Episode 2 - Captain Moonlite LAWLESS – THE REAL IS AN ORIGINAL LANDMARK DOCUMENTARY SERIES COMBINING SCIENCE AND HISTORY IN A WAY WHICH HAS NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE IN AUSTRALIA.

At the core of this series is a bold vision to investigate Australian colonial crimes and mysteries using modern day science and technology. Hosted by respected journalist (himself a descendant of bushrangers) we fol- low investigations into the past and deliver the fndings in the present to living descendants of both bushrangers and those who fought against them.

In each fascinating episode, we focus on a single bush- ranging legend; (), (NSW), CAPTAIN MOONLITE (NSW) and the last of the wild colo- nial boys - PATRICK & JAMES KENNIFF (Qld). All are larger than life characters involved in iconic events heavily shroud- ed in mystery, folklore and fantasy. The bushrangers are heroes to some, villains to others and for their descendants who carry their legacy today; they are a cause of either pain and shame, or pride and glory. There are always two sides to every story. But how do we separate fact from fction?

Enter Mike Munro and the specialist LAWLESS in- vestigation team; Dr Kiera Lindsey (Historian), Adam Ford (Archaeologist) and Prof Roger Byard (Forensic Pathologist). Together they use their respective skills to apply an objective and rigorous analysis of these pivotal events. They revisit existing and new historical evidence st and use 21 century high-tech science to get beyond the CONTENT HYPERLINKS myths. Using archaeology to literally break new ground and the latest forensic methods to test the historical evidence, the team illuminate a fact-based version of our history. In each case the key question they seek to answer is – what really happened? The team’s fndings are fnally revealed to living descendants at each episode’s end.

Mike and the team frst tackle the most controversial of Australian legends, the story of Ned Kelly and the killings of Stringybark Creek (1878). This was the event that made Kelly a wanted outlaw, created the ‘Kelly gang’ and ultimate- ly led to his hanging. The episode on Captain Moonlite’s last stand (1879) looks forensically at one of the most violent

gunfghts of the bushranging era and solves a 140-year-old mystery. The violent death of Ben Hall (1865) is put under the microscope as the team examines the circumstances surrounding the shooting of one of Australia’s most popular heroes. And in the fnal episode, Mike Munro faces his own © ATOM 2017 lawless ancestry on the trail of his great uncles, Patrick and James Kenniff who were convicted of the most ghoulish and grisly crime in Queensland’s colonial history in 1902. 2 ‘LAWLESS - The Real Bushrangers’ blends science and history to deliver powerful documentaries that will have an impact and an enduring legacy. This series will change how Australians see their folk heroes, and themselves.

Curriculum Links

‘LAWLESS - The Real Bushrangers’ can be linked directly to the follow- ing subject areas of the Australian National Curriculum:

• Year 9 History, Year 9 and 10 Science

* Relevant Content Descriptions for Year 9 History

Overview of the making of the modern world • The nature and extent of the movement of peoples in the period (slaves, convicts and settlers) (ACOKFH015) • The emergence and nature of signifcant economic, social and political ideas in the period, including nationalism (ACOKFH019)

Depth Study: Movement of peoples (1750 – 1901) • Changes in the way of life of a group(s) of people who moved to Australia in this period, such as free settlers on the frontier in Australia (ACDSEH084)

* Relevant Content Descriptions for Year 9 & 10 Science:

Science Enquiry Skills • Formulate questions or hypotheses that can be investigated scientifcally (ACSIS198) • Use knowledge of scientifc concepts to draw conclusions that are consistent with evidence (ACSIS204) • Evaluate conclusions, including identifying sources of uncertainty and possible alternative explanations, and describe specifc ways to improve the quality of the data (ACSIS205)

Science as a Human Endeavour • Scientifc understanding, including models and theories, is contest- able and is refned over time through a process of review by the scientifc community (ACSHE157) • Advances in scientifc understanding often rely on developments in technology and technological advances are often linked to scientifc discoveries (ACSHE158) • People use scientifc knowledge to evaluate whether they ac- cept claims, explanations or predictions, and advances in sci- ence can affect people’s lives, including generating new career opportunities (ACSHE160) • Formulate questions or hypotheses that can be investigated scien- tifcally (ACSIS164) • Plan, select and use appropriate investigation methods, including feld work and laboratory experimentation, to collect reliable data; © ATOM 2017 assess risk and address ethical issues associated with these meth- ods (ACSIS165) • Critically analyse the validity of information in secondary sources and evaluate the approaches used to solve problems (ACSIS172) 3 Episode Two Captain Moonlite

Andrew George Scott (A.K.A. Captain Moonlite) The LAWLESS team undertakes the frst full archaeological was a preacher, a conman and a gentleman – investigation of the site of Moonlite’s last stand to un- certainly not your average . After an earth remaining evidence of the gunfght still buried in the ground and piece together the puzzle of this event. Using 11-year life of crime Moonlite’s career ends in a forensic ballistics and pathology the team determine which violent gun battle that results in the death of two gun could have been the murder weapon. With new evi- of his gang and a NSW policeman. The event dence and insights the LAWLESS team complete a digital seals his fate, sending him on a one-way trip to reconstruction of the event to determine almost 140 years the gallows. But should Moonlite have swung for after the gunfght, just who was the likely killer. In one fnal this crime? Controversial primary evidence raises twist, a secret from Moonlite’s private life is exposed to reveal another dimension to this complex and enigmatic questions as to whether he actually fred the fatal character. Fascinating and with an incredible human story, shot, and if he didn’t do it, then who did? this investigation forever changes our view of the iconic Australian ‘bloodthirsty bushranger’.

