August - Melbourne Cricket Club

NO. 136 • august 2007 • ISSN 1322–3771 

wallabies on 

the big stage

club news 

NEW 

COMMITTEEMAN 

APPOINTED 

Michael Andrew, 51, 

has filled the casual 

committee vacancy 

created by David Jones’ 

retirement in February. 

An MCC member for 

25 years, devoted Demon 

follower and a Law/Commerce 

graduate from the University 

of Melbourne, Michael is 

chairman of KPMG Australia. 

A keen sportsman all his 

life, he captained North 

Balwyn Cricket Club as an 

opening batsman and opening 

bowler and later was club 

president. As a youngster at 

Melbourne High, Michael 

would race down to the MCG 

after school to see the last few 

hours of play in Sheffield 

Shield matches. 

In his prime, Michael was 

a B Grade tennis player with 

Beaumaris and Box Hill but 

now plays off 13 at Kingston 

Heath with fellow 

committeemen Bob Lloyd 

and Peter Dakin. 

In a very busy life he also 

manages to find time for 

committee duties at the 

Melbourne Racing Club and 

is vice-chairman of the 

Committee for Melbourne. 

Of his recent appointment 

to the MCC, he says: “It’s the 

ideal job. I’ve always loved the 

MCG and it was a privilege to 

be asked to serve the club. I 

travel quite extensively and 

I’ve seen nothing to match the 

new MCG anywhere in the 

world. It’s just outstanding.” 

President David Meiklejohn (left) with new committeeman 

Michael Andrew. 

COMMITTEE 

ELECTION 

CALLED 

Three sitting 

members of the 

MCC committee 

and a challenger will 

offer themselves for 

election at the Annual 

General Meeting on 

August 15. Full members 

eligible to vote will 

already have received the 

appropriate papers with 

their 2007/08 renewal 

notices. 

Jane Nathan, Steven 

Smith and Stephen 

Spargo are the committee 

members standing for 

election by rotation. Jon 

Hitchcock, a teacher’s 

aide and a very regular 

attendee at MCG events, 

is presenting himself for 

election at the ballot. 

A CRACKING 

IMAGE 

It is with belated but much gratitude 

that we acknowledge budding 

photographer Dean Murphy for 

providing the club with his superb 

image of the moment that Shane Warne 

captured his 700th Test wicket on Boxing 

Day. The image was displayed on the cover 

of our previous edition of MCC News and 

Our Cover: Rugby Union returns 

International sport 

returned to the MCG on 

June 30 when the 

Wallabies scored a shock win 

over the All Blacks before an 

excellent crowd of 79,322 on 

a cool and drizzly night. 

The Aussies’ 20-15 triumph 

came after three years of 

domination by the All Blacks, 

it’s all credit to Dean for being in the right 

place at the right time. 

generally ranked as the best 

team in the world. 

The MCG had previously 

hosted Bledisloe Cup matches 

in 1997 and 1998 and the 

average attendance for “the 

game played in heaven” on 

the world’s biggest sporting 

stage is now a very healthy 

81,529. 

 

MCC NEWS 

august 2007

from the president 

As we move into the second half 

of the football season it has 

been very pleasing to see the 

new MCG utilised so well. After the 

split round in June the ground had 

hosted eight games that drew a crowd 

of 50,000-plus, and the average 

attendance was in excess of 45,000. 

The highlight, of course, was Anzac 

Day when more than 90,000 people 

came to the ground, most of them in 

time to participate in what is always a 

moving ceremony before play begins. 

This day is a special event, a unique 

mix of sport at the highest level and 

a solemn remembrance of those who 

fell at Gallipoli. The game invariably 

attracts a far larger crowd than 

positions on the ladder would suggest. 

Another traditional crowd-puller — 

the Queen’s Birthday match between 

Collingwood and Melbourne — drew 

more than 70,000 and the fixture for 

the remainder of the season includes 

several potential blockbusters. 

It has also been pleasing to note that the 

strong demand for dining spots in the 

Reserve is continuing. This is an 

important indicator of how members 

are utilising their new facilities 

and anecdotal evidence about all 

aspects of the Reserve’s operation is 

extremely positive. 

The club is keen to have closer 

contact with members living in regional 

areas and a members’ dinner at 

Shepparton in June was well attended. 

Committee members and club 

executives were on hand to field 

questions and I feel this outreach 

exercise is a very worthwhile initiative. 

I applaud the solid contribution to 

club and ground affairs of committee 

people generally. They volunteer their 

services to help us manage a very big 

business with a minimum of fuss. 

It’s a business that’s about to get even 

bigger with the National Sports Museum 

(NSM) set to open next March. This is 

a substantial project, ably chaired by 

committeeman Ted Yencken, whose 

expertise has been invaluable during the 

redevelopment years. 

The NSM will take MCG tourism to 

new levels and make the ground an even 

more attractive destination for club 

members, their guests and other visitors. 

The Annual General Meeting will be 

held for Full members in the Members 

Dining Room on August 15 and I look 

forward to seeing you there. 

David Meiklejohn 

President 

Committeeman Ted Yencken (left) inspects early construction 

work on the National Sports Museum with MCC exhibitions 

and collections manager Richard Ferguson. 

WAITING LISTERS 

INVITED TO FOOTY 

As part of a program to maximise 

attendances and ensure facilities 

in the Reserve are utilised as 

much as possible, the club has conducted 

a successful trial allowing waiting list 

candidates to purchase a visitor ticket 

that affords them access to the Members 

Reserve for a limited number of AFL 

matches during June and July. 

Those invited were candidates at the 

top of the waiting list who could expect to 

be offered membership over the next few 

years. They were also given the opportunity 

to purchase visitor 

tickets to introduce guests, as do 

members with full privileges. 

The selected matches covered a wide 

range of teams, from the Melbourne- 

Adelaide game on June 2 to Collingwood’s 

clash with Brisbane on July 28. 

