image of person or book cover 8252383769541008689.jpg
This image has been sourced from online.
y separately published work icon Oppy : The Life of Sir Hubert Opperman single work   biography  
Issue Details: First known date: 2018... 2018 Oppy : The Life of Sir Hubert Opperman
The material on this page is available to AustLit subscribers. If you are a subscriber or are from a subscribing organisation, please log in to gain full access. To explore options for subscribing to this unique teaching, research, and publishing resource for Australian culture and storytelling, please contact us or find out more.

AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'Hubert 'Oppy' Opperman was a sporting icon, a cycling phenomenon whose epic feats of endurance captivated the cycling world. For over two decades, he dominated almost every race he entered and shattered record after record in Australia and Great Britain. In 1928, he led the first Australasian team to ever contest the Tour de France.

'But Oppy was more than a just a champion. During the Great Depression, a time of painful economic and social change, he became a transcendent symbol of Australian fortitude. He became a household name, a legend - as popular as the cricketer Don Bradman and the racehorse Phar Lap.

'Until now, Oppy has never been the subject of a complete biography.

'By peeling away decades of mythology, Daniel Oakman tells Opperman's story like never before. As well as vividly retelling his sporting triumphs, this book is the first to consider the legacy of Opperman's post-cycling career. It explores the emotional pain of his private life, the controversies that dogged his seventeen-year political career, including his post as Immigration Minister in the Menzies Government and the remarkable and far-reaching changes he helped bring to Australian immigration policy.

'This meticulously researched biography gives readers a thrilling insight into the brutal world of professional cycling and an intimate portrait of an extraordinary Australian.'(Publication summary)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • Melbourne, Victoria,: Melbourne Books , 2018 .
      image of person or book cover 8252383769541008689.jpg
      This image has been sourced from online.
      Extent: 368p.
      Note/s:
      • Published: 1st June 2018
      ISBN: 9781925556247

Works about this Work

‘They Have Put a Cyclist in’ : The Political Lives of Australia’s Sporting Champions Daniel Oakman , 2021 single work criticism
— Appears in: Australian Journal of Biography and History , August no. 5 2021; (p. 95-119)
'Winning the federal electorate of Corio has not been easy for Australian conservatives. Never has this been more apparent than in 1949, when the Geelong-centred seat, 80 kilometres west of Melbourne, was firmly in the hands of Australian Labor Party firebrand and minister for postwar reconstruction John Dedman. Nonetheless, the recently formed Liberal Party moved their challenger and his family to the electorate and prepared him for battle against one of Labor’s most experienced and respected members. When the Liberal leader, Robert Menzies, learned of his party’s preferred candidate, he was understandably concerned. He told Dedman’s private secretary, unable to hide his dismay, that ‘they [my party] have made a present of Corio to your minister’, as ‘they have put a cyclist in’.' (Introduction)
[Review] Oppy: The Life of Sir Hubert Opperman Stephen Townsend , 2020 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Historical Studies , vol. 51 no. 2 2020; (p. 232-233)

— Review of Oppy : The Life of Sir Hubert Opperman Daniel Oakman , 2018 single work biography
[Review] Oppy: The Life of Sir Hubert Opperman Stephen Townsend , 2020 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Historical Studies , vol. 51 no. 2 2020; (p. 232-233)

— Review of Oppy : The Life of Sir Hubert Opperman Daniel Oakman , 2018 single work biography
‘They Have Put a Cyclist in’ : The Political Lives of Australia’s Sporting Champions Daniel Oakman , 2021 single work criticism
— Appears in: Australian Journal of Biography and History , August no. 5 2021; (p. 95-119)
'Winning the federal electorate of Corio has not been easy for Australian conservatives. Never has this been more apparent than in 1949, when the Geelong-centred seat, 80 kilometres west of Melbourne, was firmly in the hands of Australian Labor Party firebrand and minister for postwar reconstruction John Dedman. Nonetheless, the recently formed Liberal Party moved their challenger and his family to the electorate and prepared him for battle against one of Labor’s most experienced and respected members. When the Liberal leader, Robert Menzies, learned of his party’s preferred candidate, he was understandably concerned. He told Dedman’s private secretary, unable to hide his dismay, that ‘they [my party] have made a present of Corio to your minister’, as ‘they have put a cyclist in’.' (Introduction)
Last amended 2 Jun 2020 10:41:01
Subjects:
Newspapers:
    Powered by Trove
    X