Captain Thunderbolt alias Fred Ward was born in Windsor NSW in 1836 and was well known in this era. Another who was wrongly accused of horse stealing 3 times, he was arrested and convicted. In 1856 prior to becoming a bushranger he rode with his gang of horse and cattle thieves which comprised of his brothers William and Joshua and cousins John and James Garbutt. From 1864 on he recruited many young bloods looking for action but for the last year of his life he rode alone. he ranged far and wide in the areas of new England from Tamworth and Mudgee down to Singleton in the Hunter region. He had good reason for this, as he had many relatives in these areas who gave him help and susstenance. For 7 years Thunderbolt was a successful bushranger, never aiming his gun to purposely kill anyone. During this time he was accompanied by female bushranger named Mary Ann Bugg an intelligent half caste woman who probably had a huge bearing on Wards aversion to violence. He finally met his end being pursued by Constable Alex Walker who shot Ward who was attempting to cross a creek. The policeman first shot his horse then shot Ward who almost drowned falling into a deep hole in the creek. He was pulled out by Walker and left for dead. He was left for dead while seeking help, when he returned Ward had gone. He had somehow crawled of into the bush, he was found later and died shortly after. It was 25th May 1870.  

More historical details can be found at this site:

    http://www4.tpg.com.au/users/barrymor/thunderbolt.html

Captain Melville (Frank McCallum) was sent to Van Diemans Land in 1838 in charge of a migrant ship but on reaching Victoria, deserted the ship along with the crew and went to the gold diggings. In 1851 gold was discovered in Ballarat region of VIC and along with it came a dramatic rise in the crime rate. The existing gaols in Melbourne and Geelong became totally inadequate, so 5 ex-prison hulks were purchased to house the wrong-doers.  (During a 6 year period 5000 criminals passed through them). Melville was always in trouble and he finally ended up on the "President" on of the prison hulks. He tried to master an escape from there but was caught then sent to another hulk the "Success" for serious offences. While trying to escape from there he killed a Corporal Owens and was sentenced to death, later changed to Life. His mental health came into question after years of imprisonment on the hulks, and on the 10th Aug 1857 he was found dead from strangulation. It is thought that he was murdered by a warder but nothing could be proven.

Captain Moonlight (A.G.Scott) emigrated freely from Ireland to Victoria in the late 1850's, he went to the gold fields to try his luck and from there joined the New Zealand Corps who were recruiting an army to quell the troublesome Maori's. He fought with valour from 1861 until 1865 being wounded in the process. On his return to Victoria he became of all things, a Lay Minister and then a minister of the Church of England. he was based in Mt. Egerton in VIC and there gained a fine reputation as a fine clergyman and astute member of the community. Among his friends were the leading members of town including the manager of the Union Bank. That bank he robbed and his friend the manager clearly recognised his voice even though he was disguised. The police would have little support for the Reverend being accused but eventually the truth came out. Later on he was involved in many other scrapes with the law until he was finally captured after 2 of his gang and a policeman was killed, on the 20th December 1879. At his trial he pleaded for his gang members and took the blame for the policeman's death. He was hanged on the 20th January 1880. A remarkable tale!

Harry Power (Henry Johnson) operated in Victoria and recorded his first misdemeanour in March 1855. Pictured (right) here in chains after his final capture, he is credited with teaching Edward (Ned) Kelly the ropes when Ned was forced to go on the 'Run'. His reign of terror peaked in 1864 but it was not until 27th May 1870 that he was finally bought to 'Justice?'. This notorious Irishman arrived in Victoria from Ireland just before prior to the proclamation of finding gold at Ballarat. In March 1855 he was seen riding a valuable horse that tallied with a horse reported stolen to police. He was cornered and in the fight a trooper fell wounded. He got 14 years penal servitude. Shortly before his term expired, he escaped on May 7th 1869. He continued on his merry way, coming down from his mountain hideaway periodically to raise havoc on the roads and toll gates. His hideout was sited purposely near Quinn's farm which carried several dogs and a peacock which raised the alarm when intruders were about, causing the dogs to bark. On the day he was caught he was asleep in his gunyah (bark shelter) happy in the knowledge that the dogs would warn him if the troopers came. However, maybe through chance the dogs did not bark and they easily arrested him. The police had been tracking him for a week and were hungry, so Harry treated them to a fine meal before they took him into custody. When he arrived at Pentridge Jail he asked the warden to thank the troopers on behalf for their behaviour and for treating him so courteously. He served out his full 15 years  and was discharged. At the same time the Victorian Government sold off one of the prison hulks the 'Success' which was turned into a floating museum. Harry Power was ironically hired and became a part of the museum, and when this enterprise ended Harry was sent into the country for the sake of his health. He met his end in the most unlikely way, he was quietly fishing in the Murray River near Swan Hill, when he fell in and was drowned. It was the 7th November 1891.

Little Jimmy Governor, (the movie called 'The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith) was loosely made about Jimmy) a red headed half caste aboriginal and his brother Joe along with Jackie Jackie Westwood, terrorised the state of NSW in the year 1900. They were not fussy who they robbed or killed, they actually killed 9 people during this period. When they were finally captured after a prolonged fire fight, Jimmy Governor had 50 bullets taken from his body and actually walked unaided to the gallows at Darlinghurst prison in Jan 1901. Joe was shot dead at Carrowbrook in the Hunter region of NSW, his body being laid out in the 'Sir Thomas L. Mitchell Inn (now the 'Caledonian Hotel') in Singleton NSW. Jimmy and Jackie Jackie Westwood both went to the gallows. A younger brother named Roy gave the locals of Moonee a fair old shake up some 20 years later but he was not classified as a bushranger. 

Another wily character who is well known in Western Australia rather than in the Eastern states, was 'Moondyne Joe'. He was born somewhere in the United Kingdom in 1831. His correct name was Joseph Bolitho Johns. In 1848 Johns and his accomplice, William Cross were stopped by a police sergeant near Monmouth in Wales, merely because they were on the open road at 0230am. When challenged their answers seemed suspicious so they were taken in for questioning. The bags they were carrying contained several cheese, 3 loaves of bread (one partly eaten), 2 pieces of bacon, a shoulder of mutton and a lump of suet. The sergeant arrested them for theft, then 2 days later it was found that exactly the same items had been reported stolen from a nearby house. They were committed for trial.

At their trial in 1849, Johns actually conducted his own defence but both were convicted and sentenced to 10 years and transportation. Johns was sent to Western Australia on Saturday 30th April 1853 aboard the 'Pyrenees' and Cross was sent to Hobart Tasmania. Moondyne Joe was given his ticket of leave and the Imperial Convict number 1790, he disembarked the next day to begin his new life and to find work. He worked without incident from 1853 until 1855 and was conditionally pardoned,  He worked at various tasks including trapping near 'Moondyne Springs' in the Toodyay District, until 1861. Then he was arrested and charged with stealing a horse near Toodyay. He escaped for the first time in his career from the lockup by stealing the very horse he was accused of stealing, using the local magistrates brand new saddle and bridle, Much to the annoyance of the local authorities. 

He was captured again after only 2 days and sentenced to 3 years penal servitude in the Convict Establishment in Fremantle. This time he was registered as Convict 5889. He gained time off his sentence for good behaviour and was sent to 'Mount Eliza Convict Depot in Perth. He was again released with a certificate of freedom and returned to the Toodyay area.

In 1865 he was involved in an incident of which Joe protested his innocence at the trial and for the rest of his life, insisting he had been "Fitted Up". This time he got 10 years penal servitude and returned to Fremantle prison. Registered this time as Convict 8189 he was transferred to the Canning Vale convict work party from where he escaped again after just one week, and received an additional 12 months added to his sentence. In April 1866 he again got a 4 year remission off his sentence but in July he attempted to escape but was captured and given a further 6 months in irons. That was escape number 3. In August 1866 he again made escape number 4 and stayed free until the 5th September when along with two other escapees, robbed Everett's Store in Toodyay equipping themselves for an overland trip to South Australia. However, they were all recaptured at Bodallin Soak near Westonia on 29th September 1866. Back to Fremantle prison again on 9th October, where he got another 2 years hard labour. By this time with so many absconding, the prison built a custom cell which Joe ended up in. In 1867 his health began to suffer and prison doctor ordered that he be allowed out into the exercise yard, where he would break up rocks. The stones were supposed to be removed every day but the lazy guards overlooked this procedure. Slowly the pile increased in size until they couldn't see Joe. When they finally went down to see him they found he had cut a hole through the west wall and bolted through Superintendent Lefroy's garden and backyard. Escape Number 5!!  He was long gone!

He stayed free for another two years but then broke into Houghton Winery in the Swan Valley on the 25th February 1869. Unknown to Joe, the police were in the area recovering the body of a man who had drowned. The Winery owner invited the police back for a thank you drink after the body was recovered and Joe who bolted, ran straight into the arms of the police. This time he got 12 months confinement, 6 months of it in solitary confinement. He was due for release in 1884.

He again pleaded his case and got a 5 year remission off his sentence. He attempted another escape and the Superintendent Henry Lefroy told Joe "If you escape again, I will forgive you and set you free!" A further investigation of Joe's case ended with him being given another ticket of leave and told that of he stayed out of trouble, he would get yet another conditional pardon. He was to be sent to the Convict Depot in the Vasse district near Bunbury, sailing to Busselton on 13th May 1871. In June 1873 his certificate of freedom was approved and issued.

In January 1879 he married Louisa Hearn in Fremantle, he was 50 and Louisa 26. Joe lived for another 21 years and was in and out of trouble with the police but he never did any more time. Near the end of his life there was one more bizarre twist to his saga. On 26th January 1900 Joe, being then of an unsound mind, was found wandering around the streets of South Perth. He was interned for medical attention at the Mount Eliza Invalid Depot. The irony  was, that Joe had once escaped from this building when it was the Convict depot and in his own mind, thought that it still was. From here he effected escapes numbers 6,7 and 8 and on March 6th 1900 was sentenced to one month in Fremantle prison for absconding from custody.

Moondyne Joe, then made his greatest and final escape from Fremantle Lunatic Asylum (now the Fremantle Museum). When he died on 13th August 1900 he was buried in Fremantle Cemetery on 15th August 1900 in a paupers grave, number 580A. 

Moondyne Joe is firmly entrenched in Western Australia folklore, he may have been a rascal and a scallywag but he did not kill anyone or hurt anyone but he led the police on a merry chase.

People often ask me about 'The Wild Colonial Boy', was he in fact a bushranger? As Australians we should all remember the song " The Wild Colonial Boy" written in 1831 and is today still one of Australia's favourite and much loved bush ballads. His name was John Donohue and Irishman, not a colonial and he led  a gang which terrorised the Liverpool and Hunter Valley area from 1826 until 1830 before he was finally shot.