Friday, February 23, 2007

Bradman’s Italian Heritage Revealed

``Don’’ Might Have Been ``Don Giovanni’’

Here’s another sporting coup for Italy. The soccer World Cup champions (yes, that penalty in the dying seconds of the game against Australia still rankles) can now claim the world’s greatest cricketer, the late Sir Donald Bradman.
There is a wonderful story in the News Ltd publication The Adelaide Advertiser that says Bradman had Italian blood.
The story explains that his great-grandfather, Emmanuel Danero (aka Neich) was one of the first Italians to migrate to Australia in 1826. The revelation of his Italian ancestry – a fact that even the Don Bradman Museum was unaware of - has been documented in Lina Moffitt's book on the quirky life of Genoa-born Danero.
Moffitt told `The Advertiser' the link was extraordinary, one that was not commonly known and one that showcased the depth of multiculturalism in the nation. ``It will come as a shock to most people, because most would think Bradman came from a long English line, considering he was such a gifted cricketer,’’ she said. ``Cricket is certainly not a sport you associate with Italy.’’

3 comments:

Unknown said...

hey this is so crazy...
I'd love to know
what the Brit media
has to say about this...
heh heh
amazing news.
thanks David, as always

david mcmahon said...

Hi Madi,
I knew you'd like that story.
Are you getting geared up for the World Cup?
David

Anonymous said...

Is it possible that the Neich name is actually an incorrect association or some sort of wealth cover up?

I note that the name Neich is closest to those of Neisch who immigrated at the same time to Australia and "New Holland" (New Zealand) from Aberdeenshire etc.

Seems Emmanuel was on a boat destined for "New Holland" (New Zealand?) also.

Suddenly in texts dating from 1901 he appears on the electoral role as the same Neich that runs the Bath House Hotel.

Then he has a daughter who by all accounts manages the Bath House Arms in Burwood until 1908 - yet suddenly it is reported that the same daughter has married Richard Wynne who built the Bath House for her before she died in 1868.

Luckily around the same time - 1901 or so - the Bath House Wynne Estate is reclaimed from a trust.

Perhaps there is more to this convict heritage than meets the eye. I never knew any Italian merchants with a name Neich before.