Bradman's house listing goes against his wishes

Sir Donald Bradman's Adelaide home will be heritage-listed in a decision that is against his wishes. Bradman fiercely opposed the move before his death, and was also upset by plans aiming to cash in on his name.

The two-storey, red-brick house in Kensington Park was initially recommended for state heritage listing in 1987, but the plan was dropped when Bradman objected. In a letter written three years before his death Bradman said: "At 89 years of age I am not prepared to exist just to satisfy the autograph-hunters' requests. People just seem to want my signature before I die."

But an Adelaide council is again trying to celebrate the home in a move that has drawn criticism from Bradman's supporters. "Sir Don Bradman was against it being listed because of his privacy issues and that's understandable," John Hanlon, the council's chief executive officer, told ABC Radio. "However, we have now decided to list that property and, I might add, we haven't received any objections from the family in relation to that."

Bradman's grand-daughter Greta said the family accepted that heritage listing of the home was inevitable. The Don moved to Kensington Park from Sydney in 1935 and died there on February 25, 2001.