By David Grieve.

As mentioned in Grieve Family Reunion Part 1, Jane Grieve (1833-1912) wife of William Grieve (1830-1913) had a meeting with the notorious bushranger Captain Thunderbolt.

Bushrangers were Australian outlaws and armed robbers who lived in the remote wilderness—known as the “bush”—and survived primarily by stealing from travellers, coaches, and banks. Operating mostly during the colonial era between the late 18th and early 20th centuries, they are the Australian equivalent of English highwaymen or American Old West outlaws.

The most infamous bushranger was Ned Kelly, who murdered three policemen and better known for using armour fashioned from steel ploughs. He was hung in Melbourne in 1880.

Captain Thunderbolt (born Frederick Wordsworth Ward) was the longest-roaming bushranger in New South Wales history. Operating from 1863 to 1870, he committed over 80 documented hold-ups across the New England region. Known as the “Gentleman Bushranger,” he avoided bloodshed while establishing an unmatched reputation for daring escapes. He was killed in 1870 near Uralla by the Constable Walker of the NSW Police, not far from Walcha. A statue of Thunderbolt now adorns the main street of Uralla and a major road from Walcha to the coast is called Thunderbolt’s Way.

Ward entered the paid workforce at an early age and was employed at the age of 11 by the owners of “Aberbaldie Station” near Walcha as a “generally useful hand” although he remained with them for only a short time. Remember that William Grieve selected land on “Aberbaldie Station”, so the meeting of Jane Grieve and Thunderbolt is highly likely as he was familiar with the area and was able to evade the troopers (police).

Extracts from a taped recording of Aunty Lill, daughter of William Grieve (born 1859) and Susannah Bath (born 1859) recorded in 1984 when she was 94 years old.

Ian Grieve, relates a family story regarding the meeting up of Jane Grieve and the bushranger Thunderbolt in 1862.

“It happened while William and Jane were on Bergen – Op – Zoom.  One morning, William must have been out shepherding and Jane was at the bails a short distance from their hut, milking a cow Her children were with her – Mary aged about 5 years and first son William aged about 3.

A man on horseback came out of the bush and came up to them at the bails.  He asked if she would prepare a meal for him and she said that she would when she finished milking.  In the meantime, he kept an eye on the track from which he had appeared and when she did finish, he carried young William and helped her back to the hut with the milk.

She prepared him a meal of bacon and eggs and sat him at the table with his back to the door.  He changed the setting so that he could see out the door towards the track. When he had completed his meal, he gave the children a two-shilling piece each and thanked Jane most politely before riding off.

Shortly after he had gone, two troopers rode up to the hut and asked Jane if she had seen a man on horseback who they described as the person who had just left.  She said she had seen the man and that he had left a short time before they arrived.

They told her that the man was the wanted Bushranger Thunderbolt.  She told them that the man had been an absolute gentleman throughout his visit with her and the children”

Many families in New England area have stories about their ancestors interacting with Fred Ward (Captain Thunderbolt). This is story is one of many.

Oral history can be very misleading and often takes on a life of its own and when checked against the facts does not often stand up. By way of example, an interview with 94-year-old Aunt Lill in 1984 demonstrates this, where she relates how her grandmother (Jane Grieve nee Flett) gave breakfast to Thunderbolt whilst her husband William Grieve was away working ‘out in the field’ as a shepherd. The incident probably occurred, but it does not stand up to strict scrutiny. William Grieve was a shepherd on “Bergen-op-zoom” squatter’s run near Walcha before conditioning purchasing his first property at “Brickwall” Walcha (now part of Aberbaldie Station). Whether the story was told to her by her grandmother (Jane Grieve) or by her father (William Grieve Junior) is unclear.

The incident occurred in 1862, which was according to Aunt Lill, 2 years after they emigrated from Orkney and there were 2 children present, her Aunt Mary (born on in 1857 on the voyage out from Britain and her father William Junior (born in 1859). The inconsistencies are that they emigrated in 1857 (Mary being born on the journey) so 2 years after emigrating would have been 1859 not 1862. Also, there were 3 children by 1862 (not 2 children) the third born being James Grieve in 1861 (who was my great grandfather). Furthermore, Thunderbolt did not commence his bushranging until 1863 – he was in prison on Cockatoo Island in 1862. 

Having determined that the incident did not occur when it was claimed, it is likely to have occurred at a much later date as the general area was frequented by Thunderbolt. Remember. Fred Ward aka Captain Thunderbolt worked on the Aberbaldie Run at the age of 11!

Also in this series:

• Grieve Family Reunion: Part 1, William Grieve Leaves Rousay
• Grieve Family Reunion Part 2: The Family and the Farmstead (Brickwall) Grows.
• Grieve Family Reunion Part 3: Rewriting History