It was great to be part of a sporting history evening that demonstrated how precious moments live on within the stories we share

The evening featured a guest appearance by Adelaide singer-songwriter Glenn Butcher, who performed three songs connected to the sporting theme

Stories capture the unlikely encounters, characters, near misses, triumphs and disappointments — and the moments that stay with us much longer than after any final siren… long enough to be passed down from generation to generation, as Aaron shared (about the passage of stories handed down from grandparents and parents and on to his own son).

Among the speakers was a former Australian athlete who recalled representing Australia at the 1977 World University Games in Sofia, Bulgaria. His sporting performance may not have gone quite to plan, but his teammates certainly made the most of their time in Bulgaria — including an ill-advised attempt to climb flagpoles and collect souvenir flags

The second night ended rather less successfully, with the group caught by police and taken to a station at gunpoint. Their team manager eventually secured their release, with the sensible recommendation that they catch the next plane out of Sofia

Another speaker remembered a chance encounter with football great John Halbert after his Volkswagen Beetle became firmly attached to a fence post near Adelaide University. Halbert and a group of players simply lifted the car and moved it away from the fence

There were stories of cricket legends, too.
One speaker explored Don Bradman’s first South Australian tour in 1927, when the young batsman scored a century on debut. Rather than attending a team function, Bradman accepted an invitation to dinner from South Australian cricketer Clarrie Grimmett; they talked cricket, played table tennis and shared stories. This story revealed the man Bradman ie beyond the statistics; a man with extraordinary talent who was still curious enough to seek out those who could teach him something

There was also the story of Lewis Luxton, an Australian Olympian, businessman and International Olympic Committee representative who played a significant role in the organisation of the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. Despite his public role, he was remembered as a truly kind man.

Then there was poetry; a wonderfully condensed cricket haiku: