Celebrating 175 years - Melbourne Cricket Club

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CLUB NEWS Farewell to the master’s voice Tony Charlton, who died on December 17 aged 83, was a peerless broadcaster and a master of the MC’s craft. His contribution over 25 years to MCC functions brought a new dimension to many events, most notably the Members’ Dinner and The Bradman Luncheon, which he helped pioneer in 2001. His funeral in the Members Dining Room at the MCG had Charlton written all over it. But was it the father or the son (Jon)? In typical fashion, Tony had roughed out the service long before illness came calling. So the structure was there but the genes shone through as Jon masterminded a brilliant presentation that recalled virtually every element of his old man’s repertoire. There was Alan Kogosowski on the baby grand, a drummer and piper from the Victorian Police Pipe Band, a bugler for the Last Post accompanied by Kogosowski – a deft touch – and a knockout finale with Judith Durham’s a cappella rendition of The Carnival is Over. Appropriately, Tim Lane was MC. Brilliant eulogies by MCC president Paul Sheahan and Jon Charlton told us of a very talented and caring person whose network of business and personal contacts was staggering. Left untold was his quiet commitment to those “in trouble”, the ill and the MCC Contacts Mail PO Box 175, East Melbourne, VIC, 8002 T (03) 9657 8888 F (03) 9650 5682 Country and interstate 1300 367 622 Web www.mcc.org.au Twitter www.twitter.com/MCC_Members Facebook www.facebook.com/ melbournecricketclub Email membership@mcc.org.au Editorial contact communications@mcc.org.au Publisher Herald and Weekly Times Pty Ltd ABN 49 004 113 937 HWT Tower, 40 City Road Southbank VIC 3006 Photography Unless otherwise credited, images provided by MCC, SDP Media, HWT Library or Getty Images. Copyright Editorial material in MCC News is copyright and may not be reproduced without prior permission from the Publisher. elderly, who he would visit at the drop of a hat. The funeral attracted more than 850 a few days before Christmas. Most were mourners with personal memories of a fine fellow who touched many. The service and accoutrements were so impressive you’d have sworn the great man was still with us. We’ve recounted Tony’s accomplishments in these pages before. Few could match his contribution to club and community and we’ve lost an irreplaceable member of the MCC family. Hundreds of friends and family turned out to honour Tony Charlton. His son Jon (right) paid tribute to his late father in a memorable service. Our Cover Scenes from our past: The MCC team to tour England in 1886 is surrounded by the evolution of the MCC Members Pavilion throughout the club’s 175- year history. Football returns Many months of off-field news and controversy will be put to one side when the 2013 AFL home and away season gets underway in late-March. The MCG will host 45 matches in the home and away season, commencing with Carlton v Richmond on Thursday March 28 and followed by two other matches over the Easter weekend. Melbourne will play Port Adelaide on Easter Sunday (March 31), while keen rivals Geelong Cats and Hawthorn resume hostilities on Easter Monday (April 1). Visitor tickets and reserved seats for the first 22 rounds went on sale on Wednesday February 27. There is a limit of four visitor tickets per member for all matches except Anzac Day (two per member). Tickets to Round 23 will be available from Wednesday August 14, after the AFL finalises the schedule for that round. Further details about all arrangements for members during the football season are contained in an eight-page guide accompanying this newsletter and the guide is also posted on the website. 2 MCC NEWS March 2013
CLUB NEWS From the President Paul Sheahan It’s that time of year when I have an opportunity to “free range” over a number of topics that interest me. Whether they interest you, the reader, I do not know but at least I will feel better having expressed my views! We have just completed one of the most unsatisfactory international cricket seasons at the ’G with the playing of the final one-day international on February 10. I say that it was unsatisfactory because, at the greatest cricket stadium in the world, we have seen a total of five-and-a-half days of the game played at international level. Without wishing to point the finger directly at any individual, it seems inconceivable to me that the Test matches finish so early in the season and that one of the competitors in the limited overs form of the game sneaks into the country unannounced, is trounced and departs again before the public has been given a chance to gain some knowledge of who they are. The scheduling seems to be dictated by the Indian Premier League, a forgettable form of the game if there is one, the equally unmemorable T20 Big Bash League and the desires of the television broadcasters to fit in with their global programming. Is the public confused by the rather staccato manner in which the season unfolds? Are they sick of paying high admission prices? Are they tired of crowd behavior that occasionally sweeps up the innocent with the guilty? Can they watch too much on television from the comfort of their homes? Is enough cricket being played for the game to form part of their summer thinking? There was not an international game played at the ’G between the end of the Boxing Day Test on December 28 and the one-day international on January 11, followed by the T20 between Australia and Sri Lanka more than a fortnight later on January 28 – a long time between drinks for a sport-hungry city. There are many questions for Cricket Australia and the International Cricket Council (ICC) to ponder about their programming in the future. At least Melbourne will host a Test match of significance next Boxing Day when the Englishmen are here. And don’t we relish that prospect! Following that we are hoping to host plenty of cricket, including the final of the ICC World Cup in 2015. They will be thrilling matches and a Melbourne crowd would embellish the contests considerably. Moving to a brighter subject, members will be aware that a regulation now limits the time of committee members to three terms of three years. Because this regulation was “grandfathered” in 2004, we will see the retirement of four committee members over the next two years. The first to step down will be vice-president David Crawford. David joined the committee in 1997 and has been a magnificent worker for the club. Having been elected to the vice-presidency, he took on chairing the Grounds Subcommittee and it is no coincidence that matters associated with operations at the ground are running so smoothly and efficiently. We shall miss the monumental and varied skills that David has acquired through his associations with businesses at the highest level in Australia and has brought to committee considerations. At the same time as expressing our deep gratitude to him, we wish him well for what we hope will be a slightly less frenetic time for him. At this point I also express our sincere thanks to David’s wife Maureen who has helped us to entertain in the Committee Room, and in other places, with grace, warmth and style. In a world where governance carries much greater responsibility than it might have in the past, we have engaged an executive search firm, Amrop Cordiner King, to assist us in identifying suitable replacements for those stepping down from the committee. If Full club members are interested in serving on the committee, they are encouraged to express that interest to Amrop Cordiner King, bearing in mind that there is a range of skills that the club seeks to embrace through committee membership. On behalf of the club I wish also to farewell John Wylie as chairman of the MCG Trust and to thank him for a mighty job well done. John steps down after 13 years and will take on chairing the Australian Sports Commission. He has been a passionate supporter of sport at the ’G and, though we might have had our differences of opinion from time to time, he has always had the best interests of the ground at heart. The fourth matter I wish to mention is one that I have written about before. Arguably the major issue we have on our plates at the moment is how we should deal with a growing waiting list and a growing length of time between nomination and the offer of Restricted membership. Currently that time is around 17 years but, if nothing is done, we will see the waiting time grow intolerably. Several propositions have been brought forward. Each has advantages and disadvantages and we are working our way through them in an endeavour to choose the best course. But it is not a quick and easy “fix”, so members and nominees will have to be patient. Finally, the cricket season makes way for the 2013 football season in the twinkling of an eye, and we hope to present another dazzling array of matches played in a spirit that embodies the best ideals of sport! Fred Oldfield joins committee Fred Oldfield The club is pleased to advise members that Mr Fred Oldfield was appointed to the MCC Committee in December, filling a casual vacancy created by the retirement of Peter Mitchell in 2011. Mr Oldfield is currently a non-executive director at Westbourne Capital, a funds management company that invests in infrastructure debt. He previously spent two years in the legal profession (1981-1983) before a 16-year stint with investment bank Potter Partners, which ultimately became UBS. He also was executive director of Hopkins Partners Funds Management (1999-2001) and manager of strategic development and stakeholder relations at Transurban (2001-06). An MCC member since 1982, Mr Oldfield serves as a trustee of the Melbourne Football Club’s Red and Blue Foundation. He has been president of Glen Iris Junior Football Club for the past two seasons. March 2013 MCC NEWS 3
Page 1: March 2013 | No. 153 | ISSN 1322-37
Page 5 and 6: CLUB NEWS Join us in a birthday cel
Page 7 and 8: CLUB NEWS It’s au revoir to Frenc
Page 9 and 10: SPORTS HERITAGE Neil Harvey to join
Page 11 and 12: MCC CRICKET “Clubbies” return t
Page 13 and 14: MCC CRICKET FROM LEFT: Peter Hellia
Page 15 and 16: CLUB SPORT Singapore stopover actio
Page 17 and 18: FUNCTION NEWS ABOVE: MCC president
Page 19 and 20: FUNCTION NEWS Fine fare for all in
Page 21 and 22: FUNCTION NEWS A comedy blockbuster
Page 23 and 24: MEMBERS’ NEWS Support the Dees in

Celebrating 175 years - Melbourne Cricket Club

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