In the third instalment of Our History series, Campbelltown Local Studies Librarian Andrew Allen puts the spotlight on cricket immortal Don Bradman and his connection to Campbelltown:
The sister of the greatest batsman of all time, Sir Donald Bradman, once lived in Campbelltown.
Lillian Mabel Bradman married Charles Sproule at Bowral in 1924, and the Sproule family later lived on a farm near ‘Maryfields’ on the Narellan Road, arriving there around 1947.
The family gave up dairy farming in the 1950s, retiring to a house on Camden Road not far from the level crossing and next door to their younger daughter Audrey Larnach. Both houses are now demolished.
Like her famous brother, Lillian was a private person, known locally as ‘Mrs Sproule’.
She also shared her brother’s musical talents, reaching a high standard in the London College of Music piano examinations.
Mrs Sproule was a very good pianist and worked for a time as a music teacher, giving lessons at her home.
Her talents appear to have been handed down to her elder daughter Lillian, who had a wonderful singing voice.
Lillian was well known around Campbelltown as Lily Sullivan; later, when widowed, she was remarried to real estate agent Mick Owens.
Mrs Lillian Sproule was a devout Presbyterian and regularly attended St David’s Presbyterian church in Lithgow Street where she sang as an alto in the choir.
A grainy home video in the library’s collection taken around 1957 shows a camera-shy Lillian in the congregation outside the church.
Donald Bradman would regularly visit his sister in Campbelltown – both at the farm and the Camden Road house.
He would occasionally organise cricket matches at the Narellan Road property.
In his early career, Don was involved in a match played at Menangle.
Lillian was born in Cootamundra in 1899 and was nine years older than her brother Don. She died in Sydney in 1979; she and her husband are buried at Minchinbury. Lillian and Charles Sproule had two daughters.
