Thunderbolt, whose real name was Frederick Ward, was born in 1835, near Wilberforce the son of Michael and Sophia Ward. At the age of 11 years he was initially engaged as a farm hand at Aberbaldie station near Walcha.

Later he worked on several properties in northern New South Wales until he moved back to the Windsor area. There he joined his nephew John Garbutt in horse stealing. Both Ward and Garbutt later settled in Mudgee. Garbutt met and married a wealthy widow, Elizabeth Blackman, owner of the local Cooyal inn and station, near Mudgee.

Thunderbolt, when 20 years of age, was sentenced at Maitland ten years for cattle stealing, to be served at the Cockatoo Island prison. After serving part of his time, he was liberated on a ticket of leave, but was again convicted at Mudgee and returned for another term of seven years at Cockatoo. He escaped from there, accompanied by a fellow prisoner, namedBritten. This man was not an acceptable mate in Thunderbolts subsequent bushranging adventures.

Later, Thunderbolt teamed up with Mason and Monkton, and continued bush-ranging on the northern Dividing Range, the Liverpool Plains and contiguous areas. Thunderbolt had unusual self-reliance and his success as a bushranger, can largely be due to his horsemanship and agreeable appearance and conversation.

Despite being a bushranger he had a gentlemanly behaviour manner and endeavoured to avoid all violence. He was kind to all women and never robbed a female. He favoured visiting towns and centres where there were no policemen.

Thus he frequently visited Coolah for sustenance and the shoeing of his horse by local blacksmith, Robert Henry Gilmore. Thunderbolt always insisted that his horse be given attention in front of the smithy shop to allow a fast get away should his cockatoos standing on the hotel corner shout the approach of any policeman from either Cassilis, Denison Town or elsewhere..

Gilmore was born in Kingston, New York, USA in 1836. He came to the gold fields at Mudgee and moved to Coolah as a blacksmith in 1860, taking in a partner a Mr. Campbell.

Thunderbolt liked to call at Turee Vale settlement a little east of Coolah. However, he generally spent his Coolah night at the camping site at the nearby waterhole on the Coolaburragundy River. Here he met travellers and drovers who were a source of information. Those present were not aware that their guest was Thunderbolt. They informed him that the night previously Thunderbolt had stuck up the Cassilis Mail. Later they learnt this was not so- the culprits being bushrangers Patrick John Kelley and Jimmy the Whisperer.

Thunderbolt then moved on to the Turee Creek Settlement which in a direct line was about 10kms in an easterly direction from Coolah. Here the settlers had 40 acre blocks, a hall, school and a cemetery.

All the residents were friends of Thunderbolt. He helped the settlers with the erection of fences, sheds and stockyards. On one occasion Thunderbolt travelled with settler Wally Burdett to the Greenhill Scrub near Turill to obtain timber for a house Wally was building for himself at nearby Uarbry.

At the Turee Creek settlement on his visits Thunderbolt stayed alternatively with the MacDonalds, Briggs, Heads and Burdetts. All were prepared to post cockatoos to report whether any policemen were approaching the area.

They all knew that if police came into the area, Thunderbolt could safely exit by the Turee Creek Bridle Track over the Coolah Tops to the Liverpool Plains, or take shelter in one of the nearby caves, known to this day as the Bushrangers Cave.

The information regarding the visit of Thunderbolt to the Turee Creek Settlement was given to me in writing by the late John Winner who for some time resided at the Settlement and Turee Station.

Roy Cameron, OAM