Almanac Books: The Fifty Books of Bernard

 

Bernard Whimpress has written and edited fifty books, mostly on sport, mainly on cricket.

 

His first, The South Australian Football Story (1983) through to his most recent These Walls.

 

As well as the books, Bernard has been involved as a writer and editor on sporting themes in many areas. The Football Budget supplied up to date information and articles for the football public at the ground. The Baggy Green cricket journal provided a vehicle for experienced authors and encouraged budding writers. And there have been book reviews and other articles.

 

 

Bernard Whimpress  by the artist Bronny Dunshea

 

Bernard was the founding convenor of the SA chapter of the Australian Society of Sports History (ASSH) in 1996. The group continues to meet regularly for discussions and to hear presentations on a variety of sporting topics. Members possess a keen interest, often a detailed knowledge, in a particular sporting area. They are encouraged to prepare and deliver oral and/or written presentations based on their research. Guest presenters bring added expertise. The extensive meeting report produced by Bernard represents a historical document of value.

There are parallels with the Footy Almanac. Just a different modus operandi.

 

Bernard’s book Passport to Nowhere: Aborigines in Australian cricket, 1850–1939 (1999) arose from his PhD thesis. The irony in the title extends to areas beyond cricket.

 

In his review of Passport To Nowhere, journalist and author Martin Flanagan mentioned Bernard’s  ‘sober, thoughtful commentaries … his loyalty to South Australia’s distinct sporting traditions, and his insistence upon interpreting events in the light of them’, adding that Bernard represented ‘a worthy voice in the emerging debate about the relationship between sport, culture and history in this country’.

 

 

 

Accordingly, friends and colleagues, many of them members of ASSH, were invited to join with Bernard to celebrate this occasion of some significance – the Fifty Books of Bernard.

 

We met in the Minor Works Building Community Centre in the city, just down the street from the Adelaide Central Market. The centre is the venue for a range of activities; art and craft sessions, health and well-being classes and other community activities such as The Kuarna project which aims to increase the broader community’s knowledge of Kaurna history, spirituality, and language.

 

But by the appointed date, the celebration had become:

 

The Fifty Books of Bernard plus an Order of Australia Medal OAM.
For services to literature as sportswriter and author.

 

The citation for the award reveals an amazing involvement in documenting sports history by way of literature in books and articles, in curating a cricket museum, in providing a photographic record and as founding convenor of ASSH.

 

Author and journalist Michael Sexton and former ABC radio sports presenter Roger Wills, both ASSH members, paid tribute to Bernard. Michael spoke of the very individual pathway Bernard has taken. With sport not really considered a topic of serious historical examination and no forum or platform to discuss or write about sporting issues, Bernard created them. Roger Wills spoke of Bernard’s brilliant Football Budget productions. Roger is also a foundation ASSH member.  He attended the very first ASSH meeting held In Bernard’s home. Roger reminisced that while the menu may have changed from cheese crackers and cask wine to the ‘pub meal of choice’ (Roger possesses culinary expertise in bangers and mash) and a decent red, the camaraderie and discussion remains as vibrant as ever.

 

Following a toast to the man of the hour, Bernard spoke about his books. Complete with anecdotes.

 

Typically, Bernard chose to focus on some of the fourteen books he has co-authored with other people. He mentioned Adelaide Oval Test Cricket 1884-1984, his second book, written in collaboration with the late Nigel Hart. Over the years, people have said to Bernard, “I’ve got your book” and this is the one they mean.

 

 

 

Test Eleven: Greatest Ashes Battles (Wakefield Press, 1994) was also co-written by Whimpress and Hart with the English imprint being sold to Andre Deutsch (1995).

 

Adelaide University Cricket Club: a history  (2022) was co-authored with South Australian cricket identity Robert O’Shannassy while Adelaide Sporting Sites (2018) produced by Whimpress and Santo Caruso featured essays on some 63 sporting sites by 24 members of ASSH(SA).  A review of Adelaide Sporting Sites may be seen here.

 

In his laconic, inimitable way, Bernard then discussed his latest book These Walls.

”It’s not for sale tonight”, he said.

The book has resulted from an examination of the pictures, photos and mementos that adorn the walls and shelves in Bernard’s home.

“What a person chooses to place on their walls can tell you much about that person”, says Bernard.

There are many fascinating pieces, all with a story.

There is a large, striking portrait of Bernard by the artist Bronny Dunshea (see above). The portrait shows Bernard in the realm of his two great passions, Adelaide Oval cricket and Memorial Drive tennis. He has been a member of both organisations for many years.

 

The impressive artwork titled Grace at Kadina adorns a wall in his study. Alan Tucker, then an English teacher at Kadina High School, produced the painting after reading Bernard’s booklet of the same name.

 

 

A large photo by Bryan Charlton of former SA Premier Don Dunstan, clad in board shorts, emerging from the sea on Kangaroo Island is also featured.

 

There is a framed letter from Sir Donald Bradman. Bernard had two meetings with Sir Donald in Bradman’s home. The first meeting involved discussions of the book Adelaide Oval Test Cricket 1884-1984. The topic of the second was throwing and included mention of the aboriginal Test cricketer Eddie Gilbert.

 

Bradman: You know that Eddie threw the ball
Whimpress: He was only called once for throwing
Bradman: No, he was called more than once
Whimpress: No, he was only called once.
A short silence ensued. Fortunately for Bernard, the interview continued.

 

However, a different remark is directed towards the large Lionel Coventry caricature of a somewhat surly looking Ian Chappell that greets Bernard from the opposite end of the hallway when he opens his front door.

 

Many other sports and artistic works are featured on the walls and in the 96 images in These Walls. A treasure trove of sporting memorabilia and art.

 

A final word. In an online post, former journalist, typewriter guru and rugby union historian Robert Messenger praised the fact that Bernard’s writing and his Honours award have resulted in ‘sportswriting being officially considered literature. Even more important, perhaps, is recognition of the value of thorough, honest and ongoing sports history research’.

 

Like the rest of us, Messenger would be impressed that that Bernard has purchased a brand spanking new laptop computer, a replacement for his somewhat dated word compiler with a keyboard of extremely dubious reliability. Fifty books done. The half century completed, Bernard moves on towards “the ton”.

 

Note 1: Images provided by Bernard Whimpress
Note 2: See Barry Nicholl’s interview with Bernard Whimpress here.

 

To read more by Peter Crossing click here.

 

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