Despite living in the area for years, Will Williamson was never that interested in Ned Kelly, until he watched the Mick Jagger movie Ned Kelly on his life.
“I wondered what this skinny Pom was doing playing a big, physical guy like Ned,” Mr Williamson said.
This encouraged him to look more deeply at the stories of Ned, and his family. From that point out, he was hooked.
“After seeing the Jagger film, there was something that fascinated me about Ned,” he said.
“So I bought every book I could to learn more.”
Mr Williamson saw a parallel with his own life and Ned’s.
“I was hit by a train in Toowoomba when I was 33. The car was written off, and they thought I was going to die,” he said.
“Looking back, I felt like Ned, overcoming so much to continue on.
“I’m 76 now, and I felt it was time to tell stories about Ned that could interest kids.”
In 2023, he completed his book The Arrival of Railman & Iron Maiden.
He not only wrote the book, but also did all the illustrations.
The result is an informative and interesting book for older kids to read, or to be read to younger children.
Having a famous brother, John Williamson, the well-known country music singer/songwriter, encouraged Will to add a musical element to his offering.
As a result, he has a CD coming out later in the year which complements the book.
You can pick a copy up at Kate’s Cottage in Glenrowan during business hours, and the CD will be in stock as soon as it is ready.