A young Irishman, attracted by the gold rushes, landed in Melbourne in 1852. Instead of trying his hand at prospecting, he joined the embryo Victorian police force. Marrying a few years later, he and his Isabella started a large family. In charge of police stations all over Victoria, he had a fascinating career involving gold escorts, murders , arrests and many hours of patrolling on horseback. He jumped into Australian history when he found himself in charge of the siege of the hotel at Glenrowan in 1880, when the notorious gang of bushrangers, the Kellys, were surrounded by police. In the day of action which followed, despite frequent gunfire from police and the gang , Sadleir's refusal to allow police to rush the hotel resulted in a minimal loss of life. Three members of the gang died in the shootout and the leader Ned Kelly was captured wearing armour made of ploughshares.
This book describes the amazingly varied life of a brave and dedicated policeman, of a strict father, of a man with an eye for the fair sex, and for good wine ! John Sadleir was honoured by his contemporaries for his excellent police administration and remembered by his children as a caring ,if somewhat, remote father.
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