The Lindy in 1960s and 1970s Australia

In Australia, the bestowing of honours on sportspeople is a tradition, connecting national identity with a history of sport and play. The Sportsmen’s Association of Australia was established in the 1950s to foster interest in sport and mobilise support for charities. The presentation of the Lindy Award, named after Association founder Walter Lindrum, was an annual event. Despite the use of the phrase ‘sportsmen’, the Award was open to and, at times, won by women. Despite the non-inclusive language applied by the Sportsmen’s Association in its earliest decades, the history of the Lindy Award marks the significant achievements of women in sport in Australia.