Mad dan Morgan

Sunday, April 9, 1865. :   Ruthless bushranger, "Mad" Dan Morgan, is shot dead. 

     It is unknown on which date, exactly, Dan Morgan was born, but it is believed that he was born in 1830, and adopted in 1832 by John Roberts, with whom he stayed until the age of 17. Morgan's first job was as a stockman in the Murrumbidgee River area.

Morgan's life of crime began with the theft of two horses in 1847. After moving to the Victorian goldfields, he progressed to more crimes, including further horse theft, until he was arrested in 1854. He was sentenced to 12 years' jail at Pentridge, where he underwent hard labour on the prison hulks in Port Phillip Bay.

After absconding on ticket-of-leave in 1860, Morgan moved to the Lambing Flat district of NSW, where the town of Young now stands. Between 1863 and 1865 he earned a reputation as a particularly vicious and ruthless bushranger, committing a number of murders. The reward for his capture was raised to 500 pounds in 1864.

Morgan was finally caught after he held several workers hostage at Peechelba Station. When the police party arrived on 9 April 1865, Morgan was shot through the back during a standoff. He was buried in the Wangaratta cemetery.

Jorgen Jorgenson

JORGEN JORGENSON      Jorgen Jorgenson  Was Born On The 7th April In copenhagen, Denmark. Although He Was The Son Of A Royal Clock Maker, At The Age Of 16 He Persuaded His Father To Jave Him Apprentices On An English Collier. After Four Years apprenticed on an English Collier. After Four Years As A Sailor, He Joined A Whaler, Travelling To Cape Town In 1799 And Port Javkson The Following Year. In August 1801,  He Joined The “Lady Nelson” Under The Name Of John Johnson. It  Was In This Role That Jorgenson Was Oresent was in this role that Jorgenson was present at the founding of the Tasmanian settlements of Risdon Cove in September 1803, and of Sullivan's Cove in February 1804. He claimed to be the first to harpoon a whale in the waters of the Derwent. He was employed as a British spy for some years after that, but after becoming involved in petty crime, returned to New Holland (Australia) as a convict in 1826. Given his previous experience he was assigned various exploration tasks to the wild central highlands and West Coast of Tasmania, after which he was pardoned. He was also a keen observer of the Aboriginal way of life, and wrote about the culture and beliefs of the Tasmanian Aborigines. Jorgenson died in Hobart on 20 January 1841