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From: "Lamond" <>
Subject: Burramine Paddy Bourke
Date: Tue, 13 Jun 2006 19:13:04 +1000


Have just returned home(June 13) from the Burramine weekend, and it was just wonderful with many locals and about 50 of our Sheridan clan there to unveil the plaque for Paddy.The story of Ned's crossing was always in our family, and substantiated by the statement given by Tom Lloyd who was sent off by the Kelly's to find a suitable crossing place over the Murray. He called into Paddy's pub, told him his name was Kain and that he had to cross the river to collect a cheque. Paddy, whose boat was kept padlocked to a tree by the river, rowed Lloyd across, waited for him while he "collected the cheque" ( i.e. sat in the scrub for an hour or so), then rowed him back across.Tom reported back to Ned, and a few days later, in the early hours of Saturday February 8, 1879, sawed the boat free and in 2 trips crossed the Murray. On their return, however, they found that Paddy Bourke had retrieved the boat and had to find another site to cross back. The family story which came down from B!
ridget Bourke, Paddy's daughter, said that the Bourkes and Kellys knew each other from their respective days at Kilmore and Beveridge, and that Paddy was covering his tail as a Kelly sympathizer by saying the boat was stolen to avoid arrest.Paddy's wife Margaret was pregnant at the time and when she gave birth to a son the following week, he was named 'Edward' and known always as 'Ned'!


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