Rodney Ansell
| Rod Ansell | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Rodney William Ansell 1 October 1954 Murgon, Queensland, Australia |
| Died | 3 August 1999 (aged 44) Acacia Hills, Northern Territory, Australia |
| Occupation | Cattle grazier, buffalo hunter |
| Known for | Served as the inspiration for the Crocodile Dundee films |
Rodney William Ansell (1 October 1954 – 3 August 1999) was an Australian from "the bush". Ansell became famous in 1977 after he was stranded in extremely remote country in the Northern Territory, and the story of his survival for 56 days with limited supplies became news headlines around the world. In 1999, he was killed in a shootout with law enforcement officers.
He served as the inspiration for Paul Hogan's character in the 1986 film Crocodile Dundee.
Rodney William Ansell was born in Murgon, Queensland, to George William Ansell and Eva May Ansell, the third of four children. Ansell moved to the Northern Territory at the age of 15. As a young man, he made a living hunting feral water buffalo in the Top End, the meat being exported to foreign markets. In 1977, after becoming a sensation in the Australian media following his harrowing ordeal in the Outback, Ansell met Joanne van Os, 22, a radio operator originally from Melbourne who was then working at the remote Aboriginal community of Wadeye. The two fell in love and married, having two sons: Callum (born 1979) and Shawn (born 1981). The family spent much of their early years living "under just a canvass sheet." With no electricity or running water, they cooked by campfire and communicated by radio. In 1985, Ansell borrowed money and secured a pastoral lease in northern Arnhem Land. He started up Melaleuca, a cattle station 140 kilometres (87 mi) east of Darwin, near Kakadu National Park, named after the Melaleuca paper bark trees which dot the landscape. The Ansells built their homestead on the station, not far from the Mary River.
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