Will the real Michael Walsh please stand up?

Shepherd, convicted sheep stealer, death-row convict, ticket-of-leave man, cattleman, station owner, eager husband, friend of bushrangers, victim of crime, loving father, generous donor, gentleman, occupier of an unmarked grave – I can’t work out for sure if all of these descriptions fit one man, or if there were two – or even three – Michaels. If these characters were one and the same person, then he certainly led an interesting life.

Ireland was experiencing a fine, mild reported that sheep stealing was becoming common, and therefore the jury was not feeling very lenient. Nevertheless, at some point between July and November, Michael’s sentence was commuted to transportation for life, because he was on board the when it left on its third convict transport voyage. In New South Wales, he was assigned at different times to William Redfern and John Grant in the Lachlan and Bathurst districts. He gained a ticket of leave in 1829, and a conditional pardon in 1836.