THE MAITLAND WONDER: LES DARCY

In 1916, a young man born and raised in the Maitland area fought his way to the very pinnacle of Australian professional boxing, earning himself a swag of wealth from nothing, and the honour of both the Middleweight and Heavyweight Champion titles of Australia. Though a number of the opponents Les Darcy defeated in the ring were themselves world champions, war time turbulence and Darcy’s early death in 1917 saw the coveted title of World Champion elude this great athlete. The high regard with which the people of Australia held Darcy’s achievements were never more apparent than when his coffin made its way to East Maitland Cemetery and thousands of people came onto the streets to pay their respects - and so it was, the Darcy legend began.

You will first encounter The Maitland Wonder: Les Darcy before entering the art gallery itself. On an exterior wall of the building acclaimed street artist, Mr Skel, has stencilled an iconic image of Darcy in a fighting pose. This commission brings a contemporary engagement with the Darcy legend to this otherwise historical exhibition.

In the art gallery space various items of valuable Les Darcy memorabilia are on display. These are part of the permanent MRAG Collection, as a result of the collecting acuity of Cultural Director, Joe Eisenberg. Joe identified a lack of representation of this internationally recognised sporting great in the city’s public collections and sought to acquire items that would address this need. It is with great joy that we are able to present a selection of those items in this exhibition for old and new audiences alike - behold, ‘The Maitland Wonder.’

by Maree Skene Gallery Officer

(above) Les Darcy, n.d., Milton Kent Studio, Sydney silver gelatin print (reproduction), 25 x 20 cm purchased by Maitland Regional Art Gallery, 2012

(left page clockwise from top left) Les Darcy, Les Darcy and Jeff Smith, Les Darcy, Les Darcy and Fritz Holland, n.d. all images: Milton Kent Studio, Sydney, Silver gelatin print (reproduction) 25 x 20 cm, purchased by Maitland Regional Art Gallery, 2012