Post by LongBlade on Mar 18, 2007 22:36:37 GMT -6
De Groot's sword cuts on
By Ray Chesterton
Daily Telegraph
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
March 19, 2007
www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,21403790-5001021,00.html
THE sword that is as much a part of Harbour Bridge legend as Excalibur is to Camelot took decades to recover.
After going missing it was finally discovered by self-confessed Harbour Bridge obsessive and Bridge Climb chairman Paul Cave in Ireland and returned to Sydney.
It will now be used as a focal point for a charity Mr Cave is establishing to raise money for cancer research.
The sword is the one Captain Francis De Groot used to ambush the Bridge opening in 1932.
Premier Jack Lang was to cut the ceremonial ribbon with a pair of scissors – the same ones used in yesterday celebration of the Bridge's 75th anniversary – but de Groot struck first.
A WW1 cavalry officer with the 15th Hussars, De Groot rode up to the ribbon and slashed it with his sword, proclaiming: "In the name of the loyal and decent citizens of NSW, I declare this Bridge open."
De Groot was a member of the radical New Right and was motivated by his fear Premier Lang was taking NSW towards communism.
After he cut the ribbon it was quickly refastened with a knot and Lang went ahead with the opening ceremony.
For his unscheduled involvement in the opening ceremony, De Groot was fined £5 for 'maliciously damaging a ribbon".
He later received a Governor's pardon and found himself catapulted into the echelon of Australia's unforgettable larrikins.
Mr Cave said De Groot's sword was as much a part of Australian legend as Phar Lap's heart and Ned Kelly's helmet.
After the dramatic bridge ribbon cutting, De Groot eventually returned to his native Ireland and the sword disappeared.
Mr Cave employed agents to scour likely places where the sword might be hidden. Among the ads he placed around the world was one that read: "Wanted: the sabre that rattled a premier and astonished a city."
"I spent 18 years looking for it," he said.
"It is very very special. Now it will help raise money for cancer research."
The sword was found in Ireland and Mr Cave paid a "significant" amount to purchase it for his collection of Bridge memorabilia.
It includes the first tram ticket issued to cross the Bridge and beside his desk sits a section of the original ribbon signed by De Groot.
"They called the Harbour Bridge the Iron Lung because it kept so many husbands employed during the Depression," Mr Cave said.
He said De Groot's last wish was for the sword to be returned to Australia "preferably to Sydney and near the Bridge".
Inside the wooden box holding the sword is the legend: "Swords are stronger than scissors."
By Ray Chesterton
Daily Telegraph
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
March 19, 2007
www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,21403790-5001021,00.html
THE sword that is as much a part of Harbour Bridge legend as Excalibur is to Camelot took decades to recover.
After going missing it was finally discovered by self-confessed Harbour Bridge obsessive and Bridge Climb chairman Paul Cave in Ireland and returned to Sydney.
It will now be used as a focal point for a charity Mr Cave is establishing to raise money for cancer research.
The sword is the one Captain Francis De Groot used to ambush the Bridge opening in 1932.
Premier Jack Lang was to cut the ceremonial ribbon with a pair of scissors – the same ones used in yesterday celebration of the Bridge's 75th anniversary – but de Groot struck first.
A WW1 cavalry officer with the 15th Hussars, De Groot rode up to the ribbon and slashed it with his sword, proclaiming: "In the name of the loyal and decent citizens of NSW, I declare this Bridge open."
De Groot was a member of the radical New Right and was motivated by his fear Premier Lang was taking NSW towards communism.
After he cut the ribbon it was quickly refastened with a knot and Lang went ahead with the opening ceremony.
For his unscheduled involvement in the opening ceremony, De Groot was fined £5 for 'maliciously damaging a ribbon".
He later received a Governor's pardon and found himself catapulted into the echelon of Australia's unforgettable larrikins.
Mr Cave said De Groot's sword was as much a part of Australian legend as Phar Lap's heart and Ned Kelly's helmet.
After the dramatic bridge ribbon cutting, De Groot eventually returned to his native Ireland and the sword disappeared.
Mr Cave employed agents to scour likely places where the sword might be hidden. Among the ads he placed around the world was one that read: "Wanted: the sabre that rattled a premier and astonished a city."
"I spent 18 years looking for it," he said.
"It is very very special. Now it will help raise money for cancer research."
The sword was found in Ireland and Mr Cave paid a "significant" amount to purchase it for his collection of Bridge memorabilia.
It includes the first tram ticket issued to cross the Bridge and beside his desk sits a section of the original ribbon signed by De Groot.
"They called the Harbour Bridge the Iron Lung because it kept so many husbands employed during the Depression," Mr Cave said.
He said De Groot's last wish was for the sword to be returned to Australia "preferably to Sydney and near the Bridge".
Inside the wooden box holding the sword is the legend: "Swords are stronger than scissors."