24/05/2026
Ned Kelly’s armour sitting in the State Library is treated like this sacred national relic, but the whole story around it is ironic.
The armour is displayed inside the Redmond Barry Reading Room, which is funny because Redmond Barry was the judge who sentenced Kelly to death. So you’ve got Ned’s armour inside the room named after the bloke who helped end him.
And outside the State Library is Barry’s statue, which has basically become part of Melbourne folklore because people joke that while Ned gets the glass-case legend treatment, Barry gets left out front copping weather and pigeon crap.