A Sporting All-rounder

Campbelltown has produced a number of sports people that have got on to make a name for themselves in the national and international arenas. Names like Joe Quinn, Alyson Annan and Jack Crawford come to mind. However, I discovered on the weekend that another sportsman from Campbelltown had success in two sports and his name has largely been forgotten.

Cecil Dudley Seddon was born in Campbelltown on 3 July 1902 to parents Hezekiah and Janet. He dropped his first name and became known throughout his life as Dudley. The Seddon family played an important role in the development of Campbelltown. Dudley's father Joseph Pickles Seddon moved to Campbelltown in 1887 and purchased the cordial manufacturing business off Mrs Hurley. The factory was located in Short Street, opposite the train station.

Dudley first took an interest in rugby league and excelled at it. He played for the Newtown "Blue Bags" from 1920 to 1926. He was one of the New South Wales rugby league team's three-quarters in a representative match against Queensland on 5 June 1921.

Although Dudley was described as tenacious and plucky, he was quite small in stature and it was this disadvantage that made him switch to his other passion- cricket. He made his first-class cricket debut in a 1926/27 Sheffield Shield match against Queensland. A middle order batsman, Seddon made just six and four. 

He had to wait a year to make his next appearance, which came against Tasmania. Dudley failed again, only making 10 and 22 in his two innings.

He made three appearances in New South Wales's winning 1928/29 Sheffield Shield campaign. His best performance came against Queensland at the Sydney Cricket Ground, where he made a pair of half centuries (80 and 59). In his final first class innings that summer, he made a career best 134 against Tasmania.

However, it was probably as a national selector that Seddon became famous. He was a selector for the national team along with Sir Donald Bradman and Jack Ryder for the 1954/55 season against England. He was a national selector from 1954 to 1967.

Dudley Seddon died at Dulwich Hill in 1978. 

Written by Andrew Allen

Orana Park

In the early 1950s the recently formed Leumeah Progress Association asked Campbelltown Council to find a suitable site for a park. About 12 acres was acquired and in 1955 named 'Orana Park', an aboriginal word for 'welcome'. It seemed an appropriate name considering the amount of new residents in the area.

The ground held regular sports carnivals and hosted some important rugby league matches over the years. In 1980, the Group 6 grand final played at the ground attracted a crowd of 10,000. In 1970, it had become home of the Campbelltown Kangaroos Rugby League team.

In 1983, the Newtown Rugby League club played their final season out at Orana Park. In 1985, a new grandstand was opened which attracted the Western Suburbs Magpies club to Orana Park. By 1987, it was the magpies home and three years later, was renamed Campbelltown Sportsground. This was due to the increased media and public interest in sporting facilities in Campbelltown in both the local and broader community and the similarity between the names Oran and Orana Park.

On May 2, 2010 a huge crowd witnessed the re-opening of the multi million dollar re-developed Campbelltown Stadium. The upgrade was funded by an $8 million grant by the federal government.

An undated photograph of Orana Park can be seen above.

Written by Andrew Allen

Source:

McGill, Jeff 1995
Campbelltown's Streets and Suburbs: how and why they got their names
Campbelltown: Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society

A Day at the Football

This photograph was taken in the 1960s and is of Duguid Memorial Park. The park was used mainly for rugby league and was at the northern end of Queen Street where Sams Warehouse and Officeworks now stand. It was named after Alfred Duguid, a local shoemaker, who was referee and treasurer of the Campbelltown Kangaroos football club for nearly 30 years from 1913. The ground hosted many enthralling games over the years. At one memorable game in the mid-1930s, a supporter fired a revolver into the air to stop brawling spectators!

Do you have memories of watching football at this park?

References:
Campbelltown: The Bicentennial History by Carol Liston (1988)

Written by Andrew Allen