Oral history - Mel O'Hern

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2021

Overview

Oral history, 'Recollections of 25 Years of Baseball', recorded with Mel O'Hern, Western Australian baseball player. [Click on arrows above Mel O'Hern's photo to locate audio file.]

Historical information

Between 1955 and 1980, Mel O'Hern played baseball at league club, State and Australian team levels, primarily as a pitcher. He is considered one of the all-time greats of the Swan Districts Baseball Club (1955-1970). Some of his achievements include: Swan Districts State League Champions 1962 and 1963; selection in the Western Australian team in the Australian Claxton Shield Championship Series in 1962, 1963, 1970 and 1973; WA Baseball League President's Medal winner in 1963, 1966/67, 1968/69 and 1969/70; All-Australian team selection in 1963 and 1973.

During the 1962 Claxton Shield series, it was not only his pitching that would get attention, but also his hitting. With bases loaded in the first inning against South Australia, O’Hern hit a long and memorable Grand Slam. In 1963, again representing Western Australia, O’Hern would pitch 18 innings against NSW in a 1-1 draw.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-100-2020.CD.1-1

Item type

Audio

Themes

People
Social History
Sport

Inscriptions and markings

[On CD cover]
'Mel O'Hern'
'Recollections of 25 Years of Baseball'
'54 mins'

Contextual Information

Mel O'Hern's recollections of 25 years of baseball paints an insightful picture of how the game was played in Perth during those years and some of the players and personalities of the game. His outstanding career saw him represent both his State and Australia and in 2021 he was an inaugural inductee into the Baseball WA Hall of Fame.

Keywords

Mel O'Hern

Swan Districts Baseball Club

Western Australian State Baseball Team

Claxton Shield Series

All Australian Baseball Team

Baseball WA Hall of Fame

WA Baseball League President's Medal

Place made

Thornlie, Perth
Western Australia
Australia

Year

2021

Statement of significance

Mel O’Hern’s involvement in baseball in Western Australia spans 25 years from 1955 to 1980. Baseball was enormously popular as a spectator sport and during this time the game evolved; night baseball was introduced and, most notably, the game moved from being played as a winter sport to a summer sport. As a first-hand narration by an outstanding baseball player, this oral history provides a valuable insight into the history of baseball in Western Australia.

Primary significance criteria

Historic significance

Scientific or research significance

Social or spiritual significance

Comparative significance criteria

Interpretive capacity

Rare or representative

Well provenanced