Facilities would not be stretched at any 

of the six games and the members-inwaiting 

could see what would be in store 

for them when the offer of Restricted 

membership comes up. 

Club manager Mark Anderson said the 

take-up rate was encouraging, as was 

the feedback from those who took up the 

opportunity to explore and experience 

the wonderful facilities in the Reserve. 

Similar initiatives may be trialled 

during the cricket season as the club 

continues to maintain contact and engage 

with its waiting list candidates without 

compromising any of the benefits and 

privileges accorded Full and Restricted 

members. 

august 2007 

MCC NEWS

club news 

GEE, IT’S A GREAT 

PLACE TO BE 

Volunteer guides are needed as the MCG prepares 

for a tourism invasion in 2008 

There’s a note from the president 

asking for some background on 

Melbourne-Kangaroos clashes 

over the years. Nothing terrific springs to 

mind so it’s on the phone to David Allen 

and within five minutes we’re flooded 

with material. He relates how generous 

both clubs have been to each other over 

the years, swapping top players and a 

coach, although not necessarily to the 

mutual benefit. 

David, an MCC Library volunteer for 

many years and a noted football historian, 

lives and breathes the game and is a very 

valuable resource for the club in so many 

ways. So, too, is Quentin Miller, a retired 

solicitor and cricket buff who found time 

during a busy life to chair the Lord’s 

Taverners group in Victoria and to act as 

national CEO. 

Quentin also served as executive officer 

of VICSRAPID, a charity that supports 

intellectually disabled sportsmen and 

women. His attraction to the MCG goes 

back to childhood days at the cricket 

with his father. Gravitating to the MCC 

Library as a volunteer came naturally, 

notwithstanding that he grew up living 

next door to the family of current 

librarian David Studham! 

“I’m here every morning,” says 

Quentin. “I just love it. I can’t think of a 

better place to idle away my time.” 

We suspect that Quentin’s cricket savvy 

and general productivity would find him 

far from idle, but the sentiments would be 

echoed throughout the ranks of the 

MCC’s 250-strong pool of volunteers. 

Members wishing to register their interest 

in becoming an MCC Library volunteer 

should contact David Studham on 9657 

8967 or email davids@mcc.org.au. 

Pat Hogan has been an MCG guide 

since the club’s first serious steps into 

the tourism market in 1988, when the 

Australian Gallery of Sport was in 

its infancy. You’ll mostly find him in 

the Gate 3 reception area these days, 

surrounded by visitors leaving on guided 

tours every 15 minutes or so. 

When Pat started on guiding duties he 

was one of 27. “I responded to an item in 

the newsletter calling for tour guides,” he 

recalls. “We were briefed by (museum 

consultant) John Kendall, given a foolscap 

information sheet and wished good luck. 

It was really up to the individual guide to 

Quentin Miller (above) and 

tour guide John Moss (left) 

are big contributors to the 

MCG scene. 

add some colour to the tour.” 

And that’s what enhances 

the visitor’s experience at the 

MCG. “We have very few 

people disappointed after a 

tour of the ground,” says MCG guides 

co-ordinator Ian Ramsey. “There are 

so many points of interest here but the 

contribution of the guides certainly adds 

another dimension to a tour of the ’G.” 

With the National Sports Museum set 

to open in March 2008, Ian is on the 

lookout for more guides. 

“We would like to have a bigger pool 

of guides to cope with the influx of 

visitors next year,” he says. “We’re 

already running at record visitor levels 

and there is a growing demand for 

guides.” 

As Pat Hogan observes: “The guides 

have always been a nice group of people. 

They’re interested in sport, the club, the 

MCG and other people, and they’re a 

pleasure to work with.” 

Members interested in coming on 

board should contact Ian Ramsey on 

9657 8858 or email ianr@mcc.org.au. 

A GOOD FRIEND OF THE MCG 

The club was saddened by the 

passing of AFL Commission 

chairman Ron Evans OAM in 

March. An MCC member since 1981, 

Ron had a close association with the club 

and the ground on several fronts. 

He was president of Essendon in 1991 

when the Bombers chose to leave Windy 

Hill and adopt the MCG as their home 

ground after the Great Southern Stand 

was completed. An extremely bold move 

at the time, Essendon benefited greatly 

from the magnificent facilities on offer 

and membership rose accordingly. 

Later, as an AFL commissioner, 

Ron was involved with all the weighty 

issues that inevitably arose between the 

club and the league over MCG affairs. 

And for more than 30 years he was 

a senior executive with the MCG’s 

caterers, Spotless, with whom the club 

has enjoyed a fruitful relationship 

since 1979. 

Universally liked and admired, Ron 

will be remembered through the striking 

of the Ron Evans Medal for the AFL’s 

Rising Star award to the game’s best 

young player of the year. 

Ron Evans (centre) with Dick Reynolds 

and Simon Madden as the Dons prepared 

to move to the MCG in 1991. 

 

MCC NEWS 

august 2007

SOCCER BLOCKBUSTER 

SET FOR SEPTEMBER 11 

The big match between Australia 

and world champions Argentina 

will now be staged midweek 

between AFL finals matches at the MCG. 

On the back of their much-hyped 

Asian Cup campaign, attention turns to 

the Socceroos’ friendly, rescheduled for 

Tuesday September 11 at the MCG. 

The match starts at 7.30pm. 

In line with recent special events at 

the ground, all categories of members 

(except Life, 50-year and Honorary 

Cricket members) and guest cardholders 

will be required to pre-purchase a $20 

non-transferable entry entitlement that 

will validate their membership card at 

the turnstiles. 

Members who had already purchased 

tickets to the match on the original date 

(June 6) may retain them for use. For 

those yet to do so, visitor tickets 

(maximum of four per member) and 

entry entitlements for members can be 

purchased through Ticketmaster (1300 

651 220, www.ticketmaster.com.au or at 

outlets) or in person at the club. 

