The Opperman Project started a decade ago. It is dedicated to telling the story of the cyclist and politician, Sir Hubert Opperman. Better known as ‘Oppy’, he was an icon of cycling, not just in Australia but also in Europe and Great Britain during the 1920s and 1930s. His legacy has faded. I’m working to make sure it fades no further.
During the 1920s and 1930s, everyone knew about Oppy. Rarely out of the news, he was always racing or attempting some impossible feat of endurance. Synonymous with Malvern Star, Oppy held the cycling world’s attention every time he took to the road.
Humble and charismatic, he was also among the most ambitious athletes of his generation. He would stop at nothing in his quest to become the greatest and most versatile cyclist in the world.
I’ll be uploading content to this website over the coming months. The project is at an exciting phase, with my biography of Sir Hubert due out in mid-2018. Surprisingly, given his fame, this will be the first full-length biography to be published about him. Please follow me if you want to kept up to date with progress.
I hope to introduce as many people as possible to an extraordinary man who deserves a prominent place in the Australian story. And, who knows, it might just inspire a few more people to ride their bikes.
Oppy, looking relaxed, 1931, just before the Tour 
13 June 1928. Oppy earned many nicknames during his time in France. ‘The little giant’ seems apt for this image. 
The Australasian Team: 13 June 1928 
Oppy signs on at Stage 21, 14 July 1928 
Following the Tour, Oppy remained in France and raced in preparation for the Bol’dor. Here he poses at the Buffalo Velodrome in Paris. 
Harry Watson and Oppy at end of the stage into Hendaye. 
Oppy and another rider chug from the chocolate bowl! Stage 13, 4 July 1928. 
12 July 1928 
Just after winning the 24-hour Bol d’Or 9 September 1928. The joy in this image is palpable, from Oppy and the crowd. 
Stage 13, 4 July 1928. The Pyrenees 
17 June 1928 
The start of the 24hr, Bol D’Or. 1 September 1928 
Oppy breaks away in the final stages of the Paris-Brest-Paris, 1931. He goes on to win, later citing the victory as the greatest of his career. 
17 June 1928
Daniel Oakman 
Hi Daniel,
I really enjoyed your book.
It was of particular interest to me as I am a second cousin 3 times removed. My G-G-Grandmother, Maria Louisa Wilhelmina Opperman (1856-1934) was a first cousin to Oppy’s Grandfather, Otto Friedrich Franz Opperman (1837-1893). Maria’s father was Georg Carl Christian Opperman (1827-1901) and his father (Oppy’s G-Grandfather) was Johann Christian Heinrich Oppermann (1798-1864). Maria Opperman married Ernest August Töpperwien (1852-1922) in Burra, South Australia, on 24 Oct 1876. Ernest’s father, Heinrich Philipp Töpperwien (1816-1888) and his wife Dorothea Juliana Christina nee Bremer (1827-1885) had also come from the Harz region (Herzberg am Harz, not far from Clausthal-Zellerfeld) in 1849, and worked at the Burra copper mine as a carpenter.
Kind regards
Bruce Topperwien
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Thanks Bruce!! So glad you liked it. A rich family history, indeed.
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