Now the Hill End based artist is about to launch the first travelling pop up art exhibition of her painted collection ‘Kate Kelly: Sister of an Outlaw”.

The exhibition opens tomorrow in Blackheath and will echo the trail of Central West pioneers, popping up later in Bathurst and Orange before coming to Forbes in September in the lead up to the Lachlan- Kalari River Arts Festival.

It includes a collection of portraits based on photographs of Kate and will be exhibited at Mezzanine Cafe from September 21 to October 31.

Rebecca grew up in Forbes and remembers often being told stories about Kate and “how lovely she was” as passed down to her family through older relatives. 

“I grew up listening to my uncle telling me stories about her and I thought he was joking,” she said. 

“It wasn’t until I was older that I realised it was the real deal.”

Rebecca even discovered that it was her ancestors who had given Kate, then known under the alias Ada Hennessey, her first job as a domestic servant on Cadow Station. 

Rebecca said for a long time she was felt inspired to paint a visual story of Kate’s tragic and extraordinary life.

“It’s just a great story, and a female story,” she said. 

“So many of the great tales in Australian history are about men and she was someone who showed great tenacity and guts in her life, a life that was really quite tragic.”

Kate Kelly was renowned as an excellent horsewoman who had ridden as a decoy for the Kelly gang.

She was known for delivering supplies while the gang were in hiding, even taking a bullet on one occasion. 

Kate’s life ended early, when she was found dead in Lake Forbes, a week after she had been reported missing.

Rebecca hopes her exhibition will see Kate’s story and role in the Kelly gang not be forgotten.

For further details and updates on the exhibition visit riverartsfestival.org.au