Unless an entry entitlement has been 

purchased, photo ID membership cards 

and guest cards will not be valid at the 

turnstiles for entry. Members and guest 

cardholders should also bring their 

entitlement receipt as proof of purchase. 

Please note that the entry entitlement is 

not transferable to another person — 

even another member — for this event. 

As members are expected to 

accompany their guests in the Reserve, 

members will not be able to purchase 

visitor tickets unless they have validated 

their own membership card for entry. 

Please note that Long Room passes and 

Balcony passes will not be available. 

Therefore, visitor ticket and guest 

cardholders will not be able to access the 

Long Room and “member-only” seating 

areas on Levels 2 and 3 of the Reserve. 

Ticket Prices* 

Members’ entry entitlement $20 

Visitor tickets 

Adults $100 

Child (under 15) $50 

*Prices are inclusive of GST and all 

fees except for a $7.70 transaction 

fee applicable for all phone and 

internet bookings. Tickets purchased 

at Ticketmaster outlets or from the 

club will not incur a transaction fee. 

Members Dining Room 

Applications for dinner in the Members 

Dining Room will be taken via the 

club’s website or by phone (9284 2300) 

from 9.00am on Monday August 13 

until Tuesday August 14 at 5.00pm. 

marathon 

comes to 

the ’G 

Only three marathons have 

ever been run on the MCG 

— the 1956 Olympic Games 

and last year’s male and female events 

at the Commonwealth Games — so 

the recent announcement that this 

year’s Samsung Melbourne Marathon 

will finish with a lap of the MCG is 

cause for some celebration. 

The marathon, to be held on 

Sunday October 7, will feature a 

new race format along Melbourne’s 

bayside precinct to mark its 30-year 

anniversary. 

There are four divisions of the event 

(42.195km, 21.1km, 10km and 

5.5km) and each will start and finish 

at the MCG. You can even watch 

yourself finish on the big screen as you 

retrace Kerryn McCann’s steps in her 

2006 Commonwealth Games triumph. 

With more than $50,000 up for 

grabs in prizemoney and prizes for 

the winners and placegetters across 

all divisions, there is great incentive 

to be part of the 30th anniversary of 

this very popular Melbourne event. 

For more information, please visit 

www.melbournemarathon.com.au. 

A SUPER SUMMER OF CRICKET 

The likelihood of a Sachin 

Tendulkar farewell tour and a 

potential Twenty20 world 

record crowd are juicy prospects in 

what promises to be a super 2007/08 

summer of cricket at the MCG. 

While the Boxing Day Test against 

the touring Indians will be the hallmark 

event on the calendar, the three one-day 

internationals, the ground’s first ever 

Twenty20 international and Victoria’s 

Pura Cup and one-day series campaigns 

are sure to be popular among members 

and their guests. 

Visitor tickets for all international 

cricket at the MCG will go on sale from 

Monday August 6 at 9.00am. There 

will be a limit of two per member for 

Boxing Day, four for all other days and 

will be available through Ticketmaster 

or at the club. Full details of prices 

and operational arrangements will be 

available in the November newsletter 

mailing. 

MCG INTERNATIONAL CRICKET 

Boxing Day Test 

December 26–30 Australia v India 

Twenty20 International 

February 1 Australia v India 

One-Day Internationals 

February 10 Australia v India 

February 22 Australia v Sri Lanka 

February 29 Australia v Sri Lanka 

A full calendar, including domestic 

matches, will feature in the November 

newsletter. 

august 2007 

MCC NEWS

club news 

A MISMATCH 

TO REMEMBER 

They gave an arm and a leg to play on the MCG 

evidently determined not to throw a 

chance away — threw away his crutch 

instead, after taking block, and defiantly 

faced the bowling on his only leg. 

One-legged made 66 and 18. 

One-armed 6/144 declared. 

This article appeared in the Leader 

newspaper on March 21, 1891. We can 

assure readers that the report was serious. 

Even before World War I, there was a large 

number of limbless men in the community 

because of workplace accidents. 

Something like a revival of the old 

Greenwich pensioners’ cricket 

contest was attempted on the 

Melbourne Cricket Ground on Tuesday, 

when a match was played between onearmed 

and one-legged players. 

A.H. Sudlow, to whom the 

management of the affair had been 

deputed, has for some weeks past been 

busily engaged in making the necessary 

preliminary arrangements, the result 

being that both teams were in readiness 

to take the field at the appointed time. 

A band had been engaged, and the 

match well advertised, but it must be 

admitted that the result was 

disappointing, the attendance being very 

small, and the display of cricket (with, 

however, several exceptions) rather more 

ludicrous than interesting. 

Before the start opinions differed as to 

whether the loss of a leg or an arm would 

prove to be the greater handicap, but the 

result showed that the one-legged men had 

no chance with their more agile opponents, 

who played 12 men against 13, and won 

with an innings and 60 runs to spare. 

Five of the one-legged players were 

connected with the Victorian Railway 

department, and it was noticed as a 

remarkable but inexplicable fact that 

while right legs had generally been lost, 

the deficiency of left arms was equally 

noticeable. 

The loss of a leg was clearly shown to 

militate against the free use of both 

hands in batting, the one-legged men 

wielding the willow with much less 

freedom than their opponents, who were, 

of course, seen to great advantage on the 

field. During one brief period, and only 

one, the one-legged men had the best of 

it, and that was at lunch, where they 

fairly lost their opponents in deftness 

with the knife and fork. 

Before the game commenced some 

curious questions of umpiring arose, 

amongst others a discussion as to 

whether “crutch before wicket” would be 

fatal to a batsman, and one player — 

Top score was Pearson, who, despite 

the loss of his right hand, made boundary 

hits in rapid succession, scoring 43 not 

out. Pearson, who hails from Port Fairy, 

is a strapping young fellow, and showed 

himself to be a one-handed Bonnor, 

putting remarkable force into his strokes. 

