A piece of Australian sporting history and, more importantly, Deniliquin sporting history has come ‘home’ to Deniliquin South School.
A batting pad which once belonged to former South School student and Australian Cricket Team wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist has been gifted to the school.
Teacher Luke Moodie said the donor contacted the school after learning it had an area called Gilchrist Oval.
Mr Moodie said she was delighted to find out that the oval was named after the former cricketer.
And when she did, she was gracious enough to donate the signed and framed batting pad from the man himself.
Mr Moodie said the memorabilia should serve as a great source of inspiration for Deni South students.
He said it is a fantastic reminder of where a young kid from Deni can go and what they can do.
Adam Gilchrist played more than 90 tests and almost 280 one day internationals.
As wicketkeeper and explosive batsman, he took 379 catches and averaged 48 runs in test matches.
He was regularly the vice captain in both the test and one-day teams.
His father Stan’s career as a science teacher and school inspector involved frequent moves, so several towns claim Adam as a famous son.
He attended Deniliquin South Primary School from 1979 to 1983, playing a key role when the school participated for the first time and won the Brian Taber Cup – the NSW primary schools’ competition.