Farewelling ‘the Doc’, friend to all cricketers including The Don, his mate of more than 60 years

He was SACA’s club doctor for 40 years and a good mate of Sir Donald Bradman for more than 60. On Sunday the man lovingly referred to as ‘the Doc” will be farewelled at Adelaide Oval.

Dr Donald Beard, aka “the Doc”, lived an extraordinary life. Picture: Keryn Stevens

There would be few who could lay claim to have been a treasured friend of Sir Donald Bradman for more than six decades.

Let alone, be the man whose backyard “the Don” would have his “last cricket knock”, at age 70.

But the celebrated mateship is just one of the many things about Dr Donald Beard, “the Doc”, that sets his life apart as remarkable.

Dr Beard died last week aged 97 and will be remembered on Sunday at a memorial service at Adelaide Oval, a fitting farewell to a lover-of-cricket who was the South Australian Cricket Association (SACA) surgeon for 40 years.

Adelaide surgeon Dr Donald Beard (right) with cricket legend Sir Donald Bradman (second from left) with Les Favell and his wife at Adelaide Oval during an early 1990s testimonial match.

Former Test cricketer Wayne “Flipper” Phillips is among those who will be remembering “the Doc”, feeling privileged to have known the stately, 194cm-tall man who “deserved our respect”.

“I was very fortunate, (as well as being the resident doctor for SACA) he also played cricket at my grade club, Sturt … he was very loyal and knew all the players,” Phillips said.

“He was always just “the Doc”, not Dr Beard or Donald, or Don.

“A pace-bowler, he played close to 200 games for Sturt ... one of quickest that ever played for the club when it was based at Unley Oval.

“But (mostly) he was all about the spirit of the game, he was so strong about the beauty of the game of cricket and being able to contribute to it ... he epitomised the spirit of cricket and will be remembered for that.”

Newspaper archives are littered with stories of those “the Doc” treated at Adelaide Oval – Ric McCosker, Clive Lloyd, Rick Darling and Andrew Hilditch among them as wasfast bowler Jeff “Thommo” Thomson, the man who famously bowled the last ball to Sir Donald, in Dr Beard’s backyard.

Dr Donald Beard, playing Adelaide Turf cricket for SPOC (Saint Peter's Old Collegians) Division XIII, aged 60, 1985.

Donald Beard served as an army surgeon from 1948-86.

“There was a Test match on and we had Sir Don, Indian cricketer Bishen Bedi and Jeff Thomson over (for dinner),’’ Dr Beard recalled.

“My sons were playing cricket … Matthew asked Sir Donald if he would put the pads on, and he did.

“My other son, Alastair, was bowling but Jeff Thomson came up and took the ball out of his hands and said `I’m going to bowl him’.

“He started out just rolling the arm and then Bradman started his dancing feet. Then Thomson quickened up a bit.’’

On the death of his good friend he said:“My association with Sir Donald goes back to the Adelaide Bodyline Test in 1931 … he was the greatest man I have known.”

Dr Donald Beard playing the part of Agamemnon in the State Opera of SA's production of Elektra, Aug 1981.

“The Doc” loved surgery, cricket, music, theatre, reading and, most of all, his wife Margaret.

Beyond cricket – he played until he was 65, the later years with St Peter’s Old Collegians – Dr Beard was an unlikely theatre-lover and appeared in several locally-produced musicals.

The late former Test player Ashley Mallett published a book on Dr Beard’s life, The Diggers’ Doctor, describing the Member of the Order of Australia recipient as “a leader … known for his compassion, humility and charm” who loved surgery, cricket, music, theatre, reading and, most of all, his wife Margaret.

In 1951, as a 25-year-old just out of medical school, Dr Beard served in Korea as a regimental medical officer, telling of its profound effect: “I realised the value of young Australian soldiers and it was a humbling experience.”

This week it will be his extraordinary life – and the impact he had on so many – that will be remembered.