St Helen’s ArchivePreserving the past for the future
Item
GS004
Object ID
GS004
Type
Rights Holder
Cricket Australia
Provenance
Harrow Discovery Centre, Victoria State, Australia
Season
Description
A medal, possibly nickel. B&W photograph in centre of 1868 Aborigine cricket team at Swansea. Outer frame decorated with engraved palm leaves and ribbons. Bottom of frame embossed with words: "THE MULLAGH MEDAL" in capitals.
Info
Our most recent "Guest Spot" on the St Helen's Archive website features an item kindly brought to St Helen's by staff from the Harrow Discovery Centre (HDC) in Victoria State, Australia. It is the genuine 'Mullagh Medal' which will be presented to the outstanding player of the Boxing Day Cricket Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). The HDC group made a historic tour in June 2025 that included Swansea.
The medal has special significance for Swansea and for the Swansea Cricket club. The image in the centre is that of the Aboriginal Cricket Team who played against Swansea Cricket club on 6th and 7th July 1868. The match was played at the Bryn y Mor ground in the Uplands district of Swansea. Of the 47 matches played by the pioneering Aborigine cricketers, it was the only one to be played in Wales.
The tour was the first from Australia, predating the white cricket tour of 1878. It was also ground-breaking in that the English and Welsh cricketers and public were exposed to the unexpectedly high standard of cricket by the tourists. This "discovery" ran against prevailing opinions of the indigenous people of the Australian continent. The medal itself represents modern Australian cricket honouring the first 'Boxing Day Match' at the MCG in 1866, when the Melbourne Cricket Club played the Aboriginal team coached by Tom Wills, Australia's leading cricketer of the day . Seven of the Aborigine team were to tour in England and Wales two years later.
The Mullagh Medal was made to replicate the belt buckle commonly worn by the team on that 1868 tour and it was first awarded in 2020. The one featured here is the actual medal that will be awarded in the Boxing Day Match of 2025, as indicated by the engraving on the reverse. The story of how the team was originated and how the historic 1868 tour unfolded, was told to guests at St Helen's, by Josie Sangster of the HDC. Among her companions was one who was descended from two of the 1868 players and another descended from their team captain George Lawrence. The visit to St Helen's Ground, Swansea was one of several on the reminiscing tour.
Although the 1868 match was played on the Bryn y Mor ground, which was vacated in 1874, the group were received at St Helen's where the Swansea Cricket Club are celebrating their 150th season at the famous ground. The Mullagh Medal and other artefacts were shown and discussed. The medal is so named after Jonny Mullagh, whose traditional name was Unaarrimin. He was the stand-out player on the tour, showing great skill with both bat and ball. He was also a great advocate of Aboriginal rights at a time when they were seriously eroded to a point where the Aboriginal people seemed likely to disappear altogether. The naming of the medal and the presence of the image of the 1868 touring team at Swansea is both an acknowledgement of the origins of Australian cricket tours and of the pride in having an Aboriginal team as the first to represent Australian cricket abroad. It is also a matter of pride in Wales that the team that played defeated the Swansea club gained such a significant place in cricket history.
Another fact linking the medal to St Helen's is that the photograph in the centre of the medal was taken by Mr James Andrews, photographic artist, of Swansea. Andrews had shared a studio in Newport with his brother-in-law George Villiers from 1859. He moved to Swansea in 1868 to set up his own studio opposite the Royal Institution and Wind Street. Andrews also took the photograph of the 1880 Swansea football team (PH224), where the South Wales Challenge Cup was superimposed (QV). Andrews had only just moved to Swansea when he took the photograph of the Aboriginal team at the Bryn y Mor ground.
The medal has special significance for Swansea and for the Swansea Cricket club. The image in the centre is that of the Aboriginal Cricket Team who played against Swansea Cricket club on 6th and 7th July 1868. The match was played at the Bryn y Mor ground in the Uplands district of Swansea. Of the 47 matches played by the pioneering Aborigine cricketers, it was the only one to be played in Wales.
The tour was the first from Australia, predating the white cricket tour of 1878. It was also ground-breaking in that the English and Welsh cricketers and public were exposed to the unexpectedly high standard of cricket by the tourists. This "discovery" ran against prevailing opinions of the indigenous people of the Australian continent. The medal itself represents modern Australian cricket honouring the first 'Boxing Day Match' at the MCG in 1866, when the Melbourne Cricket Club played the Aboriginal team coached by Tom Wills, Australia's leading cricketer of the day . Seven of the Aborigine team were to tour in England and Wales two years later.
The Mullagh Medal was made to replicate the belt buckle commonly worn by the team on that 1868 tour and it was first awarded in 2020. The one featured here is the actual medal that will be awarded in the Boxing Day Match of 2025, as indicated by the engraving on the reverse. The story of how the team was originated and how the historic 1868 tour unfolded, was told to guests at St Helen's, by Josie Sangster of the HDC. Among her companions was one who was descended from two of the 1868 players and another descended from their team captain George Lawrence. The visit to St Helen's Ground, Swansea was one of several on the reminiscing tour.
Although the 1868 match was played on the Bryn y Mor ground, which was vacated in 1874, the group were received at St Helen's where the Swansea Cricket Club are celebrating their 150th season at the famous ground. The Mullagh Medal and other artefacts were shown and discussed. The medal is so named after Jonny Mullagh, whose traditional name was Unaarrimin. He was the stand-out player on the tour, showing great skill with both bat and ball. He was also a great advocate of Aboriginal rights at a time when they were seriously eroded to a point where the Aboriginal people seemed likely to disappear altogether. The naming of the medal and the presence of the image of the 1868 touring team at Swansea is both an acknowledgement of the origins of Australian cricket tours and of the pride in having an Aboriginal team as the first to represent Australian cricket abroad. It is also a matter of pride in Wales that the team that played defeated the Swansea club gained such a significant place in cricket history.
Another fact linking the medal to St Helen's is that the photograph in the centre of the medal was taken by Mr James Andrews, photographic artist, of Swansea. Andrews had shared a studio in Newport with his brother-in-law George Villiers from 1859. He moved to Swansea in 1868 to set up his own studio opposite the Royal Institution and Wind Street. Andrews also took the photograph of the 1880 Swansea football team (PH224), where the South Wales Challenge Cup was superimposed (QV). Andrews had only just moved to Swansea when he took the photograph of the Aboriginal team at the Bryn y Mor ground.
Keywords
mullagh medal, australia, cricket, 1868, aborigine,
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