In the second innings of the one-legged 

team, which only realised 18 runs, the 

bowling of McDonald and Lowe proved 

to be quite unplayable, the former taking 

seven wickets for 7 runs, and the latter 

five for 6. 

When the captain of the one-armed 

team went to bat, the fieldsmen clapped 

hands heartily by way of welcome, and 

one could not help sympathising with his 

team in their inability to pay a similar 

compliment to the one-legged skipper for 

obvious reasons. 

The players will doubtless long 

remember the match with pleasure, as it 

was played throughout in a true spirit of 

fraternity. The Melbourne Cricket Club, 

with characteristic generosity, gave the 

teams the use of their ground, and in 

other ways assisted the undertaking, 

which, however, it would hardly be 

desirable to repeat. 

CHOP, CHOP, CHAPS, 

I CAN’T SEE THE BALL 

The Australasian’s Tom Horan (writing as “Felix” on 

Christmas Eve 1892), rues the loss of an MCG tree 

The intercolonial men have been 

practising vigorously at the net on 

the MCC ground during the week. 

I saw H. Trott, R. McLeod, H. Trumble, 

W. Bruce, J. Barrett, H. Graham, C. Ross, 

J. Phillips, and most of them shaped very 

well indeed. Judging by the work they are 

doing our men ought to be in real good 

trim when play opens today. 

I do not know who the cricketer is 

who suggested that the pines by the 

members’ entrance gate on the MCC 

ground should be cut down. Why do you 

think the cricketer suggested that the trees 

should be cut down? Because, forsooth, 

his sight was affected; the ball got up 

in the tree and he couldn’t see the ball. 

Good gracious! 

I have played on the Melbourne ground 

occasionally during the past 20 years, and 

if I got out it wasn’t the tree that got me 

out, it was the bowling. The worst of it is 

that the MCC executive has approved of 

the suggestion, and on Wednesday the axe 

was ruthlessly applied, and the fine old 

tree laid low. I should like to hear (MCC 

treasurer) Mr Travis on destruction of 

trees in the MCC enclosure. 

6 MCC NEWS 

august 2007

AFL WORLD COMES TO THE MCG 

The National Sports Museum’s Aussie Rules exhibition will be 

considerably enhanced when AFL World is introduced during 2008 

There was an almost immediate 

dividend from the Federal 

Government’s $25 million 

funding for the MCG’s National 

Sports Museum (NSM) 

when an in-principle 

agreement was reached 

with league officials in 

June to relocate AFL 

World from the city 

to the MCG. 

While planning for 

the Aussie Rules exhibition 

opening in March next year is 

virtually set in stone, there is generous 

provision of “future space” to 

accommodate additional exhibitions 

and/or interactive devices. 

It is hoped that at least part of AFL 

World will be installed for the 

March opening. A definite target 

date for a revamped AFL Hall 

of Fame exhibition is June 

2008 to coincide with the next 

induction of the game’s 

champions. 

Overall, AFL World covers 

about 1000 square metres and its 

relocation to the home of football will 

greatly enhance our museums precinct. 

It’s a package that includes footy 

interactives and a number of multimedia 

features. 

The NSM covers a huge space and 

interior work has reached the “shop fit 

build” stage. By October our exhibitions 

team will start placing the 2500 items 

that are currently being conserved, 

framed or mounted for display. 

Most of the accompanying text panels 

have been drafted and work has started 

on the labels identifying the various 

pieces on display. For many of those 

working on this project, March 2008 

could never have seemed so close! 

MUSEUMS MANAGER MOVES ON 

The club lost one of its most 

popular staff members when Gill 

Brewster resigned earlier this 

year. Gill, who joined the club in 1988 as 

an education officer with the Australian 

Gallery of Sport, rose steadily through 

the ranks and was appointed director of 

the Gallery in November 1993. 

In that year, our heritage operations 

were consolidated under the MCC 

Museums Sub-committee chaired by 

Doug Heywood, who took a keen 

interest in Gill’s work and they became 

firm friends. 

“Doug was so supportive, always 

happy to give advice and he genuinely 

loved being involved with what we did,” 

recalls Gill. “I was very lucky to have so 

many good people around me during my 

time as Museums manager. 

“I was always close to the volunteers 

and they’ve played a very important role 

in the evolution of our entire sports 

history operations, whether they’re 

researching material in the Library, 

writing text panels and labels for the 

various displays or guiding tourists 

around the ground.” 

There were many milestones ticked 

up as manager of the museums, but we 

suspect nothing compares with her 

appreciation of the people she had the 

privilege to work with and meet — elite 

athletes, senior administrators, MCC 

committee people and managers, 

architects, designers, builders, you name it. 

An MCC person through and through, 

Gill decided to take the role of executive 

director with the Victorian Olympic 

Council, serving a movement with which 

she had such close ties during her 19 

years at the MCG. Keep in touch, Gill, 

and thanks for a wonderful contribution 

to our heritage operations in particular 

and the club generally. 

Footnote: Gerardine Kerlin 

commenced in the role of general 

manager museums on July 16. 

Cussen family members Catherine Gowers 

(left) and Marylou Phillips present Gill 

Brewster (right) with some of former president 

Sir Leo’s superb collection of memorabilia. 

VENUE 

MANAGEMENT 

AWARD TO THE ’G 

The club received some 

pleasing news in late-May 

when its communications 

manager, Shane Brown, was 

presented with the Ogden IFC 

Scholarship as the best-performed 

student at the Public Venue 

Management School (PVMS) over 

2005–06. Shane will receive $10,000 

to be put towards an overseas trip to 

further his 

development 

and education 

in the venue 

industry. 

