Appeal to save Ned Kelly's home

By Jill Stark
Updated August 31 2014 - 1:08am, first published 12:15am

Ned Kelly ... one of Australia's greatest heroes? Or a notorious cop killer? 

As historical figures go, Kelly is among the most divisive. But love him or hate him, the National Trust wants your help to preserve his memory. It has launched an appeal to save Kelly's childhood home.

The heritage group says the home in Beveridge, north of Melbourne, where the outlaw lived between 1859 and 1864, is in poor condition and under threat from development. It wants to raise $650,000 to secure its future.

The property was added to the Victorian Heritage Register in 1992 but is privately owned and will be auctioned on September 20.

National Trust of Australia (Victoria) chief executive Martin Purslow acknowledged that Kelly was a controversial figures but said he was Australia's "most significant cultural heritage folk hero" and nothing would change that.

"Whilst the issue of preserving the legacy of Ned Kelly is always a polarising one, between public perceptions of an Australian folk hero and the establishment view of a murderer who got his just end, it cannot be ignored that the Kelly story has a resonance with the Australian psyche which doesn't diminish with time. Kelly is now, as he was in his day, a popular cultural icon," he said.

If it is unsuccessful in buying the cottage, the National Trust has pledged that all funds raised in the appeal will be used to support the property's conservation and restoration.

The property, about 40 kilometres from the city, is the only surviving residence in Victoria where Kelly is known to have lived.

Donations can be made to the appeal on the website savenedkellyshouse.com.au.

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