Hubert Opperman in action as a cyclist Sir Hubert Ferdinand Opperman (29 May 1904 - 24 April 1996), affectionately referred to as Oppy by Australian and French crowds, was an Australian cyclist and politician, whose endurance cycling feats in the 1920s and 1930s earned him international acclaim. May 29 is the 149th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (150th in leap years). ...
1904 is a leap year starting on a Friday (link will take you to calendar). ...
April 24 is the 114th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (115th in leap years). ...
1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is the sixth-largest country in the world, the only country to occupy an entire continent, and the largest in the region of Australasia/Oceania. ...
The French Republic or France (French: République française or France) is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in western Europe, and which is further made up of a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents. ...
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is the sixth-largest country in the world, the only country to occupy an entire continent, and the largest in the region of Australasia/Oceania. ...
A cyclist is a person who engages in cycling whether as a sport or rides a bicycle for recreation or transportation. ...
A politician is an individual involved in politics. ...
Cycling is a recreation, a sport, and a means of transport across land. ...
Centuries: 19th century - 20th century - 21st century Decades: 1870s 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s - 1920s - 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s Years: 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 Referred to as the Roaring 20s. ...
Events and trends Technology Jet engine invented Science Nuclear fission discovered by Otto Hahn, Lise Meitner and Fritz Strassmann Pluto, the ninth planet from the Sun, is discovered by Clyde Tombaugh British biologist Arthur Tansley coins term ecosystem War, peace and politics Socialists proclaim The death of Capitalism Rise to...
Hubert Opperman rode a bicycle from the age of eight as a Post Office Messenger, until his wife Mavys, fearing for his health and safety, forced him to stop riding in 1994 on his 90th birthday. His trusty Malvern Star bicycle was donated to the museum in Rochester, Victoria. At the age of 91 he died of a heart attack, while he was on his exercise bike in his home in Wantirna, City of Knox in Melbourne. Wantirna is a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, in the state of Victoria. ...
The City of Knox is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia. ...
The City of Melbournes coat of arms The central business district of Melbourne, viewed from the north Alternate meanings: Melbourne (disambiguation) Melbourne is the capital and largest city of the state of Victoria, and the second largest city in Australia, with a population of 52,117 in the Central...
His feats of stamina and endurance in cycling earned Opperman the status of one of the greatest Australian sportsmen to match cricket legend Sir Donald Bradman and billiards champion Walter Lindrum. Cycling is a recreation, a sport, and a means of transport across land. ...
Sir Donald George Bradman (August 27, 1908 - February 25, 2001) was an Australian cricket player who is universally regarded as the greatest batsman of all time, and one of Australias greatest popular heroes. ...
Cycling Career
Sir Hubert was born in the town of Rochester, Victoria in 1904. One of his first jobs was as a Post Office messenger, delivering telegrams by bicycle. Bicycle messengers (also known as cycle couriers) have carried packages by bicycle for more than a century, but it wasnt until the 1980s and 1990s that bicycle messengers became cultural icons. ...
Telegraphy (from the Greek words tele = far away and grapho = write) is the long distance transmission of written messages without physical transport of letters, originally over wire. ...
He came third in a cycling race at the age of 17 in 1921. The prize was a racing bike by Malvern Star Cycles, a tiny cycle shop in the Melbourne suburb of Malvern. The proprietor of the shop, Bruce Small, was so impressed with the performance he gave the young Opperman a job. Malvern is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ...
Opperman went on to an illustrious cycling career. In 1924 at the age of 20 he won the Australian Road Cycling titles, as well as in 1926, 1927, and 1929. 1924 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...
1926 was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ...
Events January 7 - First transatlantic telephone call - New York City to London January 9 - Military rebellion crushed in Lisbon January 14 - Paul Doumer elected president of France January 19 - Britain sends troops to China February 12 - First British troops lad on Shanghai February 14 - Earthquake in Yugoslavia - 700 dead February...
1929 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...
Hubert Opperman after winning the 1931 Paris-Brest-Paris endurance race In 1928 he won the prestigious Bol d'Or 24-hour classic at a 500m velodrome in Paris. The feat of winning this race is even more astounding. Both his racing bikes had been sabotaged by the chains being filed down so that they soon failed. His manager had to find a replacement bike quickly, and it ended up being the bicycle of his interpreter with heavy mudguards and wheels and upturned handlebars. Effectively he was out of the race for about an hour. But Opperman was determined and rode the old bike for 17 hours without dismounting. He won the race by 30 minutes to the cheers of 50,000 French citizens yelling "allez Oppy". He received a hero's welcome when he returned to Melbourne later that year. Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP) is an approximately 1200km randonnée bicycle ride held on an out-and-back course between Paris and Brest, France, every four years. ...
1928 was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...
The Eiffel Tower has become the symbol of Paris throughout the world. ...
The City of Melbournes coat of arms The central business district of Melbourne, viewed from the north Alternate meanings: Melbourne (disambiguation) Melbourne is the capital and largest city of the state of Victoria, and the second largest city in Australia, with a population of 52,117 in the Central...
He was voted Europe's most popular sportsman in 1928 by more than 500,000 readers of the French sporting journal L'Auto, ahead of their own national tennis champion Henri Cochet. Henri Cochet (1901-1987) was a champion tennis player, one of the famous Four Musketeers from France who dominated tennis in the late 1920s and early 1930s. ...
He won the Blue Riband for fastest time three times in the famous Warrnambool to Melbourne Classic. In the prestigious Goulburn to Sydney Classic he twice won from scratch, and three times being the fastest rider.
In 1931 Hubert Opperman became the World's greatest endurance cyclist when he won the 1931 Non Stop Paris-Brest-Paris tour(726 miles, 1166 kilometres ) breaking all previous records over the distance in the time of 49 hours 23 minutes. After this win he was idolised in the French press and by the French public. Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP) is an approximately 1200km randonnée bicycle ride held on an out-and-back course between Paris and Brest, France, every four years. ...
His participation and captaincy of the Australian Teams in the Tour de France in 1928 and 1931 sets an example to more recent Australian riders to follow in his path such as Phil Anderson, Stuart O'Grady and Baden Cooke. This article is about the cycle race. ...
In 1940 Opperman set more than 100 distance records in a 24 hour cycling marathon at a Sydney Velodrome. Many of his distance records were not broken until decades later.
His cycling career came to an end with World War II when he joined the Royal Australian Air Force and rose to the level of Flight Lieutenant. Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ...
Political Career After the war Opperman joined the Liberal Party of Australia and in 1949 was elected to the Parliament of Australia for the Victorian electorate of Corio centred on Geelong. He served in parliament for 17 years under Prime Ministers Sir Robert Menzies and Harold Holt. During this time he became the Government Whip in 1955. This article concerns the modern Australian political party. ...
Parliament House, Canberra The Parliament of Australia is a bicameral parliament consisting of the Queen of Australia, the House of Representatives (the lower house) and the Senate (the upper house or house of review). Section 1 of the Constitution of Australia provides that: The legislative power of the Commonwealth shall...
The Division of Corio is an Australian Electoral Division in Victoria. ...
Map of greater Melbourne showing Geelong to the south west Geelong is a port city of 184,332 people (2001 census) on Corio Bay, 75 kilometres south-west of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. ...
Rt Hon Robert Menzies Sir Robert Gordon Menzies (20 December 1894 – 14 May 1978), Australian politician, was the twelfth and longest-serving Prime Minister of Australia. ...
Rt Hon Harold Holt Harold Edward Holt (August 5, 1908 - presumed dead December 19, 1967) was an Australian politician and the 17th Prime Minister of Australia, now best remembered for the bizarre circumstances of his death. ...
He became a Cabinet Minister for Shipping and Transport from 1960 to 1963. Between December 1963 and December 1966 he was Minister for Immigration. While Minister for Immigration there was a relaxation of conditions for the entry of people of mixed descent and a widening of eligibility criteria for entry by well-qualified people into Australia.
After his retirement from politics in 1967 he was appointed as Australia's first High Commissioner to Malta, which he performed for 5 years. Official languages Maltese and English Capital Valletta Largest City Birkirkara President Edward (Eddie) Fenech Adami Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi Religion Catholicism Area - Total - % water Ranked 184th 316 km² Negligible Population - Total (2003) - Density Ranked 211th 399,867 1262/km² Independence - Date From the UK September 21, 1964 Currency lira Time...
Opperman received an O.B.E. in 1952 was knighted in 1968.
In 1991 he attended the centenary celebrations of the Paris-Brest-Paris race and received the Gold Medal of the City of Paris. Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP) is an approximately 1200km randonnée bicycle ride held on an out-and-back course between Paris and Brest, France, every four years. ...
Sir Hubert Opperman’s legacy is commemorated every year with the Opperman All Day Trial, an Audax ride held annually in early November where teams of three or more cyclists ride a minimum of 360km in 24 hours.
The City of Knox, where Oppy spent the last years of his life, has dedicated and named several trails and cycleways around the municipality after famous races which Opperman won. They have also dedicated an annual bicycle event, ‘The Oppy Family Fun Ride’, after Oppy. The fun ride is part of the annual Knox Festival held each March. The City of Knox is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia. ...
References - Pedals, Politics and People (1977) Hubert Opperman
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