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- 9 November 2001
Bankstown District Cricket Club Fiftieth Anniversary
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Mr ASHTON (East Hills) [10.17 a.m.]: On Saturday 20 October 2001 I was pleased to attend Bankstown District Sports Club to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Bankstown District Cricket Club. All the usual suspects attended the celebration. Bankstown District Cricket Club is well known in the Sydney district for its great competition. I am sure the honourable member for Bankstown would attest to the fact that, if this club were to play in England, it would be the equivalent of one of England's better county sides. Bankstown District Cricket Club is 50 years old, which is really something when we take into account that Bankstown grew from nothing after the Second World War.
It was appropriate at that reunion dinner that all living first-class Bankstown representatives were in attendance. Graham Thomas, a great player in the 1960s, was in attendance. Stephen and Mark Waugh, more modern day players, and first grade players who went on to play shield games including Dave Freedman, Steve Small, Steve Smith, Corey Richards were also in attendance. These sorts of nights are great occasions and they do a lot to build up confidence in the Bankstown area and give us, once again, something to be proud of in Bankstown. The Bankstown District Cricket Club plays at Bankstown Memorial Oval, which was a rugby league ground for many years.
For seven of the last eight years that ground won the best first grade cricket ground award in the Sydney grade cricket competition. As a matter of fact, the award for the second grade cricket ground went to the Jenson oval at Sefton. Bankstown is very proud of its achievements, which were made possible because of the hard work by the cricket club, through its president, Brian Freedman, its secretary, Martin Klumpp, as well as Eris Dignam and the whole committee. I acknowledge the contribution of the honourable member for Bankstown, who is actively involved in the club, as are Federal members Michael Hatton and Daryl Melham, who is a keen cricket fan like me.
Two ING games were held at the ground and that showcased Bankstown to those around Australia who watched the one-day games that New South Wales played against Victoria and Tasmania. The games focused attention on that ground and took cricket out of the eastern suburbs. Not everything is located to the right of George Street and in the eastern suburbs. That ground is now a tremendous facility, with the Stephen and Mark Waugh pavilion and the Kevin McCormick grandstand. I thank the Government and Bankstown District Sports Club, which is a major sponsor of Bankstown District Cricket Club, for the money it has donated to that club to improve the facilities of the ground. I hope that more money will be forthcoming for additional capital works at that ground.
Honourable members might be aware that North Sydney Oval was a good cricket ground, but it is now out of action after the demise of the Bears, and Northern Spirit is now playing soccer there. Bankstown oval will now become more important for spreading the word about cricket beyond the traditional cricket areas. I refer to a book that was written by Michael Stephenson, entitled Bankstown Cricket Club 50 not out, which was launched that night. Michael, a legend in his own lunch box and a great figure around the Bankstown area, has written quite a thick book, and it is a great read. Some of the political biographies I have read are not as thick as Michael's book.
Michael tells many anecdotes and stories in his book. One is about a fellow called Arthur Taylor, who holds the record for taking more wickets for Bankstown than any other player. Honourable members might not have heard of Arthur because, unlike Thomson and Pascoe, he did not go on to play for Australia. Arthur never got to play even one game of first grade, but he played for over 20 years, and maybe longer. When he was finally selected to play in one first grade game it was washed out and he never bowled a ball. So his whole career was spent in second grade games. At one stage, when Thommo did not turn up for a game—he went straight to the beach—he was dropped from second grade to third grade and Arthur played with him in that game. Thommo was so upset and annoyed about being demoted that he played with real fire and passion, took 10 wickets, and never played a lower game again. I thank the Premier for making available $5,500 to Bankstown District Cricket Club to promote junior cricket in the area.
Mr STEWART (Bankstown—Parliamentary Secretary) [10.22 a.m.]: I join the honourable member for East Hills in telling the House how wonderful it was to be able to participate in the fiftieth anniversary celebrations of Bankstown District Cricket Club. That club has contributed a great deal to the ethos of Bankstown being one of Australia's premier sporting districts—particularly in cricket—over the past 50 years or so. Some great cricket stars had their origins in the Bankstown district. As the honourable member for East Hills pointed out, some great cricket personalities, including both Mark and Steve Waugh, attended the fiftieth anniversary celebration and mingled with everyone at the function. It was wonderful to hear the history of Bankstown's cricketing heyday, right up to the present day.
As the honourable member for East Hills also pointed out, Bankstown Memorial Oval, which is the oval used for cricket, is without doubt Australia's best cricket oval. It has been refurbished to provide tremendous crowd facilities and a ground surface that is unsurpassed throughout New South Wales. Mick Stephenson's Bankstown Cricket Club 50 not out is a great book. I have read it, and I commend it to honourable members. It is not only a fantastic book about the sporting history of the Bankstown Cricket Club and associated personalities, but also a great book about the history of Bankstown, which has a tremendous sporting ethos that binds the community. I commend Mick Stephenson, the publicity officer for the club, for his input, and Brian Freedman, the president of the club, and Marty Klumpp, the secretary, for their tireless efforts to promote cricket in the Bankstown district and throughout Australia.
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