Richie Benaud insisted one condition be written into his contract
When you think of legendary cricketer Richie Benaud, no doubt a cream-coloured jacket springs to your mind.
The coat, emblazoned with the Nine logo, has become iconic.
And there’s quite the story behind the well-known blazer.
Kerry Packer was insistent that Richie had to stand out from the rest of the World Series Cricket commentary team.
Blue or black suits simply weren’t an option and that’s where fourth-generation tailor John Culter came in.
“(Kerry) instructed Channel Nine to send him along to me,” he tells John Stanely.
“I had a long discussion with Richie, I came up with a concept of a light colour.”
The slightly off-white blazer was a hit, not just with Richie but the Australian public too.
“He actually had it written into his contract with Channel Nine that I make all his coats and so he would come along whenever he needed.
“I probably made six or seven of them all together.”
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John has taken up his needle and thread again to create a replica of Benaud’s classic blazer, all in the name of a good cause.
The one-of-a-kind garment will go under the hammer at the Centenary Institute’s Foundation Fundraising Dinner on Thursday 20th September, but bidders can also get involved online (find out more HERE).
Funds raised from the sale will go towards researching the disease that ultimately claimed Richie’s life, skin cancer.