Thunderbolt Show, Shine and Swap Meet..

**Robbo** · 13-05-2012, 06:39 PM

I was guessing it was Uralla, going by the "Thunderbolt" name. I have a lot of relatives in Armidale.

**83 WB_Ute** · 13-05-2012, 06:42 PM

Originally Posted by Robbo

I was guessing it was Uralla, going by the "Thunderbolt" name. I have a lot of relatives in Armidale.

Yeah, its a small world.. lol Are they into cars?? I may know them..

**jennie285** · 13-05-2012, 10:01 PM

Originally Posted by Robbo

I was guessing it was Uralla, going by the "Thunderbolt" name. I have a lot of relatives in Armidale.

I read a book as a child called thunderbolt and lightfoot, is that where the storey was set Robbo? or is that not the lightfoot meaning

**wbute** · 13-05-2012, 10:13 PM

Thunderbolt was killed near uralla. Was one of his hide out areas. Only read a book on bushrangers a month or so ago. Pretty sure he was not killed in a very nice way. Think he was the one that only stole the best of horses and was a terrific horseman. Actually now that I think about I think legend had it that he rode a winning race horse around tamworth only a couple of days before he met his maker. Interesting times in Australian history for sure.

**83 WB_Ute** · 13-05-2012, 11:42 PM

Originally Posted by jennie285

I read a book as a child called thunderbolt and lightfoot, is that where the storey was set Robbo? or is that not the lightfoot meaning

I have never heard of that book.. lol

Originally Posted by wbute

Thunderbolt was killed near uralla. Was one of his hide out areas. Only read a book on bushrangers a month or so ago. Pretty sure he was not killed in a very nice way. Think he was the one that only stole the best of horses and was a terrific horseman. Actually now that I think about I think legend had it that he rode a winning race horse around tamworth only a couple of days before he met his maker. Interesting times in Australian history for sure.

Yeah, thats the one.. He was killed in Kentucky Creek just south west of Uralla by a gunshot wound to the back from a policeman in the area, this was just after robbing a traveller near 'split rock'. His hide out was known as 'split rock' and is about 6 or so k's south of Uralla. Over the years of him being on the run he formed a few gangs with all of them falling apart. One of the men that was in his last gang 'William Monckton' is one of my distant relatives from the area..

and another thing is that his first robbery was out Gostwyck (east of Uralla..) which is near where I live at the moment..

He was a terrific horseman, one of the best of the era. After 'William Monckton' left him, he went into hiding and only cam out a handfull of times in the next 18months.. He then came out on the 25th May 1870 which is when the constable seen him robbing the travelers.. That then lead to his death.

It is really a very interesting time in our history. My family has researched this for years with association of the local Thunderbolt mueseum.. Thats how we came to find that we were distant relatives to 'William Monckton'..

So it really is a small world..

**wbute** · 13-05-2012, 11:48 PM

Yeah that's the story. From what I read he was one of the few bushrangers that was actually half decent. A lot of them were not real nice. There were a few who were down right mad men.
Our local bushrangers were Sam poo who reportedly was the only Chinese bushranger. He was caught at a creek called fly blowers ck.... Believe it or not lol. The governors were around here as well. Not real nice blokes though.

**83 WB_Ute** · 14-05-2012, 12:00 AM

Originally Posted by wbute

Yeah that's the story. From what I read he was one of the few bushrangers that was actually half decent. A lot of them were not real nice. There were a few who were down right mad men.
Our local bushrangers were Sam poo who reportedly was the only Chinese bushranger. He was caught at a creek called fly blowers ck.... Believe it or not lol. The governors were around here as well. Not real nice blokes though.

Yeah, he is listed down as the best/most successful Australian Bushranger of the time... He escaped from Cockatoo Island and was then on the run for a big number of years (can't remember off the top of my head..) haha

That was their ambition though.. They aimed to go and steal and hurt people.. It isn't like they are gonna offer the people they stole from a tea party.. lol hahah

**jennie285** · 14-05-2012, 04:31 PM

We have Ben Hall, who was quite a nice bloke until the Troopers picked on him too much for stupid things, and he ended up going off the tracks...we used to live on a farm between Cowra, and Forbes near Eugowra, and the stables there were left over from it being a Cobb and Co stopover...the rumour was there was treasure under it, but I did a lot of digging, as a child, and never found any of it. lol.....