Sport and recreation
Scope of collection
Sport and recreation covers sporting and recreational, health and fitness activities and games, including games of chance, in Australia. A particular focus is individual and team sports played in New South Wales or in which New South Wales participants compete nationally or internationally. The administrative, sociological and economic aspects of sport and recreation are included.
Collecting aims and intentions
The Library aims to collect retrospective and current material on all aspects of Australian sport and recreation with emphasis on major sporting events and activities in New South Wales.
Material that documents the importance of sport and recreation in Australian life and in shaping aspects of our national identity is collected. In particular, material is collected where it adds to an understanding of the social fabric and culture of the New South Wales community.
Information about popular Australian sports and recreational activities unique to the Australian way of life is collected. Collecting activity represents and reflects changing patterns in the popularity of specific sports and recreational activities, particularly major trends and events.
Existing collection
- Information about the history of Australian sporting and recreational events and activities
- Biographies of Australian sporting personalities
- Rules of games
- Compilations of sporting records
- Directories of national and local sporting and recreational organisations
- Constitutions, rules and by-laws of New South Wales sporting organisations
- Journals of Australian and New South Wales sporting and recreational organisations
- Australian newspapers, especially those devoted to reporting sport
- Programs, posters, flyers and invitations to New South Wales sporting and recreational events and carnivals
- Administrative records of sporting and recreational organisations, associations and clubs
- Papers of New South Wales sports people such as correspondence, memoirs and diaries
- Newspaper cuttings and scrapbooks relating to specific sports and individuals
- Photographs, illustrations and paintings of sporting events, venues and personalities
Some examples of unique or significant items
- New South Wales sporting newspapers such as:
- Bell's life in Sydney and sporting reviewer 1845-1860 ; continued by Bell's life in Sydney and sporting chronicle 1860-1870.
- Referee 1886-[1939].
- Sydney Sportsman, 1900-1960.
- Cricket:
- Manuscript and pictorial records of the Aboriginal Cricket Tour of England, 1868.
- The 'Gubby' Allen letters on the 'Bodyline' cricket series.
- Records of the New South Wales Churches Cricket Union.
- Records of the Moore Park Cricket Association.
Mitchell Library: MLMSS 4157 - Papers of Jack Fingleton, including correspondence, notebooks and photographs.
Mitchell Library: MLMSS 5691, MLMSS 5691 ADD-ON 2041 - Cricketers and their historic deeds, scrapbooks of Albert Gregory.
Mitchell Library: Q797.5/2-23 - Letters of Don Bradman and E.A. 'Chappie' Dwyer.
- Rugby Union:
- Papers of David Campese, including scrapbooks, photographs and ephemera.
- Scrapbooks of E.S. Marks regarding the Wallabies tour of Great Britain, 1908-09.
Mitchell Library: E. S. MARKS / Q 68, Q69, Q 70, Q 71
- Athletics:
- Records and images of the New South Wales Amateur Athletic Association.
- Hodsdon collection of newspaper cuttings, programs and leaflets: Collection of newspaper cuttings on amateur athletics, compiled by A.J. Hodsdon. and Collection of programmes, leaflets, etc. on amateur athletics, c. 1920-1960, collected by A.J. Hodsdon.
- Boxing:
- The Bert L. Cox Collection of newspaper cuttings and photographic portraits of boxers, Collection of photographs, newspaper cuttings and some manuscript material on boxing, collected by Bert L. Cox.
- Swimming:
- Papers of Shane Gould, including photographs, diaries and correspondence.
- Photographs and personal papers of Mina Wylie.
- Papers of Harold Hardwick, including diary and Olympic medals.
- Photographs and papers of Annette Kellermann.
- Fishing:
- Records of the New South Wales Rod Fishers' Society.
Mitchell Library: MLMSS 5441
- Records of the New South Wales Rod Fishers' Society.
- Bushwalking:
- Records of Paddy Pallin.
- Papers of Myles Dunphy.
Mitchell Library: MLMSS 4457, MLMSS 4457 ADD-ON 1823 - Papers of Milo Dunphy.
- Records and visitors' books of the New South Wales Federation of Bushwalking Clubs (Confederation of Bushwalking Clubs NSW Inc).
Special collections
- Sydney Olympic Games 2000
- J.C. Davis collection of printed materials including photographs, manuscripts and newscuttings. Guide. Mitchell Library: Information desk
- E.S. Marks collection of printed materials including photographs, manuscripts and newscuttings. Guide.
Mitchell Library: REF 1/Q796.016/ 2 - Hood Photographic collection, including a substantial range of New South Wales sporting images accessible on the Manuscripts, Oral History & Pictures Catalogue.
