BUSHRANGERS VS OUTLAWS

Bushranger’s flight by artist S T Gill (1818-1880) published by James J. Blundell & Co. Melbourne Victoria [1856]

Following up on our interest in bushranger ballads and lore, here’s an interesting sidelight on public perceptions of bushrangers versus American outlaws. The survey was carried out by researcher Bruce Tranter and published in the International Journal of Social Science Studies Vol. 1, No. 2; 2013

It seems that the only bushranger better known than the outlaw Jesse James, is Ned Kelly. Everyone other bushranger is an ‘also ran’. Here’s the relevant section of the article (the stats are tabulated in the article):

‘ … Jesse James (46%) emerges as by far the most frequently named outlaw. While it is perhaps not surprising that many Australians can identify James, the results provide a gauge of the extent of their knowledge. The next best known outlaw – Billy the Kid – was named by 33% of respondents in total. Thereafter, a substantial drop in recognition occurs to Butch Cassidy (12%) and the Sundance Kid (6%), famously represented in the 1969 film of the same name starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford. The other James gang members – including Jesse’s older brother Frank –  also fared poorly in the survey. ‘Wild Bill’ (James Butler) Hickok was identified by 5% of the sample as an outlaw, as were Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp by approximately 3%. In reality these lawmen allegedly worked both sides of the law (Carnes 1996).

In contrast, 80% of Australians named Ned Kelly as a bushranger and 29% identified Ben Hall. The next best known bushrangers were Captain Thunderbolt and Dan Morgan with around 12% of the cumulative responses. These results show that Jesse James and Billy the Kid are recognisable to more Australians than any of their home grown outlaws, with the exception of the armoured outlaw, Ned Kelly! …’

The survey didn’t include the earlier Jack Donohoe or the mythic Wild Colonal Boy, whose ballad is well-known around the world, but the outcome would have been much the same I expect.

Better keep singing those bushranger ballads.