Alexander Brodie Spark was a wealthy merchant, general entrepreneur, patron of the arts and a respected member of colonial society between 1823 and 1856. Tempe House was Spark s residence, designed by noted colonial architect John Verge and completed in 1836. Spark was an assiduous diarist and it is through his diaries that we have the first reliable evidence of golf played in Australia. Norman Richardson and Michael Sheret, both members of AGHS, have conducted extensive research on the 1839 Sydney golfers, starting with reading the complete Spark diaries held in the original handwritten bound volumes in the Mitchell Library. Their research builds on the seminal article written by David Innes in the November 1992 edition of Golf News, then the official journal of the New South Wales Golf Association. Much new information from primary sources has been uncovered. Three puzzles have always surrounded the early golfers and have until now not been satisfactorily solved. First, what triggered the start of golf on 25 May 1839 and the foundation of the first New South Wales Golf Club on 1 June 1839. Second, why did that phase of golf and the Golf Club have such a short life. Third, the biggest puzzle of all, what was the basis of the connection between the early Sydney golfers and Royal Blackheath near London. Norman s and Michael s research provides the answers, particularly the connection to Royal Blackheath. The research paper by Norman and Michael will be published in the March issue of Through the Green, magazine of the British Golf Collectors Society. Copies will be available after the seminar. It is a long paper in which the research processes are fully described and there is a long list of references to sources of evidence. Download the information below for more information about the seminar and to register.
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