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A story which recently appeared in the Advertiser featuring Spring Farm man Daniel Pain and his rugby league card collection started me thinking about how many other people have hidden and mostly unknown treasure troves of sporting memorabilia.
There are many sports fans in the Macarthur and Wollondilly areas, but I wonder how many take it that step further by converting rooms or garages into their own little sporting museums which only a few of their close friends and family have the privilege of witnessing.
As a young boy in the 1970s I started collecting soccer cards which came by the handful in a packet of bubble gum bought from the ice cream van.
Swapping your doubled up cards with friends became par for the course in a trading frenzy.
Such was the passion that I must admit that I would have traded my father’s best Sunday suit in exchange for one of these rare cards and dealt with his tirade afterwards with pleasure.
Those cards, pasted into in two scrapbooks, have travelled the world with me to this day.
They are a bit worse for wear but still a source of pleasure on the odd occasion I would have a look at them, bringing back childhood memories such as Mr Pain described when he said he was ‘‘filled with nostalgia’’ when flicking through his collection.
There are a few places locally which are or were great tributes to sport.
One motor racing -mad fan I know has adorned the walls of his business with great moments in motor sport through pictures.
If you ever need a haircut and you’re a rev head try Danny’s Hairdressing Salon in Camden.
While you’re waiting in the queue for your locks to be shorn you will have a great time looking at the motor racing pics on his walls.
In bygone days, well a few years ago really, Camden Valley Inn had a great collection of British football clubs’ scarves pinned to their ceiling in one of the lounges.
Sadly, they have been taken down but on a smaller scale the proprietor of the Bohemian Restaurant in Narellan has a small but impressive collection of European football clubs’ scarves to greet you as you enter the reception area.
If you have a sports memorabilia collection why not share it with others through me.
What’s your prized sporting possession and how did you get it?
Let me know a bit about your collection and maybe we could organise to write an article and have a few photos taken to give others a brief insight into your passion for sport.