Captain Thunderbolt
Waler Data Base @ Facebook. Image: Thunderbolt Statue at Uralla, Visit NSW website photo.
Captain Thunderbolt was a real person, named Fred Ward. A Robin Hood sort of bushranger, helping many country people who desperately needed it. He killed no-one and treated ladies gallantly. He did gazillions of daring robberies, always using fast horses to escape.
Born in Windsor, Thunderbolt grew to a strapping young fellow who liked horses, nicknamed Thunderbolt for his habit of racing his sweetheart Joan to the front door of his parents home and shooting in like a thunderbolt.
While a youth, a character named The Pelican hired Thunderbolt to ride horses at country race meetings. It turned out all The Pelican’s horses were stolen. Soon, Thunderbolt was caught by police and sent to Cockatoo Island. He escaped. Swam to the mainland. Of course, he had to steal a horse to escape!
He learned his sweetheart Joan had gone mad when she heard of his capture, and been put in an insane asylum – Thunderbolt overheard this when he casually rode into a small town, unrecognised. Overcome, he spurred the horse and galloped off madly, scattering the gossipers, stricken with grief. The word went up and the police came looking for him. He liked to dress well, which made him conspicuous.
Thunderbolt met a beautiful half caste girl, also on the run from authorities, named Long Yellow. They became a couple, she became his offsider in the robberies, a top rider. They had four children. For seven years Captain Thunderbolt robbed stagecoaches and rich people, and helped many with the proceeds.
He was so beloved no-one had ever given away where his bush hideout was, although many knew, and one youth, Mason, who helped him when Long Yellow was unable to, who was caught, tortured, flogged and finally offered 200 pounds, a fortune, by police, also bravely refused to dob.
Lot of hilarious and true stories about his robberies. Once he robbed a mail coach of a lot of gold. He was having a quiet one at an inn when the coach driver stamped in, furious. Thunderbolt, in a distinctive well cut blue coat and immaculate white cravat, buff breeches and top boots, jumped out of a window, somersaulting onto his horse and was away in one movement!
Another time he stuck up Wirth of circus fame, who was carrying a big wad of money to the races. If I hold up the Melbourne Cup winner, promised Thunderbolt, I’ll pay you back. It happened, and he did.
He also caught several mounted police looking for him, robbed them, and set them free. Galloping up a hill once, he jumped a ravine over 10 feet wide to escape police – it looked certain death but the stolen mare he rode made it. Now known as Thunderbolt’s Leap.
Tragically, in 1868, he rode desperately for a midwife. His beloved Long Yellow was dying in childbirth. She asked Thunderbolt to give himself up to the law, her dying wish, so he wouldn’t meet a violent end. He decided to ponder this for a time, and had his children to raise.
Two years later he was singing a song about her while working a horseshoe on an anvil in the bush, near Uralla, when searching mounted police heard him. He leapt onto a horse when he saw them. There was a chase, and it ended in a swamp.. A policeman name Walker shot Captain Thunderbolt’s horse, then shot Thunderbolt dead, as he refused to give himself up. The end of a short but incredible life of bushranging, stealing extra good horses, and helping many.
Oh, and his buried stash of gold and money, worth a fortune, has never been found, as far as anyone knows. It’s somewhere in the New England ranges.
A wonderfully scenic road journey of 290km along ‘Thunderbolt’s Way’ through the Northern NSW Tablelands, links Gloucester to Walcha, Uralla and ends in Copes Creek, 16km south of Inverell. Thunderbolt’s Lookout is on the Barrington tops, pictured. A memorial Statue for Thunderbolt is at Uralla.
In 1951, we made a film called Captain Thunderbolt. It was quite popular, made in the westerns movie style of the times, where cowboys were stars.
After a few decades no-one could find the film – a 40 year ban on bushranger films in NSW partially caused the loss – government fear of copy-cat crime! A shorter version existed – made when the movie was transferred from the original 35mm – but lost much quality. The National Film and Sound Archive found the original trailer for the film in 2010.
Then yay! A persistent researcher found the full film this year – 2024. It was showed in Prague in the past – with Czech subtitles – they still had an excellent copy in their archives. Now kindly loaned to us and being restored by the NFSA. Soon we’ll be able to see the entire full length movie of 69 minutes in good quality 35mm film!
