New South Wales Hall of Champions facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hall of Champions collection
Part of the collection
Location	Australia Avenue, Sydney Olympic Park, New South Wales, Australia
Owner	State Sports Centre Trust
New South Wales Heritage Register
Official name: Hall of Champions (collection)
Type	state heritage (movable / collection)
Designated	2 April 1999
Reference no.	1295
Type	Olympic Objects
Category	Collections
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The New South Wales Hall of Champions is a special museum located in Sydney Olympic Park, New South Wales, Australia. It's a place that celebrates amazing sports stars! The museum's collection of sports items is so important that it was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on April 2, 1999. This means it's officially recognized as a valuable part of the state's history. The museum is owned by the State Sports Centre Trust, which is part of the state government.

History of the Hall of Champions

The idea for the Hall of Champions started in 1978. It was created by the Minister for Sport at the time, a person named Ken Booth. The main goal was to honor sportsmen and women from New South Wales who had achieved great things in sports, both in Australia and around the world.

How Athletes Are Chosen

Each year, a special committee chooses a few athletes to be added to the Hall of Champions. When an athlete is chosen, they are "inducted" into the Hall. A permanent display is then made for them. This display includes their photograph and a story about their sporting life.

What Athletes Donate

Athletes who are inducted often donate items from their sports careers. These items become part of the museum's collection. The museum regularly changes its exhibitions to show different parts of this collection. The collection mainly focuses on the athletes who have been inducted. By 1997, there were 269 athletes on the "Roll of Honour."

Where the Hall Has Been

The Hall of Champions first opened in a building called Sports House. This building was in a historic area of Sydney called The Rocks. But in 1984, the Hall moved to its current home. It moved to the State Sports Centre in Homebush, which is now part of Sydney Olympic Park.

What's in the Collection?

The Hall of Champions has many different kinds of items. The collection includes:

• Sports clothing
• Sports equipment
• Medals
• Pennants (small flags)
• Certificates
• Trophies
• Badges
• Photographs

It also has "ephemera," which are items that were not meant to last a long time. These include:

• Tickets to sporting events
• Programmes from games
• Souvenirs
• Magazines
• Autographs
• Scrapbooks filled with sports memories

Why the Collection is Important

The Hall of Champions collection is very special for a few reasons. It is the largest and most varied collection of sports items in any museum in New South Wales.

Wide Range of Sports and Time Periods

The collection covers about 36 different sports. It includes items from the 1880s all the way up to today. Many items are connected to famous Australian athletes and important sporting events. These events include the Olympic Games and the Commonwealth Games.

Officially Recognized Heritage

The Hall of Champions collection was officially listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on April 2, 1999. This means it meets certain important standards.

Cultural and Historical Significance

The collection shows the history of sports and culture in New South Wales. It has some very rare items that are important to Australia's sports history. For example:

• Gold, silver, and bronze medals won by Andrew "Boy" Charlton in swimming at the 1924 Olympics.
• An honor cap from the first rugby league team in 1907.
• The gold Olympic certificate won by Fanny Durack (a swimmer) at the 1912 Olympics. Fanny was the first woman to represent Australia at the Olympics!

Research Potential

Some of the scrapbooks in the collection are organized by sports themes. These scrapbooks are a great resource for people who want to research sports history. They can help us learn more about the cultural history of New South Wales.

Rare and Unique Items

The collection also has items that are uncommon or rare. Many of these items are linked to specific famous athletes. For example, it has almost every award won by Shane Gould, except for her gold medals. This includes her Olympic certificates.

See also

• Sydney Olympic Park
• State Sports Centre