* Activity: Profle and Timeline of Captain Moonlite

As a class, brainstorm your existing knowledge, ideas and questions about Captain Moonlite.

Using information from this episode, as well as your own research, students are to produce a hard copy or digital biography of Captain Moonlite. Information to include:

• Family background and early life © ATOM 2017 • Initial run-ins with the law • Siege at Wantabadgery and subsequent trial • Legacy within Australian history and folklore 12 If creating a digital biography, students can use tools such as glogster (http://edu.glogster.com/) or padlet (https:// padlet.com/)

In this episode, we see reenactments of the events at the Wantabadgery Siege. Using these scenes, as well as your own research, create a digital or hardcopy timeline of the events that took place over these days. Include relevant images. Suggested tools for creating a digital timeline This episode, “Captain Moonlite”, is an excellent intro- include: https://timeline.knightlab.com/ or http://timeglider. duction to how scientifc investigations can evolve upon com/ the discovery of new evidence. Some spectacular fnds in the feld allows the team to not only eliminate the pos- * Activity: The Scientifc Method – sibility that bushranger Moonlite murdered Constable Identifying and Answering Questions Webb-Bowen, but then conduct a secondary investiga- tion identifying the real killer. Teacher introduction: The following activity is intended to use LAWLESS to model the scientifc method as applied to this investigation. This activity is separated into three INQUIRY components – Inquiry, where students consider how the LAWLESS team of experts identify their research question; “Did Captain Moonlite fre the fatal shot that killed Evidence and Analysis, where students identify how evi- Constable Webb-Bowen? And if he didn’t, who did?” asks dence is interpreted and guides further investigation; and Mike Munro in the introduction to the second episode of Conclusion and Refection, where students are encour- LAWLESS, “Captain Moonlite.” Of course, that’s a two- aged to refect upon the reliability of the team’s conclusion part question, which somewhat tips its hand to the fasci- and how it is – or isn’t – supported by the evidence. nating twists and turns in this episode’s investigation.

Researchers often begin investigations by establishing a ‘null hypothesis’ – a commonly held view that they’ll attempt to disprove. The ‘alternative hypothesis’ is, as its name suggests, the inverse of this null hypothesis.

• Suggest a null hypothesis for the LAWLESS team in this episode. • What would the corresponding alternative hypothesis be for your null hypothesis?

Scientifc inquiry will often divide one core question – or hypothesis – up into constituent questions with tighter fo- © ATOM 2017 cus. That’s particularly true in a group investigation, where different members may choose to explore questions that play into their area of expertise. 13 CONCLUSION

Science is a fexible discipline, adapting to new discover- ies. That’s especially evident in this episode. After resolv- ing their initial question – “Did Captain Moonlite fre the fatal shot that killed Constable Webb-Bowen?” – Munro’s team of experts reframe the question to determine who actually shot the Constable. “We have to start at the begin- ning.” [00:26:00]

At [00:07:02], Mike Munro asks his team of experts “So, for • What evidence leads the team to reject their null each of you, what are the key questions here?” hypothesis that Captain Moonlite shot and killed Constable Webb-Bowen? • How does each expert – historian Dr Kiera Lindsey, • Who do they ultimately conclude killed Webb-Bowen, archeologist Adam Ford and forensic pathologist and what evidence supports this conclusion? Professor Roger Byard – respond to Munro’s question? • The team makes a number of assumptions to reach • Does this align with how you’d expect them to answer, these conclusions. Identify these assumptions and, given their background? as a class, discuss whether or not they’re valid • What do you think is the key question that needs to be assumptions. answered to address your hypothesis?

EVIDENCE AND ANALYSIS

Good scientists need to be aware of the strengths and lim- itations of their evidence. Early in the episode, [00:06:09] the experts identify the primary evidence they have avail- able. Crucially, they also identify potentially useful evidence that they don’t have access to.

• What primary evidence do they have? • What piece of evidence is missing? Why is this important? • What do they use in its stead? Is this a reasonable substitute?

Whilst the team use a range of primary evidence in their in- vestigations, we also witness the ways that improved tech- nological and scientifc equipment/methods allow them to further analyse and challenge the accepted version of events at the Siege at Wantabadgery – including where © ATOM 2017 the shooting even occurred! Throughout the episode, take notes on Table 3 on the next page.

14 CAPTAIN MOONLITE 3 TECHNOLOGY/ How does this technology work? Outcome/Conclusions based on EQUIPMENT What are they hoping to discover? using this technology

1

Terrestrial Laser Scanner

2 Ballistics Unit Investigations

3 Digital reconstruction of the shootout at Monash University’s Visualisation Laboratory: “Cave 2”. © ATOM 2017

15 » ---.-;-??- ¡

TRIAL OF THE WANTABADGERY BUSHRANGERS. -THE ADDRESS IN DEFENCE.

National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page5453560 Using evidence from watching ‘LAWLESS – The Real * Activity: Technological Investigations Bushrangers’ and additional research, create a Venn and Interpreting Primary Evidence Diagram that looks at the similarities and differences be- tween Ned Kelly and Captain Moonlite. Throughout the episode, we see how the LAWLESS team of experts use primary evidence and cutting-edge tech- * Activity: Drawing conclusions nology to analyse Captain Moonlite’s role in the siege about Captain Moonlite at Wantabadgery and whether he received a fair trial. Throughout the episode, take notes in Table 4 on the next Working in pairs, answer the following questions. Share page. and discuss as a class.

* Activity: Focus on 1870’s Australia 1. Why does Captain Moonlite challenge our image of the bushranger? Colonial Australia in the 1870’s saw a rise in the number of 2. What was the impact of his time spent in Pentridge? bushrangers. Research what life was like in rural Victoria 3. Do you think Captain Moonlite fred the fatal shot that and NSW in the 1870s. What economic, social and cultural wounded and killed Webb-Bowen? factors contributed to men becoming bushrangers? 4. Did Moonlite get a fair trial? © ATOM 2017

16 CAPTAIN MOONLITE 4 Primary Evidence or Technology used in the Results/Conclusions drawn EXPERT investigation of Captain Moonlite based on their fndings

1 Adam Ford Archaeologist

2 Dr. Kiera Lindsey Historian

3 Professor Roger Byard Forensic Pathologist © ATOM 2017

17 * Activity: Focus on the descendants

We meet Narelle Muldoon, whose great great Aunt Marion was Constable Webb-Bowen’s wife and then widow after he died from a bullet wound inficted during the gunfght at Wantabadgery against Captain Moonlite. Narelle has researched the story of her relative and learned about the devastating impact Webb Bowen’s death had on widow Marion. Struggling with alcoholism, left penniless and des- titute – Narelle feels it is important to remember that there’s not just victims of the police offcers but the families that are left behind after these tragedies.

• As a class, discuss Narelle’s comments regarding the need to remember the impact of crime on the wider family. • How do you think we can best help families follow- ing tragedies? Research the Victims of Crime support groups in your State/Territory. What services do they of police service and the dangers that police face in provide? their daily pursuits. Visit the Memorial’s website at http://www.npm.org.au/ and research the ways that In 2014, Inspector Stephen Radford while stationed at the Memorial pay tribute to fallen offcers. Why do you Local Area Command led a community think such a Memorial is important? project called ‘Project Bowen’ to remember Const Webb- Bowen who was shot in the siege at Wantabadgery in We also meet Biddy Orr, an 87 year old descendant 1879. The project’s keystone was a restoration of Webb- of Captain Moonlite. Her ancestors originally lived in Bowen’s grave and a new memorial in his honour as well at the time that Moonlite achieved notoriety for as a number of activities aimed at raising awareness of the the violent siege and gunfght at Wantabadgery in 1879. fallen policeman. Stephen was driven to lead the project to She believes that it was this event that caused so much correct the imbalance of awareness about the bushrang- shame for the family; it led to their leaving Australia and ers responsible for the death of policemen, rather than the immigrating to New Zealand. Now generations later, she lives and deaths of those who fought against them. feels protective of the memory of Moonlite and proud of her connection to him. • As a class, discuss the symbolic importance of memo- rials in honouring Constable Webb Bowen. • Discuss the meeting at the end of the episode between • In 2001, a National Police Memorial was established Biddy and Inspector Stephen Radford. How do they in Canberra. The Memorial pays tribute to Australian feel about the team’s fndings and how do they rec- © ATOM 2017 Police Offcers who have been killed on duty or have oncile their differing stance on the legacy of Captain died as a result of their duties since the advent of Moonlite? policing in Australia and to recognise the unique nature 18 References ARCHIVAL IMAGES

https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/ Pictures Collection, State Library Victoria http://www.nma.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_ Reproduced with permission from the collection of fle/0019/19090/Kelly_search_all_colour.pdf Victoria Police http://www.npm.org.au/ State Records of https://timeline.knightlab.com/ State Library NSW http://timeglider.com/ Justice and Police Museum Collections, Sydney http://www.nma.gov.au/collections/ Living Museums collection_interactives/jerilderie_letter State Archives NSW http://www.policemuseum.vic.gov.au/collection/ National Library Australia overview Forbes and District Historical Society Incorporated http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/law-order/ned- Bathurst Historical Society Museum kelly-gang-victims-all-but-forgotten-in-adoration- Supreme Court QLD of-the-bushranger-say-families-cops/news-story/3 Queensland Police Museum d1882a2dcf24dfce2260daf340786ce http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/family-urges- new-ben-hall-inquest/2007/03/30/1174761754719. html

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