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Names
Coogee Beach Dolphins collection
IDs
nma-collection-138
Descriptions
The Coogee Beach Dolphins collection consists of one yellow and blue commemorative rugby league jersey, from the World Sevens tournament, summer 2003, signed by rugby league stars, and relatives of the Coogee Dolphins rugby league club lost in the Bali bombings of 12 October 2002. The jersey was worn during the tournament's three matches. Additionally there is a colour photograph of the 2002 season Coogee Dolphins 'A' team, including the six team members who lost their lives in the blasts.
Late on the evening of Saturday 12 October 2002, two bombs exploded in the crowded Paddy's Bar and the Sari nightclub on Jalan Legian, Kuta Beach, Bali, Indonesia. Exact figures are difficult to substantiate, but at least 202 people were killed in the first two blasts and over 300 injured. Of the two hundred or more dead, at least eighty-eight were Australians. For many, this event seemed to bring home the immediacy of global terrorism. Ceremonies commemorating the dead and injured were held throughout Australia, in particular at Sydney's Domain on 20 October 2002. The fate of football teams and players became a particular focus for national grieving. In the shock of the killings, the behaviour of all the victims, but in particular the mateship and camaraderie shown by members of sports teams, provided inspiration for those at home. The response of the Coogee Dolphins in Sydney focused on commemorative matches in the Rugby Sevens international tournament and the re-naming of the northern headland at Coogee beach as 'Dolphin's Point'. In such ways did Australian football teams become the focus for an unprecedented period of national mourning.
Copyright National Museum of Australia
Physical access to the collection by appointment only
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Dates
2012-05-30 23:43
2011-06-27 10:42