Shane is the 

second MCC 

recipient of this 

prestigious 

scholarship, 

with event planning manager 

Lisa Price successful after 

her two-year stint at the school 

in 1999–2000. The MCG is the 

only venue to provide two winners 

of this scholarship. 

The successful student is selected 

on a range of criteria including 

outstanding academic achievement 

and application at the PVMS, 

continuing commitment to the venue 

management industry, communication, 

teamwork and leadership skills. 

august 2007 MCC NEWS 7

club news 

THE DON RECALLED 

AT MELBOURNE 

A new book by MCC Library volunteer Alf Batchelder examines 

the master batman’s brilliant record at the home of sport 

It would be reasonable to assume that 

the millions of words written about 

the great Don Bradman had 

exhausted every possible avenue for 

authors contemplating another tome on 

the peerless batsman. Not so. 

MCC Library volunteer and club 

historian Alf Batchelder discovered when 

writing his magnum opus, Pavilions 

in the Park, that there was plenty of 

scope to further research Bradman’s 

performances in Melbourne, at the MCG 

where he thrilled the biggest crowds in 

the country on so many occasions. 

It didn’t take much encouragement 

for author Alf to get back into harness. 

The Don had fascinated him since 

childhood. “From age seven I was a 

regular listener to Kia-Ora Sports Parade 

every Friday night on 3KZ,” Alf recalls. 

“In late November 1948, they 

announced that the next program would 

be a Bradman Testimonial broadcast 

from the Melbourne Town Hall, and The 

Don would be there in person. I begged 

my father to get tickets and, being the 

cricket fanatic he was, I don’t think I 

needed to be too convincing.” 

A week or so later Alf sat in front of the 

Grey Smith Stand and watched his hero’s 

final innings in Melbourne. Sadly, The Don 

was out for 10 but for Alf his first visit to 

the MCC Reserve on a match day was “an 

exciting, unforgettable experience”. 

Decades later, the Bradman allure 

remained, research for his book taking 

Alf through virtually everything that was 

written about The Don in contemporary 

reports of his batting feats at Melbourne 

and the events surrounding them. 

“I think writers over the years have 

given undue attention to his 

performances in Sydney and Adelaide,” 

says Alf. “Melbourne and the MCG have 

been glossed over somewhat, yet it was at 

Melbourne that he played so many of his 

significant innings. 

“In Melbourne he made 19 centuries in 

30 matches and nine centuries in 11 Tests 

at the ground. You were dead stiff if you 

missed out on him making a big score in 

Melbourne. He also made the most famous 

duck in Test history at the MCG in the 

most eagerly awaited encounter ever. 

“No-one has had the same hold 

over the Melbourne crowd. He is 

unquestionably the greatest drawcard the 

ground has ever seen and not only because 

of his batting. It also stems from the 

influence of radio, the press, newsreels and 

advertising. Bradman 

was the first Australian 

sportsman to be heavily 

promoted by these media 

elements.” 

You will have gathered that the 

enthusiasm for the chase was well and 

truly there when Alf embarked on his 

research in the MCC Library after the 

Bradman Luncheon in 2005. The 

resulting manuscript will delight all 

cricket lovers, and publication is being 

arranged to meet the Christmas market. 

Importantly, its release will usher in 

both the centenary of Bradman’s birth 

and the 60th anniversary of his last 

innings at the MCG. 

If you ask the old-timers about 

Bradman’s impact here, many will respond 

in part: “It seems like only yesterday…” 

So the book’s working title is entirely 

apt: Only Yesterday – Don Bradman 

at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. 

This year’s Bradman Luncheon will be 

held on Friday August 24. See page 18. 

TWO DECADES OF FINE FELLOWSHIP 

The MCC’s Long Room Wine and 

Food Society would have been 

hard pressed to find an author 

better qualified than Keith Dunstan to 

record the first 20 years of its activities. 

A wine buff who even today would be 

most comfortable at Jimmy Watson’s, 

Keith has done it all. 

He has written the history of CUB, the 

Bundaberg Rum company and Victoria’s 

best-known winery, Brown Brothers. At 

one stage he ventured into winemaking 

on the Mornington Peninsula and wrote 

a book about it. In 1992 he showed his 

pride and joy pinot, “Chloe”, at a 

society luncheon. 

Perhaps equally important, Keith has 

enjoyed countless luncheons and 

decades of fine fellowship at burgundy 

and beefsteak clubs and gatherings of 

like-minded people, such as the communal 

bottling of bulk wine. 

In his inimitable style he tells of the 

society’s genesis, the characters involved 

and how it has broadened its scope to 

the point where, in traditional MCC 

fashion, the waiting list outnumbers the 

membership. 

With a nod to Keith’s pioneering history 

of the club first published in 1962, the 

society’s 72-page history is entitled The 

Lunch Group That Grew. The author’s 

credentials ensure that it will have wide 

appeal and an order form can be 

downloaded from the MCC website. 

Alternatively, secretary John Champness 

can assist on email jchampness@aol.com. 

The cost of $25 includes GST and postage. 

8 MCC NEWS 

august 2007

TAPES ARE JUST FOR THE RECORD 

MCC identities record their reminiscences for posterity 

As part of the MCC’s ongoing 

audio-visual archival program to 

record the views and recollections 

of people important to the club and 

the ground, seven eminently worthy 

subjects have been interviewed by 

Tony Charlton (pictured above) over 

the past few months. 

First was John Lill, secretary from 

1983 to 2000, who was originally 

interviewed in 1995. Much had happened 

in the interim. John had dealt with 

several critical issues such as virtual 

advertising, the access rights of media, 

ownership of the electronic signal and a 

new ticketing contract. 

Other highlights during John’s time 

include the rebuilding of the Great 

Southern Stand, introduction of an 

arena sand profile and portable cricket 

pitches as well as the installation of the 

MCG light towers. 

