Notorious bushranger Ned Kelly will be farewelled at a private funeral 130 years after he was hanged in a Victorian jail.
But a descendant of one of the police officers killed by Kelly objects to the idea of a separate public ceremony.
This week, Kelly's family received the news they were hoping for - that his last wish to be buried with his family would come true.
Anthony Griffiths, a great-grandson of Kelly's sister, said the family welcomed Victorian Attorney-General Robert Clark's decision to return Kelly's remains to his descendants so they could meet his final request to be buried in consecrated ground.
"Our family, like every family, likes to be able to bury their own family members. Our aim is to give him a dignified funeral, like any family would," Mr Griffiths said.
It was likely Kelly would be laid to rest in a small cemetery in the Greta churchyard south of Glenrowan, where his mother Ellen, several of his brothers and sisters and other relatives are buried in unmarked graves.
Mr Griffiths said no final decisions had been made but a separate public ceremony was being considered.
"The family certainly would like to have a private family service ... but we recognise there is that level of public interest and there are a lot of the public that might like to say their farewells," he said.
Mr Clark said the issue of a public memorial service would be a matter for the family.
But Mansfield policeman Mick Kennedy, whose great grandfather Sergeant Michael Kennedy was shot dead by Kelly in 1878, is not happy with the new development.
"He was an outlaw, a thief and, unfortunately for my family, a murderer," Leading Senior Constable Kennedy told reporters.
"My great grandmother was a left a widow with six children and there was no public service for her."
Kelly's family, Heritage Victoria and the state government have stressed Kelly's grave should not become a shrine for devotees of the bushranger.
Mr Clark said that while opinion varied about Kelly's place in history, Wednesday's announcement was not about turning him into an idol.
"This is not a matter of paying homage. This is a matter of finding an appropriate and respectful resting place for the earthly remains of a deceased person," he said.
"That applies to any deceased person, regardless of what they did or didn't do in their time on earth."
It was revealed in September that scientists had identified Kelly's remains from a grave of 24 unidentified prisoners.
Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine scientists led the 20-month investigation that combined DNA analysis, CT scanning, X-rays, pathology, odontology, anthropology and historical research.
After the find, Victoria Police said it was important to remember that while Kelly's was an iconic Australian story, he was part of an extensive network of robbers which terrorised Victoria's northeast in the 1870s and murdered three police officers.
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