THE grandson of cricketing great Sir Donald Bradman, Tom Bradman, was in Cootamundra on Wednesday to reveal the bust of his grandpa, signifying the completion, to date, of the Captains’ Walk.
Also in Cootamundra for the event was Tom Bass, who sculpted the bust and school created the more recent busts.
A crowd of more than 200 people, as well as students from local schools, attended the unveiling ceremony.
The ceremony kicked off with a performance from CADAS Kids, where the young performers entertained the audience with acoustic moves using cricket bats and balls.
Guest of honour Tom Bradman told the audience it was a great honour to be in Cootamundra to open the Captains’ Walk.
“Being my grandpa’s birthplace, what better place to celebrate today than here,” he said.
Yesterday was not the first time Tom had visited Cootamundra, having stopped at Bradman’s Birthplace cottage last November on his way from Adelaide to Canberra.
Eric Thorburn was the volunteer on duty at the cottage that day and provided Tom with the grand tour, relaying tales of The Don at his best, before Tom revealed himself as The Don’s grandson. What a shock our dedicated volunteer must have received!
Tom and his grandfather had daily contact for many years, with Tom growing up in the same neighbourhood.
He said he celebrates and remembers on August 27 in the same way anyone remembers their grandpa’s birthday, however he said he was very proud that so many people all over the world also chose to mark the date.
He said the Captains’ Walk is a fitting tribute to his grandpa and every Australian test cricket captain, describing it as “unique to Cootamundra”.
Tom Bass gave an insightful speech into the creation of the sculptures. He left art school in 1948 and has gone on to become a renowned artist with a fantastic body of work
“It (the creation of the Captains’ Walk) has been a wonderful opportunity for the studio,” Mr Bass said.
Each of the sculptures was created from photos of the cricket greats.
Mr Bass recalled meeting Sir Don Bradman in 1930, when Mr Bass was only 15 years old. He said The Don was autographing cricket bats at a store in Sydney, where Mr Bass worked, wrapping up the bats after Bradman had signed them.
“I do remember the quality of the man, even at that young age he was very generous in time with his fans,” Mr Bass said.
He said The Don’s legend was magnified by the time in which he played cricket, during the depression, where people were no doubt looking for a national hero and some positive news.
The bust of Bradman in Jubilee Park depicts The Don with his signature expression after having completed a stroke.