Scrapbook of newscuttings concerning cycling, particularly Sydney Bicycle Club and New South Wales Cyclists' Union events, 1891-1906

MLMSS 10292/Box 1X

fonds

1891-1906

Textual Records, Clippings

9621340

0.37 metres of textual material (1 volume in outsize box)

Ownership and use of bicycles in Australia was rare before the 1860s, probably largely due to the cost of the machines, and it was not until the late 1870s that cycling was promoted as an organised sport. The Sydney Bicycle Club was set up in 1879 and by 1888 there were 11 country and 13 city based clubs in New South Wales. The New South Wales Cyclists' Union, a peak body established shortly after the first Sydney clubs, had 23 affiliated clubs with a membership of 600 cyclists in 1889.

Reference:
Rerceretnam, Marc: Cycling communities: Bicycle clubs in Australia with an emphasis on Sydney, c. 1860s to 2000s, published in Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society, v.103, no.2, Dec 2017

The donors, former owners of Clarence Street Cyclery, obtained the scrapbook from a business associate; prior history is unknown

Scrapbook, comprising 36 leaves, of newscuttings dated 1891 to 1906 relating to cycling, compiled by an unknown person. The cuttings include hints, opinion pieces, photographs, advertisements and reports of events and meetings, particularly of the Sydney Bicycle Club and the New South Wales Cyclists' Union, but also of smaller suburban clubs. Many cuttings are annotated with the date and source of the material, which includes Sydney and regional newspapers and the Cyclist, Cycling Gazette and Wheelman periodicals.

Access via appointment - Fragile - supervised viewing required

Out of copyright:
Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales