Red Ned, come to life!

I mentioned in yesterday's post that it's always thrilling to spy one of your own characters in a Book Week parade. Then I received this beautiful email from Miranda and Jed.

Hi Tony! 

I’m just writing to let you know about my son, Jed, who has bright red hair, and lives in the suburb of Annerley in Brisbane (not far from Indooroopilly!). 

He was gifted ‘Red Ned’ a few years ago, and Jed truly thinks it’s about him. Such a great book!! 

Today was his book week parade, and he was so excited to go as Jed, from ‘Red Ned’, and share the book with his class. I’ve attached a photo. 

Thanks so much for the fantastic books.

Take care,

Miranda and Jed

What a beautiful photo, and a hilarious costume, complete with water pistol. Thanks so much for sharing it. ‘Red Ned’ is one of my least known books, so it’s lovely to know it has a fan, and so close to the story’s conveniently rhyming locality —Indooroopilly (rhymes with Kelly)!

I wrote ‘Red Ned’ (originally titled ‘Jed Kelly’) as a rhyming ballad to celebrate red-headedness, but with Kelly gang themes. The idea is that Jed Kelly doesn’t initially love his red frizz, and so does a botch job trying to dye it blonde. It’s not a successful outing in the home salon, so Jed puts his head in a bin and sets off looking for a hairdresser.

He is then mistaken for Indooroopilly’s first eight year old bin-headed bushranger.

It was released by Lake Press. It’s now out of print, but illustrator Heath McKenzie has given me the go-ahead to do a self publishing run.

If I picked up 20 new subscribers from this post, or 10 new lifetime subscribers, that would pay for a 500 copy print run! Anyone? And I would put you or your loved one’s name in the back!¹

Full text: [this might a few words different from publication version]

You might know the tale of a Kelly named Ned
A bushranger type with a can on his head
He roamed the wild country and caused loads of strife
And went to his death with the words ‘such is life’.

A lesser known story is that of Jed Kelly
Who lived in the suburb of Indooroopilli,
A regular eight-year-old boy was young Jed
Except for wild hair that was red, red, red, RED!

‘Please cut it off,’ he would beg to his mum
‘The kids at school tease me ― they say I look dumb’
But Jed’s mother Jan was in love with his frizz,
For hers was unruly and orange like his.

‘I won’t touch a lock,’ she would say to young Jed
I won’t hear a word against hair that is red
Red hair is beautiful, red hair is proper
The very best hair is a bright shade of copper!’

One day after school they were watching the telly
When on came an ad that appealed to Jed Kelly
“Blonde in a Bottle, for nine ninety nine’
And blondes really do have a much better time”

That was enough for the unhappy Jed
He bought two whole bottles
Poured both on his head.