Australia on its feet for the Don's departure

As the hearse containing the body of Sir Donald Bradman pulled slowly from the driveway of the funeral home, a lone hand clap grew steadily into a warm round of applause.

Spontaneous expressions of appreciation might not usually be in keeping with etiquette for such occasions, but it was surely the right way - the only way - to bid the Don farewell.

In accordance with the spirit of a week in which Sir Donald's extraordinary life had been celebrated rather than his death mourned, the mood of the thousands of people who turned out to say goodbye to the great cricketer was that of an appreciative crowd acknowledging a momentous knock, not that of a city numb with grief at his dismissal.

It was a mood correctly calculated and plainly shared by Sir Donald's 62-year-old son, John, who walked at the front of the procession for the first few hundred metres of the 18-kilometre journey from the funeral home to the service at Centennial Park cemetery. Mr Bradman's expression was sombre, but not grim. He acknowledged the crowd's applause with an appreciative nod.

It had been John Bradman's idea to make public the route of the procession. He respected his father's wish for a private funeral, but recognised the public's desire to say goodbye.

The large crowd that had gathered outside as the the Don left the pavilion for the last time showed he had not overestimated their goodwill.

By the time the procession began just after 7pm, hundreds more had taken up their positions at strategic points along the way. Others rode bicycles behind the procession.

Most joined the applause or shouted "well played, Don", giving what was for many a day of national mourning more the feel of a colourful celebration.

Some even chanted "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie. Oi, oi, oi."

In India, Steve Waugh's Australians were wrapping up the first Test against India - the team's 16th consecutive victory.

The vast spread in the ages of those gathered in Adelaide further illustrated how the Bradman legend has spanned the generations.

Dozens gathered on the nature strip outside the Victoria Grove Retirement Estate, about 100 metres from the funeral home, to pay their last respects to a man whose deeds they could recall first hand. Some wiped away tears as they joined the final ovation.

Yet, there was just as many children there, some held up by parents eager that their offspring should have their own memory of the greatest cricketer to have played the game. In step with the festive mood, one boy wore a bright yellow Australian one-day shirt, a fashion statement that would surely have won the Don's approval.

The previous day John Bradman had talked of how his father had never been stuck in the past. In similar vain, some spectators held up placards just as they might during a big match at the SCG. "Farewell to a great legend - RIP," said one.

On the scoreboard at the Adelaide Oval, a message read: "Farewell Sir Donald Bradman 27 August 1908 to 25 Feb 2001. Rest In Peace." It will remain until Sunday, March 25, when the public gets another chance to celebrate Bradman's life at a memorial service at St Peter's Cathedral, to be shown on the big screen at the Adelaide Oval.

When the hearse arrived at the funeral home it was covered with red roses, blue irises, white snapdragons and white lilies. Inside, a smaller mixed bouquet of mainly blue and white flowers lay ready to be placed upon the Tasmanian blackwood coffin - Sir Donald's personal choice.

With a police motorcycle escort and traffic lights co-ordinated to green along the route, the entourage slowly wound its way through the streets of Adelaide before entering the cemetery where the service was held but which will not be Sir Donald's final resting place. Sydney Morning Herald