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Frederick Ward, aka ‘Captain Thunderbolt’, was a Bushranger.

Born at Windsor in New South Wakes in 1835, he worked as a youth in various jobs involving horses — as stockman, groom and horse breaker.

His first criminal conviction was for horse stealing, in 1846. Sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment, he gained a ticket of leave after serving about half of this term, but before long was given an extended sentence for another horse stealing offence. This time he proved a less patient prisoner and in 1863 escaped from the penal establishment on Cockatoo Island in Sydney Harbour by swimming to the mainland.

Taking to the bush he carried out robberies at first in the Bourke district, but from 1864 concentrated on New England and the Hunter River valley. He operated sometimes with a small gang but more often alone; he concentrated on holding up mail coaches and, by avoiding violence, won a reputation as a ‘gentleman bushranger’.

Thunderbolts Way is a road that extends from Gloucester to Goondiwindi in Queensland, following much of his original route between the Hunter Valley and the North West slopes and plains.

In May 1870 a police constable named Walker cornered Ward at the edge of a lagoon near Uralla, shot his horse from under him and then, while struggling with Ward in the water, shot him also. Thunderbolt Rock, in the same district, was one of Ward’s lookouts. He was buried in Uralla.