Captain Thunderbolt (Fred Ward - 1835-1870) was known as the ‘gentleman bushranger’ as he reportedly never shot anyone. He was born in Windsor & was the youngest of 10 children.
Began working at the age of 11 at various ‘stations’ & became known as a skilful horseman. In the mid 1850s he became part of a large horse & cattle stealing operation. Was caught by police and received a sentence of 10yrs hard labour on Cockatoo Island. Was released after 4yrs.
Lived in the Mudgee area then moved to Dungog where his wife’s family was.
Was imprisoned again in Cockatoo Island for stealing a horse but escaped by swimming to shore.
Ward headed to the New England area with Fred Britten. Over the next six & a half years, Captain Thunderbolt as he became known, roamed across northern NSW from the Hunter Valley to the QLD border on a robbing spree.
In 1870 police cornered him in a swamp near Uralla and shot him dead after killing his horse. Ward was buried in Uralla with hundreds flocking to visit his grave. The grave is a Heritage-Listed burial site.
Thunderbolt’s Rock (also known as Split Rock) near Uralla is also a Heritage-Listed site, and was the location of his last hold-up on his final day.
Ward also used this location on the New England Hwy back in 1863 to stage one of his early robberies after escaping from jail.
The site features large granite boulders now covered in graffiti.
Captain Thunderbolt was the last of the major bushrangers in Australian history.
Victor Zubakin
