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Heritage
 A future tennis champion, a young Evonne Goolagong. Courtesy of News Ltd. Graham Polly Farmer Arthur Beetson Evonne Goolagong Darby McCarthy Lionel Rose Tony Mundine Cathy Freeman |
The year 2000 will be remembered as a great year for our sporting nation as the world's biggest sports carnival comes to our shores. Aboriginal Heritage Officer, Vince Scarcella looks at the contributions of Aboriginal people to our sporting history and heritage.
The recent listing on the State Heritage Register of the Bradman Oval and the Bradman Collection of cricket memorabilia, as well as the Dawn Fraser Swimming Pool have brought public attention to the question of what we asa community value as heritage.
Sport is a mirror of many aspects of society. It reflects political, social, economic and legal systems. It also reflects Aboriginal society. There is no doubting Aboriginal sporting achievement is exceptional. But, why is this the case? Is it an avenue to social acceptance? Is it that sport gives Aboriginal people a chance to compete under the same rules as everyone else? Is sport more vital to Aboriginal people as a way of economic independence?
The first Aboriginal sportsman was Shiney, who played cricket for Hobart Town in 1835. His story ended 157 years later in an all too familiar way. On his death, Shiney was beheaded and his head sent to an Irish museum for preservation and research. Agitation in the enlightened times of 1992 resulted in his remains being returned and reburied traditionally by the Tasmanian Aboriginal community.
Charlie Samuels from Dinbour, Queensland, went on to be one of the greatest sprinters in track history. In Botany in 1888 he ran 100 yards in 9.1 seconds. A recalculated time would have placed him second only behind Ben Johnson in the now infamous 1988 Seoul Olympics 100m sprint exactly 100 years later. Soon after, he was sent to Callum Park Lunatic Asylum for 'intemperence to drink' and died soon after.
Eddie Gilbert was one of only 15 bowlers to dismiss Bradman for zero. Don Bradman once wrote that Gilbert was the fastest bowler he had faced. Gilbert had to travel to games alone, often by train whilst team mates drove. He wasn't allowed to stay in team hotels nor participate in team functions, just play cricket. He died in 1978 after 23 years in a mental institution.
It is these early 'explorers' that gave rise to today's Aboriginal heroes. Others of their time were not as fortunate, as they couldn't achieve their sporting dreams because of their culture. The names of Aboriginal athletes reads like a who's who of Australian sporting achievement: Graham Polly Farmer (one of the greatest Aussie Rules players of all time), Arthur Beetson (rugby league), Evonne Goolagong (tennis), Darby McCarthy (a proudly Aboriginal jockey), Lionel Rose, Tony Mundine, Cathy Freeman. They have all given Aboriginal people a moment of glory, a time when for once they were more than equal.
The tennis club where a young Evonne Goolagong first played and practised is one place which tells the story of the importance of sport to a whole community. Located in Barellan, NSW, the club and its historic connection are well known in the local community and a source of great pride. Visitors to the town constantly ask to see the courts where Evonne Goolagong developed her outstanding tennis skills. The community is currently discussing how they can preserve this important part of Australia's sporting heritage.
Heritage items on the State Register are a reflection of society at a particular time. As a cemetery tells the heritage of people and events, as a lighthouse tells the history of trade and design, as Aboriginal sites tell the stories of traditional Aboriginal people, so sporting heritage tells the story of an individual's or team's excellence, as well as how society perceived them.