From backyard cricket or a game of darts at the pub to feats of athleticism that stop the country, Australia is a sporting nation. The newest exhibition at the National Library of Australia focuses on the way that solo and team sports have helped tell our story. Grit & Gold: Tales from a Sporting Nation is on until 5 November.

For centuries, sports have been ingrained in the Aussie sense of identity. Our achievements have also helped put Australia in a prominent position on the world map.

“We’re a wealthy, prosperous country and we have a good climate that allows us the time to put energy and effort into sport. It’s always been part of our identity from very early on, for Australians to achieve in the field of sport was a way to get recognition,” says Dr Guy Hansen, Director of Exhibitions and co-curator of the exhibition.

According to Dr Hansen, this sense of striving in sports has been passed down from generation to generation. He says in some fields, like cricket, we have continued to be a world leader, while in others, like tennis, we go through ebbs and flows of success.

“I know, we think we’re fantastic. We’re most probably not quite as good as we think we are. The people who do succeed become very famous and much loved,” he smiles.

These much-loved sporting stars are captured in the exhibition through photographs, paintings, memorabilia, advertisements and printed materials. Think historic boxing matches, Emma McKeon’s gold medals, the first State of Union trophy, and vintage sporting manuals.

While the Library might not be the first place that comes to mind when it comes to sport, Dr Hansen says anything that is published in Australia makes its way to their records. Many of the exhibits came from their stores, while others have been borrowed from institutions and individuals, which he believes makes it a better exhibition.

“Sport is something which expresses itself in objects, equipment, uniforms, things like that,” says Dr Hansen. “It’s really nice to introduce some of the objects. I think it just helps remind you of what it’s all about,”

Divided into sections, part one displays colonisers and the sports they brought with them – rowing, boxing, hunting, cricket – and their biggest achievements, like when they returned to England and defeated them in friendly matches.  

Other sections capture our biggest sporting milestones, advertising campaigns and deep dives into the historical rivalries or growth of different leagues. Another showcases community and amateur sports, which Dr Hansen says are an important part of the story as professional sports can’t exist without the community sports that underpin them.

“Amateur sport still flourishes. If you’re a parent with children, the Saturday morning shuffle getting children to netball games, cricket games or soccer games is still a huge part of people’s everyday lives,” says Dr Hansen.

In the final room of the exhibition is a set-up that delivers you to any loungeroom across the country – comfortable chairs, a coffee table and a television playing the latest game or match. In the corner, a bookshelf holds a collection of sporting biographies for people to find more stories of Aussie sports stars.

“We just put a small selection which people can flick through and look through in the exhibition, and some children’s books as well. We also encourage people to consider getting a library card if they want to pursue their interests more.”

When deciding on a concept for their newest exhibition, the NLA team noted all the sporting records the Library had and noticed how well the nature of sport lent its hand to compelling storytelling.

“It happens within a given time, there are a set of constraints, there are big personalities, there are heroes, there are villains, over the period of a game or an event. You will get to an end, there’ll be disappointment, there’ll be challenges, there’ll be redemption, all of the elements which we see in drama happens in a 90-minute period … Then the next day you want to go to work and talk to people and tell the story,” Dr Hansen says.

These stories get told time and time again, he says; those of Cathy Freeman and Don Bradman will be told to our children and grandchildren. The compelling stories that come from sport always have been and will remain at the heart of the Australian story. Dr Hansen hopes that spirit has been captured in this exhibition.

“It’s one of those exhibitions where I think walking around will bring back a lot of memories and a great place to have a chat about what happened and some of those great sporting moments.”

Catch a part of Australian history in Grit & Gold: Tales from a Sporting Nation at the National Library of Australia until 5 November; nla.gov.au

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