Join the Friends for this online Meet the Author event with Daniel Oakman. Daniel will speak with Larissa Karpish about Sir Hubert Opperman and some of the other adventurous Australian men and women cyclists he encountered in his historical research in the broad cycling collections in the National Library of Australia. This research resulted in the publication of two books; Oppy in 2018 and Wild Ride in 2020. Daniel is a curator, historian and bike rider who writes about sport, social history and politics.

From the book description:

Hubert 'Oppy' Opperman was a sporting icon, a cycling phenomenon whose epic feats of endurance captivated the cycling world. For over two decades, he dominated almost every race he entered and shattered record after record in Australia and Great Britain. In 1928, he led the first Australasian team to ever contest the Tour de France. But Oppy was more than a just a champion. During the Great Depression, a time of painful economic and social change, he became a transcendent symbol of Australian fortitude. This meticulously researched biography gives readers a thrilling insight into the brutal world of professional cycling and an intimate portrait of an extraordinary Australian.

Join us for this Friends Member exclusive online Meet the Author event, where the book choice is eclectic, the guests are captivating and the company is Friendly. The event will be held live via Zoom. Bring along your thoughtful questions for this interactive online event.

To join this online event, please register with your Friends membership number. We will send out an email prior to the event with the Zoom URL, as well as reminder emails a week, a day and an hour before the webinar with the URL to join.

Become a member of the Friends of the National Library of Australia.

You can order copy of OPPY from the National Library Bookshop Friends Book Club List.