1. Andrew Scott (Captain Moonlite) and James Nesbitt 2. Captain Moonlite’s final resting place in North Gundagai Cemetery near James Nesbitt’s unmarked grave.
After 30 years, the graves of famed bushrangers Andrew Scott (Captain Moonlite) and James Nesbitt have been added to the State Heritage Register. The graves are located at the North Gundagai cemetery, situated under a eucalyptus tree.
Born in Ireland in 1845 as Andrew George Scott, Moonlite committed his first crime when he was 24, robbing a bank in Egerton, Victoria, wearing a mask and cloak. After escaping to Sydney with the valuables from the bank, he was extradited to Victoria where he was then incarcerated at Pentridge Prison where he met James Nesbitt.
After their release in 1879, the pair moved with four other young men to New South Wales, where they held up the owners of Wantabadgery Station near Gundagai, resulting in Nesbitt’s death in a shootout. Moonlite reportedly wept over his body. The confrontation also killed a police officer and two other bushrangers.
Captured and sentenced to death at Sydney’s Darlinghurst Gaol, Moonlite penned more than 60 letters and two statements explaining his actions and professing his deep love for Nesbitt.
In a letter to Nesbitt’s mother, Moonlite wrote: “… his hopes were my hopes, his grave will be my resting place, and I trust I may be worthy to be with him where we shall all meet to part no more…”Despite his plea, authorities did not send Captain Moonlite’s letters nor grant his final wish to be buried alongside Nesbitt in Gundagai. Instead, he was executed in January 1880 and laid to rest in Rookwood Cemetery in Sydney. The letters were discovered more than a century later, and in 1990, two Gundagai women campaigned for the couple to be reunited.
After 115 years apart, Moonlite’s dying wish was granted and his remains were exhumed from Rookwood Cemetery and reinterred at North Gundagai Cemetery. He now rests beneath a eucalyptus tree near Nesbitt’s burial site. The reburial took place in 1995 following a campaign by two local farmers who came across some of Moonlite’s speeches and were touched by his loyalty to Nesbitt.
The listing of Captain Moonlite and James Nesbitt’s graves on the State Heritage Register further enriches the historical narrative of NSW. Their graves offer a rare window into same-sex relationships in an era when homosexuality was harshly suppressed by the state, challenging typical stereotypes of Australian bushrangers and providing one of the few publicly acknowledged same-sex relationships of the 19th century.
Minister for Heritage Penny Sharpe said that the heritage listing added to the understanding of the types of relationships that have ‘always existed’ in the state.
“Captain Moonlite and James Nesbitt were outcasts even among outcasts, who might have lived very different lives in more contemporary times.”
“This listing on the State Heritage Register reflects the desire to tell the diverse stories that reflect the rich history of NSW.”
Ms Sharpe said the listing was granted after an independent panel of experts considered the nomination.
“Part of this nomination is trying to move the stories on from just buildings. I think there’s been a bit of a focus on buildings,” Penny said.
The preservation of the graves at a state level is a reminder of the diverse lives throughout Australian history.
Duty MLC for Cootamundra Stephen Lawrence said “The protections afforded to the gravesites in North Gundagai Cemetery through a listing on the NSW State Heritage Register ensure that this rare, one-of-a-kind site, and the life story it represents, are preserved.”
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