Bruce Church (president 1997–2003) 

also took on many of John Lill’s issues, 

including all of the initial planning 

associated with the northern stand 

redevelopment and the Commonwealth 

Games. 

Former Premier, current MCG trustee 

and MCC Honorary Life Member John 

Cain has a unique perspective on issues 

concerning the ground and the club and 

the relationship between the various 

stakeholders. His forthright views will 

make interesting archival material for 

future generations of researchers. 

David Jones, with the presidency 

so fresh in his mind, was able to 

recall a multitude of pleasant memories 

as he guided the club through the 

redevelopment years. His recruitment 

of our first lady committee member 

was especially satisfying. 

On a lighter note, MCG Media Hall of 

Fame broadcaster Bill Jacobs was asked 

to relate the highlights of his interesting 

career as a cricketer, Australian 

team manager and commentator. 

Encyclopaedic recall ensured a flood 

of fascinating anecdotes. 

Curator Tony Ware had interviewer 

(and gardening enthusiast) Tony 

Charlton entranced. “Why is it that in 

all my walks across the oval I’ve never 

seen anything resembling a weed?” 

inquired Charlton. 

He had his answer about five minutes 

later after references to the plant and its 

environment, fertiliser use, watering 

practices and a host of other semiscientific 

considerations. Ware’s take on 

the Commonwealth Games arena 

makeovers was of particular interest. 

The final session turned the tables on 

the interviewer. Tim Lane had kindly 

agreed to quiz Mr Charlton about his 

memories of the MCG, which began with 

his involvement in GTV9’s telecast of the 

Olympic Games in 1956. “I can still see 

Bobby Morrow running away with the 

200 metres. He ran 20.6. And Cuthbert 

… Cuthbert!” And so it went on. 

The tapes are not available for general 

reference at this stage. Some of them 

won’t see the light of day until all parties 

mentioned are no longer with us. But 

those who follow will applaud the club’s 

initiative in preserving the thoughts of 

these leading lights in MCC life. 

AUSTRALIAN SPORT’S NIGHT OF NIGHTS 

The advent of the National Sports 

Museum has seen the club forge 

a much closer and productive 

working relationship with The Sport 

Australia Hall of Fame (SAHOF). 

So we are pleased to advise that 

MCC members and guests are invited to 

attend SAHOF’s annual dinner, a gala 

event on the Hall of Fame calendar to 

be held on Thursday October 11 at 

Crown Palladium Ballroom. 

The dinner attracts the who’s who of 

Australian sport who’ll witness the 

announcement of new inductees into the 

Hall of Fame, as well as the elevation of 

a member to Legend status. 

Other awards announced on the night 

include the Don Award, the Team 

Sport Australia Award and the Spirit of 

Sport Award, which the MCG won last 

year for its “redevelopment and 

transformation to stage the 2006 

Melbourne Commonwealth Games and 

its status as an iconic rallying point for 

Australian sport”. 

MCG Trust chairman John Wylie 

(right) and former MCC president David 

Jones are pictured here accepting the 

award at last year’s dinner. 

The annual function also serves 

as a reunion for Hall of Famers, making 

it the biggest regular gathering of 

Australia’s sporting greats. No wonder 

the evening is regarded by many as our 

premier sporting function. 

For a booking form and function 

details, please visit www.sahof.org.au 

or phone (03) 9572 4600. 


club news 

MEMBERS CRUISE 

THE CARIBBEAN 

A 

72-strong touring party of MCC 

members and partners, including 

Honorary Cricket Members Keith 

Stackpole and Rodney Hogg, enjoyed 

the trip of a lifetime in April, when they 

toured the Carribbean to witness the 

semi-final and final of the controversial 

ICC Cricket World Cup. 

Led by the MCC’s Peter French, 

the group set sail from Miami on the 

Norwegian Crown for a two-week 

adventure covering St Lucia, Barbados, 

mainland USA and many memorable 

spots in between. 

Highlights were plentiful. An Anzac 

Day dawn service prior to disembarking 

at St Lucia, brilliant weather and 

charming locals were just a few, but 

for cricket aficionados there was one 

feature that conquered all. 

“Words could never do justice to 

Adam Gilchrist’s innings,” said Peter of 

the Australian opener’s brilliant 149 off 

104 balls to steer the Aussies to their 

third successive World Cup with a 53-run 

win over Sri Lanka at Kensington Oval. 

“It was a privilege to be there. Where 

previous generations lay claim to having 

seen Bradman bat, we can now say we 

saw Gilly in full flight.” 

The Aussie win was celebrated in 

grand style, courtesy of a five-course 

feast with fine wines at Fisher Pond 

Great House, a 400-year-old plantation 

home in a fairyland setting. During the 

evening, Stackpole and Hogg gave their 

impressions of the match and responded 

at length to members’ questions. 

One stop remained before arrival back 

in the USA — on the Dutch island of 

Curacao, where members enjoyed some 

final shopping and beach cricket before 

spending the next four days at sea. 

It was a wonderful and memorable 

tour, highlighted by Gilchrist’s innings 

and the Australian victory, and as 

MCC members Graeme and Judy 

Howarth disembark the Norwegian 

Crown at Grenada. 

immediate past president David Jones 

remarked and echoed the thoughts of 

most: “An unforgettable experience”. 

The club thanks Glenn and Gayle 

Hedley of Events Worldwide, who 

organised the tour package, and the 

captain and crew of the Norwegian 

Crown for the exemplary manner in 

which they looked after all passengers. 

GREEN IS GOOD AT THE MCG 

Environmental considerations increasingly are part of day-to-day management at the ground 

As ground manager of the MCG, 

the club recognises that best 

practice waste management and 

other “green” measures should be 

implemented in line with public 

expectation and that there is a leadership 

role for the club to play in the community. 

