Item:
Australia Post Tribute Sheetlet - Sir Donald Bradman - 2001
Mint condition stamp sheetlet. Highly sought after and here for a great price. One of Australia's greatest sporting identities. A nice snapshot of the legend himself. In 1997 these were the first historic stamp issued featuring, at the time, a living person, other than a monarch. Philatelics in Australia got a real boost from this series of The Don.
History:
Sir Donald George Bradman, AC (27 August 1908 – 25 February 2001), often referred to as The Don, was an Australian cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time. Bradman's career Test batting average of 99.94 has been claimed to be statistically the greatest achievement in any major sport. The story that the young Bradman practised alone with a cricket stump and a golf ball is part of Australian folklore.Bradman's meteoric rise from bush cricket to the Australian Test team took just over two years. Before his 22nd birthday, he had set many records for high scoring, some of which still stand, and became Australia's sporting idol at the height of the Great Depression. During a 20-year playing career, Bradman consistently scored at a level that made him, in the words of former Australia Captain Bill Woodfull, "worth three batsmen to Australia". A controversial set of tactics, known as Bodyline, was specifically devised by the England team to curb his scoring. As a captain and administrator Bradman was committed to attacking, entertaining cricket; he drew spectators in record numbers. He hated the constant adulation, however, and it affected how he dealt with others. The focus of attention on his individual performances strained relationships with some team-mates, administrators and journalists, who thought him aloof and wary. Following an enforced hiatus, due to the Second World War, he made a dramatic comeback, captaining an Australian team known as "The Invincibles" on a record-breaking unbeaten tour of England.
Other links to Bradman infrmation include
Player Profile: Donald Bradman from Cricinfo / Player Profile: Donald Bradman from CricketArchive / Bradman Museum and Bradman Oval / Bradman Digital Library—State Library of South Australia / The Bradman Trail / Don Bradman on Picture Australia / Interview with Bradman 1930
Many more can be found on Google.
*All historical information taken from Wikipedia for educational purposes only.
