him in the wrist. Mrs Kelly was sent to prison for three years and a £100 reward was offered for Ned's capture.

From then Ned and his brother Dan became bushrangers. After Ned shot and killed three policemen, the reward was raised to two thousand pounds, the equivalent today of $2 million.

Police finally caught up with the Kelly gang in June 1880. In the ensuing gun battle, members of the Kelly gang were shot dead. Ned survived and in October was tried and convicted of wilful murder. Despite a petition with 30 000 signatures pleading for his release, Ned Kelly was hanged at the Old Melbourne Gaol on the 11th November 1880. He was 25 years old. See image 3