There are a number of environmental 

initiatives either in place or under 

investigation. Broadly speaking, they can 

be defined under the categories of waste 

recycling, energy saving and water 

management. 

The club’s recycling program focuses on 

two principal areas — the recycling of 

rubbish generated by MCG patrons and 

the recycling of material used by staff on a 

day-to-day basis. 

Since the club’s upgraded commitment 

to recycling started during the 2006 

Boxing Day Test, the amount of recycled 

event-related waste has risen from 30 per 

cent to 75 per cent in just six months. We 

aim to reach 100 per cent as part of the 

Visy Closed Loop Recycling Program. 

Headed by Facilities Department 

general manager Peter Wearne, the club 

adheres to a set of guiding principles as it 

strives to improve its waste management 

performance. The use of landfill as a 

destination for unusable or contaminated 

recyclables will only be a last resort. 

While the redevelopment of the northern 

side of the stadium last year allowed a 

number of energy-saving measures to be 

factored into the design, the club is 

investigating a broader solution in areas 

such as lighting efficiency and solar panels 

throughout the entire stadium. 

Finally, as mentioned in the previous 

edition of MCC News, there are a number 

of measures on the agenda to ensure the 

club remains a responsible water user. 

The new sand profile on the MCG, for 

instance, has helped reduce water usage 

significantly without affecting turf quality. 

Away from the arena, other watersaving 

measures include harvesting of 

rainwater from the northern stand roof to 

clean the seating bowl and concourse, 

implementing toilet flush reduction 

techniques and installing water-saving 

shower heads. 

10 MCC NEWS 

august 2007

STOP PRESS! 

THE POLICE 

TO ROCK 

THE ’G 

The MCG’s reputation as a multipurpose 

stadium will soon be 

restored completely following 

the breaking news that internationally 

renowned rock band The Police will 

perform a concert at the ’G on 

Australia Day next year. 

The event will be a significant moment 

in the ground’s history as it heralds the 

first concert to be held at the MCG since 

November 1998, when promoter Michael 

Gudinski’s Mushroom Records label 

celebrated its 25th anniversary with 

a 10-hour extravaganza in front of 

55,000-plus fans. 

In the five years prior, the ’G was 

awash with huge musical acts, including 

Billy Joel and Elton John, Michael 

Jackson, Madonna, U2, Paul McCartney, 

The Three Tenors and the Rolling Stones. 

Winner of six Grammy Awards, 

The Police — comprising singer/bassist 

Sting, guitarist Andy Summers and 

drummer Stewart Copeland — became 

globally popular in the early-1980s with 

hits such as Roxanne, Everything She 

Does is Magic, Walking on the Moon, 

Don’t Stand so Close to Me, Message 

In a Bottle and Every Breath You Take. 

Now, to celebrate the 30th anniversary 

of the release of Roxanne, they have 

formed The Police Reunion Tour 

and will rock the ’G on Saturday 

January 26, 2008. 

While MCC members had a priority 

booking period in late-July to purchase 

tickets for themselves and their guests to 

this event, tickets are now on sale to the 

general public and can be purchased 

through Ticketmaster. For ticket prices 

and availability, please phone 1300 136 

122 or visit www.ticketmaster.com.au. 

Although the club will not have 

exclusive access to the Members Reserve 

for this event, members’ facilities such as 

the Long Room, Members Dining Room 

and Frank Grey Smith Bar will be made 

available for members and guests with 

concert tickets. Details will be advised 

in due course. 

SHEPPARTON HOSTS 

MEMBERS’ REGIONAL DINNER 

Following the success of the 

inaugural Members’ Regional 

Dinner held in Ballarat last year, 

the club hosted its second dinner on 

June 18, this time at the Eastbank 

Centre in Shepparton. 

Invitations were sent to members from 

Shepparton and surrounding districts and 

more than 140 members and guests 

attended the function. 

The evening included presentations 

from president David Meiklejohn and 

general manager for member and 

customer services, Scott Butler, who 

spoke on a range of club and ground 

activities. Former Australian, Victorian 

and MCC cricketer Dean Jones provided 

a very entertaining after-dinner address. 

Members were also able to freely mix 

and ask questions of committee and 

management representatives throughout 

the night. 

The club is looking to hold a third 

dinner later in the year. The regional 

centre to host the function will be 

determined after a demographic analysis 

of our database. 

Clockwise from right: Charles Turnbull 

with president David Meiklejohn; Peter 

French and Julie Purdey with guest speaker 

Dean Jones; Committeeman Will Fowles 

(third from left) with members and guests 

enjoying the evening at Shepparton. 

august 2007 

MCC NEWS 11

club news 

ON ANZAC DAY, MCG MARCHES 

Melbourne’s first commemorative services for the 

As the now traditional clash 

between Collingwood and 

Essendon cements itself in the 

public psyche as an important part of 

the national observance of Anzac Day, 

the game’s venue could not be more 

appropriate. 

The MCG has had a very long 

association with the military, one way or 

another. Prime Minister Billy Hughes, an 

MCC member, conducted a conscription 

rally on the ground in 1917 during 

World War I, a conflict that saw about 

20 per cent of the MCC membership of 

5000 enlisting in the services. 

That remarkable turnout was bettered 

during World War II, when about 30 per 

cent of our members served in the armed 

forces. 

The MCG also played a major role as 

a base for both US military forces and the 

RAAF from 1942 to 1945. Among the 

military were the men of the US 1st 

Marine Division, on R&R here after 

bravely holding Guadalcanal against the 

Japanese advance. 

This was a turning point of the war in 

the islands, and to them — as one 

historian noted — “Guadalcanal was not 

a name but an emotion”. Perhaps that’s 

why those Marines became attached to 

the MCG; so attached that many of them 

have come back to see the ground again, 

notwithstanding all the changes in the 

interim. 

