Shocking letters reveal Don Bradman’s shattering confession about the last stages of his life – and his very surprising stance on stars who broke apartheid bans

The great Don Bradman’s view that rebel Aussie cricketers were right to take huge amounts of money to play in South Africa during apartheid has been revealed in a series of letters that also expose the sadness the sporting icon felt in the final years of his life. 

More than 20 letters The Don wrote to a friend in England between 1984 and 1998 have been unearthed from the National Library of Australia.

The correspondence offers valuable insight into what the Australian thought about a range of the biggest issues facing the game – including the fact he thought it was hypocritical for Australia to condemn stars for touring racially divided South Africa at a time when the federal government was freely trading with the country.

One of the leading problems to impact cricket was apartheid in South Africa, which Bradman had very strong views on. 

Apartheid was a system of institutionalised racial segregation and discrimination implemented in South Africa from 1948 to 1994. 

It enforced strict racial divisions, denying basic rights and freedoms to the majority black population while privileging the white minority. 

Rebel tours to South Africa encountered intense opposition, as former England skipper Mike Gatting (centre) found out during this protest in 1989

Bradman, pictured with Shane Warne and Sachin Tendulkar, cancelled an Australian tour of South Africa when he was chairman of the Australian Cricket Board in 1970

This oppressive regime ended through domestic resistance and international pressure, leading to democratic elections and the leadership of Nelson Mandela in 1994. 

Apartheid led to South Africa’s exclusion from international sports, including a ban from the International Cricket Council in 1970 with South Africa only rejoining international cricket in 1991 after the system began to dismantle.

Many nations refused to compete with South Africa, and rebel tours by foreign players who defied the boycott faced global criticism. 

Bradman was involved in efforts to boycott South Africa during the 1960s and 1970s in response to the country’s apartheid policy:

As Chairman of the Australian Cricket Board, Bradman canceled the 1970–1971 South African cricket tour of Australia.

He also declared that there would be no further cricket tours involving South Africa until their teams were chosen on a non-racial basis.

However, stars Kim Hughes, Terry Jenner and Graham Yallop were part of a squad of 14 leading Australian players that joined these unofficial tours in the 1980s anyway, lured by significant financial incentives. 

Bradman’s views on apartheid and the rebel tours have been revealed in a series of letters he wrote to a friend in England

These tours were widely condemned, with participants facing bans from official cricket and criticism for undermining the global stand against apartheid. 

The timing also collided with World Series Cricket, the creation of Kerry Packer in 1977 that would pave the way for ODI cricket by introducing night matches, coloured uniforms, and improved player pay.

Bradman wrote that he feared the rebel tours would lead to another Packer-led breakaway competition, and feared the “black” countries would never led South Africa back into world competition.  

‘Since I last wrote, the cricket world has been in a ferment,’ he wrote.

‘What with players signing for England and South Africa and Packer separately signing players, goodness knows where it will end.

‘I don’t blame the players. One I know has been out of work for two years and to see a fair [sic] of $200,000 for two years was too good to turn down. 

‘Of course the whole thing hinges on dirty rotten politics. 

‘Our government freely trades with South Africa and it is total hypocrisy for them to prevent sporting contacts. 

‘The “black” countries will never agree to re-admit South Africa and the final answer is a total split between the blacks and the whites.’ 

However, the Kerry Packer breakaway competition never eventuated and South Africa was ultimately readmitted to world cricket, but as the result of economic politics, not because of any seismic action by the sport.

Nelson Mandela would later describe Bradman as his ‘ultimate hero’ for his stance against apartheid.

Bradman feared that apartheid would rip world cricket apart – and he held the same fears over the one-day revolution started by Kerry Packer (pictured)

Nelson Mandela was a huge admirer of Bradman for his stance against South Africa’s horrific racial discrimination

‘Mandela loved Bradman for the stance he took on racism. Perhaps more than anyone else,’ biographer and close friend of Bradman Roland Perry wrote.

Unfortunately, because of Bradman’s fragilities in his senior years, he never got to meet Mandela.

Sadly, Bradman also wrote in his letters of his loneliness in his final years before he died in 2001.

Bradman’s wife Jessie Menzies died in 1997, while many of his teammates passed before him as well.

Vice-captain Lindsay Hassett died in 1993, Sid Barnes tragically took his own life aged just 57 in 1973 and fast bowler Ray Lindwall died in 1996.

‘I am struggling to get on with life but wherever I turn there is sadness and memories. Even after a game of golf or bridge there is no one to talk to and as you rightly said the nights are so empty,’ Bradman wrote.

However, Neil Harvey is still alive to this day, aged 96, and has spoken about the guilt he has felt for costing Bradman the chance to finish his career with a batting average over 100.

Harvey had smacked a four to win the match in Bradman’s penultimate Test against England. If Bradman had scored those runs, he would have retained his 100 average.

‘I’m quite willing to take the blame. But I didn’t know he was going to get a duck in his last Test match … Nobody knew Bradman needed four runs at Leeds; nobody knew he needed four runs when he played in his last Test at the Oval,’ Harvey said in 2018.

‘Statistics were never mentioned back then; there was no television and no one in the press seemed to know. When the poor bloke was bowled that was it. He wasn’t going to get another chance because we dismissed England for 52 in their first innings.’