THE final chapter in one of Australia’s greatest sports stories will be laid to rest at the Cherbourg Cemetery on Friday with the burial of boxing champ Eddie Barney, whose father was once the fastest bowler in world cricket.

Eddie, who died in Caboolture Hospital two weeks ago aged 76, was part of a great Commonwealth Games boxing team in 1962 and even prouder that his dad dismissed Don Bradman for a duck at the Gabba in 1931.

Eddie missed out on the 1960 Rome Olympics aged 18, losing a close decision in the selection trials and spent the next couple of years as an outback drover.

But along with teammates Adrian Blair and Jeffrey Dynevor, he was one of three boxers from the tiny Aboriginal settlement at Cherbourg, 260km northwest of Brisbane, chosen in the 10-man Australian team for the 1962 Commonwealth Games in Perth.

As proud as he was over his selection, Eddie once told me that he was even prouder of his dad’s achievements.

On November 6, 1931 at the Gabba in a match between Queensland and New South Wales, Eddie’s dad, Eddie Gilbert, dismissed NSW opener Wendell Bill with his first ball of the day and then licked his lips as Bradman walked warily to the crease.

Bradman managed to block Gilbert’s first ball but the second exploded from the turf and Bradman fell onto his backside dodging it as the Gabba crowd gasped.

The next ball flew over Bradman’s head and then Gilbert delivered the fastest ball Bradman ever faced, knocking the bat clean out of Bradman’s hands.

Bradman was shaken and the very next delivery clipped Bradman’s bat and went straight to the wicketkeeper. Bradman escaped the onslaught with the luckiest duck he ever made.

“When my Dad got Don Bradman, it lifted everybody in our community,’’ Eddie told me. “Bradman was the greatest cricketer who ever lived and my Dad, a little bloke from Cherbourg, got him for a duck.’’

Despite Gilbert’s success he was never given the chance to play for an Australian side not yet ready for a black Test cricketer.