Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), Saturday 29 July 1950, page 5


Boy star hurt by boomerang

Nicky in hospital

By LOLETTE CRAIG

Nicky Yardley, 11, Australian boy film star, has undergone an oper-ation to restore his profile.

The boy's nose was smashed when he was struck by a boomerang on Wednesday at Eltham.

He was taken to Heidelberg House inter-mediate hospital, where Mr. B. K. Rank, plastic surgeon, performed the operation.

The result will not be

known until the bandages are removed.

Nicky has been living at Eltham since completing a starring role in "Bitter Springs" at Quorn (S.A.).

Found in bush

He found the boomerang in the bush near the home of his guardian-manager, Miss Betty Roland, radio script writer, after school on Wed-nesday.

An expert boomerang thrower himself, Nicky gave the boomerang to one of his playmates, who threw it. The boomerang hurtled into Nicky's face before he could dodge it.

When I visited Sydney-born Nicky the day before his acci-dent, I found a typical Aus-tralian boy - sturdily built, fair, and tousle-haired.

Son of Edgar Yardley, Aus-tralian radio and film actor, who died last year, Nicky started his career at the age of six when he played "Snow" in "Bush Christmas."

He also played in "Eureka Stockade."

Keen on cooking

Nicky's hobbies are riding, swimming, fishing, hiking, and romping with his pets.

But excessive energy has made him become a footballer, gymnast, violinist—and cook.

Nicky bakes a cake, a batch of scones, or cooks a pot roast that any adult would be proud to serve. (See pic-ture at right.)

Miss Roland, who became Nicky's guardian-manager last April when his mother went abroad for a trip, said yes-terday that until the accident Nicky was "well in the run-ning" to play the lead in "Smiley," another Australian bush film, to be made by Alex-ander Korda later this year.