Don's collection on show
TANUSHREE PODDER
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For the cricket lover, a visit to the Bradman Collection housed in the State Library of South Australia is a dream come true.
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This priceless personal collection includes many interesting items and takes one through the history of cricket.
DON BRADMAN: On display are cricket bats, stumps, balls, apparel, photographs, mementos and more. PHOTO: HINDU PHOTO LIBRARY AND TANUSHREE PODDER
Once I had experienced the delights of a tour around the Adelaide Cricket Grounds, it was but natural that the trip be followed with a visit to the famous Bradman Collection housed in the State Library of South Australia. For a cricket lover, the lure was irresistible.
Sir Donald Bradman was the greatest batsman in the history of cricket. Affectionately known as The Don, Bradman passed away in February 2001. He is the only Australian to have been knighted for his services to cricket. The Australians are very proud of their Don. The collection held by the State Library of South Australia began in the late 1960s when the then State Librarian approached Sir Donald about transferring his collection of cricketing memorabilia to the Library. The project began with the creation of 52 scrapbooks documenting Sir Donald's career from 1925 to 1948. Telling his tale
This priceless and personal collection includes many interesting items and takes one through the history of cricket. Bradman's collection of cricket bats including miniature bats, cricket stumps, cricket balls, cricket apparel, ceramic, silver, artworks, scorecards printed in silk, photographs, newspaper cuttings, and mementos form a sizeable part of the exhibition. The blazers, jumpers, shoes, flannels, and other gear that were owned by the Don are displayed along with the unique Royal Worcester vase he received in 1938 to commemorate scoring three consecutive double centuries on the Worcester ground. There is also a `Royal' portable typewriter, which was presented to Don Bradman in 1934, which he used for personal work while on tours. An interesting blue- green glaze Toby jug with Bradman's head and cricket bat/ball as handle caught my attention as did the replica of a Buddhist temple at Kandy, Sri Lanka.
S.P. Foenanda, Sports Editor of The Ceylon Observer, presented this to Bradman on behalf of cricket lovers in Ceylon, on October 18, 1930.
After one has gone through all the interesting items, there is still a treasure trove of 48 speeches, interviews and other recordings made by or given to Sir Donald Bradman over the years.
One can listen to them in the Somerville Reading Room of the Library. For the die-hard cricket aficionado there is also a huge collection of 23 motion picture films made between 1934 and 1949, which can also be viewed in the Reading Room.
The visit to the Bradman Collection is an unforgettable experience and if you are in Adelaide, South Australia, don't miss out on it.
Baggy Green
The Don owned two Baggy Greens. One was given to him in 1948 while touring England. The exhibition of Sir Donald's personal memorabilia lacked its own cap because it had become his custom over the years to give away these much-prized items.
A Baggy Green worn by Sir Donald Bradman on the 1948 `Invincibles' tour of England came to light in 2004. The discovery of the cap came as a surprise because it was believed that the 1948 touring members received just one cap each. The cap was uncovered in the wardrobe of retired lawyer Kevin Truscott's home in Melbourne. This was eventually donated to the collection.
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