It is with great sadness that the Bradman Foundation records the passing of Life Member, Heather Kelly.
Heather, the first Company Secretary of the Bradman Foundation and an integral part of its development in the early years, passed away last Tuesday after a lengthy battle with cancer.
A rusted-on cricket tragic with a purist’s abiding love for Test cricket, she was involved with the Bradman Foundation from the very beginning. Initially the private secretary to a prominent QC in Sydney, her role expanded to include the development of the Museum and Foundation Chairman in 1985.
A complex and in-depth project, fellow Founding Director and close personal friend, Kevin Mooney, recalls the hands-on role that Heather played in the early years, working closely with all Directors; “She went right through the whole process of making contact with Sir Donald, meeting with him, drawing up ideas for promotions and articles for the Museum – right down to liaising with architects,” he said. “She was really involved in that entire process, which was essential to getting the project off the ground.”
As the Museum continued to find its feet, Heather worked tirelessly to ensure the organisation was able to capitalise on its early momentum. Liaising with all of those who had pledged money to the project, she took on the hefty responsibility of documenting and recording contributions and even helping to promote the Foundation into the broader cricketing community.
“Heather really was the lynchpin in that whole process,” Mooney recalls.
Heather at an early Bradman Foundation Board meeting
Endlessly dedicated to the Foundation’s vision of promoting cricket as a valuable cultural and sporting force within the community, Heather has left an indelible legacy. Involved in the establishment and early selection of the Bradman Scholarship, it has evolved into a nation-wide and prestigious program that promotes ideals of service, leadership, honour and humility.
Additionally, in 1989, she was the central co-ordinator of the initial Bradman Museum Trust Gala Dinner, held at Circular Quay. The dinner was followed, the very next day, by the opening of the Bradman Pavilion at Bowral. The Pavilion, which housed the original Museum, was formally opened by Sir Donald and Lady Jesse, following a steam train trip from Central. Such was its overwhelming success, that to this day, the annual Gala Dinner plays an important role in ensuring the Foundation’s continued commercial growth and exposure.
In a broader sense, Heather was committed to the notion that the Bradman Foundation could encourage cultural unity amongst cricketing nations. When South Africa returned to the international cricket fold after a period of exile due to its policy of Apartheid, she managed the arrangements to ensure the touring South Africans – a team selected on “non-racist basis” as had been Bradman’s edict – played at Bradman Oval. Though the match was washed out, it highlighted her fervent dedication to the Foundation’s ambition.
Duly recognised with Life Membership upon her retirement, fellow Director, Garry Barnsley remembers Heather as a “vivacious and loveable friend,” affirming her contribution to the Bradman Foundation and Museum will forever be celebrated and remembered.
“It was her dedication to the Bradman Museum in all its facets that surely ranks highest in her life’s accomplishments in the public sphere,” he said. “She gave much more of herself than any description of her ‘official’ role could cover.”
On a more personal level, Heather maintained an enduring relationship with both the game and the Foundation after her retirement. Having moved to Forster on the NSW mid-North Coast, she would regularly return to the Sydney Cricket Ground – trips that Mooney remembers fondly; “together with her husband Rowan, we spent many hours at the Test cricket,” he said.
A great friend and a very loyal supporter of the Museum and Foundation, we thank Heather for all the service she gave over many years and offer our heartfelt condolences to her husband Rowan and family.
There will be a funeral service at St Auburn’s Church, Forster, this coming Friday. The wake will take place at Tuncurry Bowling Club. Due to current COVID restrictions, numbers are strictly limited.
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