Geoffrey Dutton - Australians are not given to applauding tragedy unless it is at a distance

Australians are not given to applauding tragedy unless it is at a distance like Gallipoli or Cooper's Creek, and they prefer pure heroism to be spiced with disaster, except of course in sport. It was all very well for Adam Lindsay Gordon to have shot himself, but it would never have done for Don Bradman.

- Geoffrey Dutton

source: Geoffrey Dutton (1981). “The Australian Heroes: A Rousing Roll Call of 47 of Australia's Greatest Heroes and Heroines”, Angus & Robertson Publishers

topic: Sports, Distance, Tragedy, Gallipoli, Bradman