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Auction Location:
Melbourne
Date:
16-Feb-2010
Lot No.
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Description:
1909 American Schoolboys Visit to Australia: a remarkable group of real-photo postcards recording a 9 month visit to Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii by the Columbia Park Boys' club of San Francisco. We have no record of any other postcards from this tour'.Mr. Simons pointed out that, as the league (West Australian football League) had approached President Roosevelt with the object of establishing the Australian game in America, and as the Columbia Park Boys' club Had Given up 'Rugby' and Had made 'Australian' Their special game..Mr. L.A. Adamson, the head master of Wesley College, had practically guaranteed to house the visitors while in Melbourne. There is little doubt that the Victorian football League will Co-operate' (the Argus, 19th March, 1909), the images include arrival ceremonies and flag presentations in Sydney, the CPBC baseball team in Sydney, a photograph of the boys in Goulburn (Sent from Yass by Sidney Rosenthal, one of the boys, to his mother.), Arrival and Activities in Yass (as well as several Yass PCS collected by Rosenthal), 'American Boys at Wangaratta', the Gymnasium Football Club (Violettown) Premiership Teams of 1908 and 1909, the CPBC football Team in Benalla, the Boys outside the YMCA in Melbourne; the CPBC in Kadina, South Australia; photos of their arrival at the Lucas Hotel in Launceston and Hart's Australian Hotel in Hobart; Also, a Nov.1912 Christmas and new year's greeting postcard from the 'Man and Boys of Columbia Park' to a Recipient in Benalla, Victoria. (the card also advertises the forthcoming Panama-Pacific Exposition in 1915) 'Australian game of football is Best' the Greatest football game in the world.' Such is the positive statement made by Major Sidney S. Peixotto, National guard of California, in regard to Australian football. Just Now There is in San Francisco a young Australian. Named Eric Cullen Ward, who is teaching the fine points of the game to our western boys. This international interest was led up to by the invasion of Australia last year by the Columbia Park Boys' club under the Direction of Major Peixotto the club Members. Made a nine months' trip of the journey which included South Australia, West Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, New Zealand and the Hawaiian Islands. With the exception of the city of Sydney'Rugby is Obsolete in Australia. Sydney is Consecrated to Rugby, through the domination of the Rugby Union, an old and wealthy organization which refuses to see any merit in the more modern game.' (the New York Times, 23 October, 1910). (24)
Estimate:
***
Price:
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Category:
Memorabilia: Sporting - AFL/VFL