Just last year the club hosted Marine 

Lou Imfeld, 84, and his family at lunch. 

It was Lou’s third visit to the ground and 

he hasn’t been coming empty handed. He 

donated to the club a Marine Corps flag 

and the uniform he wore in Melbourne in 

1943. Intriguingly, some parts of that 

uniform have tags showing they were 

made by the “Myer Store for Men”. 

And it seems those US Marines won’t 

ever forget us. At their base in California, 

every morning since the war they have 

woken to the strains of Waltzing 

12 MCC NEWS 

august 2007

TO THE SAME OLD TUNE 

fallen at Gallipoli were conducted on the MCG 

Matilda, one of three stirring tunes 

played at reveille. Sixty-two years later, 

that’s quite some association and one of 

which we all should be very proud. 

The uniforms are on display in the 

Members Reserve foyer and the new 

MCC Museum showcases both the 

ground’s wartime involvement and the 

military service of club members. 

Another little-known link between the 

MCG and the military is the 1917 war 

memorial (top) erected in Yarra Park 

behind the old Grandstand. For several 

years this was the city’s most prominent 

venue for remembrance services. 

Indeed, Anzac Day commemoration in 

Melbourne had its genesis at the MCG 

when services were held on the arena in 

1916 and 1917 to mark the anniversary 

of the Gallipoli Landing. 

During the Great War the MCG also 

hosted a number of war effort fundraising 

events ranging from social cricket 

matches and the auction of memorabilia 

to the Patriotic Carnival held over a 

fortnight in October 1917. 

Returning to the modern-day Anzac 

ceremony, a bumper crowd of 90,508 

attended the MCG’s 2007 blockbuster 

and the service was conducted in pindrop 

silence. There was plenty of noise 

from Collingwood supporters at the end 

of the game, however, when they held off 

the Bombers to win by 16 points. 

Faces in the Anzac Day crowd, anticlockwise 

from left: Will Fowles (right) 

with committee guests Neil Wood (Coca 

Cola) and wife Janne; Ken and Shirley 

Fraser with John and Rasa Bertrand; former 

secretary John Lill (left) with new Cricket 

Victoria CEO Tony Dodemaide and his 

wife Dale; Michael Niall, Jason Cronshaw, 

Owen Saunders and Richard Troy in the 

Blazer Bar; vice-president Bob Lloyd; 

members of the MCC Veterans’ Group in 

the Hans Ebeling Room; committeeman 

Peter Mitchell with Paul McNamee and the 

Hewitt sisters, Linley (left) and Lauren. 


club news 

XXIX CLUB TOURS ASIA 

Hard on the heels of its 50th 

anniversary celebrations last 

September, the XXIX Club 

embarked on a successful tour to 

Malaysia and Thailand in the first two 

weeks of April. The tour was organised 

by MCC vice-president Bob Lloyd, 

while chief executive Stephen Gough 

and club manager Mark Anderson also 

were among the 50-plus touring party. 

The first leg of the tour was to Kuala 

Lumpur, where the group enjoyed some 

excellent hospitality courtesy of one of 

our reciprocal clubs, the Royal Selangor 

Club. The MCC last toured Malaysia 

in 1996, so it was a timely visit to 

maintain and strengthen the inter-club 

relationship. 

The MCC XXIX Club team in front of the 

Royal Selangor Club Pavilion (top) and MCC 

Cricket chairman Bob Lloyd presents a gift 

to RSC president Dato’ Chu Ah Nge. 

The feature match in Kuala Lumpur 

was a day/night fixture against a 

Malaysian XI that included many players 

currently in their national squad. It 

was played at the magnificent Kinrara 

Stadium, the venue that hosted an 

international tri-series in the lead-up to 

the ICC Champions Trophy last October. 

The facilities, particularly on-field, 

were equal to any first-class ground 

in Australia and the MCC won an 

extremely close and competitive fixture 

played in very hot and oppressive 

conditions. The ledger was squared later 

when we lowered our colours against 

Royal Selangor. 

The tour rounded out with a week at 

Hua Hin (three hours south of Bangkok 

on Thailand’s east coast), where the 

annual six-a-side tournament attracted 

teams from as far and wide as India, 

Hong Kong, Bangladesh and Australia. 

A CENTURY UP FOR WALHALLA v MCC 

The club ventured to 

Gippsland to celebrate a 

visit by Warwick Armstrong’s 

team 100 years ago 

The club was very pleased to 

accept an invitation from 

the Walhalla Heritage and 

Development League to play a 

centenary cricket match against a 

Walhalla XI on April 14. From the 

1860s to the early 1900s the historic 

Gippsland township was one of the 

richest gold mining districts in 

the world. 

In 1907, Warwick Armstrong led 

an MCC team to play on the ground 

situated on top of a “mountain” 

towering 215 metres above the 

township. These matches were revived 

for a time in the mid 1970s, with the 

MCC last visiting in 1980. 

As tradition dictates, the 2007 teams 

assembled at the Star Hotel in the 

township at the foot of the mountain 

before making the 20-minute trek by 

foot up the steep, windy track to the 

oval where Armstrong’s team played 

100 years ago. The players were 

welcomed by the district band and many 

locals dressed in traditional garb. 

The game itself was a Twenty20 

match with modified rules. The 

boundaries were very short with thick 

scrub beyond them. For practical 

reasons, and for the safety of the 

500-odd spectators, sixes were “out” 

(the six not counting as runs) and 

compulsory retirement was 20 runs. 

The game started with the traditional 

blasting of the cannon and Walhalla 

batted first. The MCC team, an eclectic 

mix of the young and the old, did 

well in the field for the most part, 

given the short 

boundaries and quite 

bumpy outfield. 

It wasn’t until the 

introduction of the 

Walhalla designated 

hitter (one player 

from each team was 

allowed to hit sixes) 

that their innings 

gained real 

momentum. 

Geoff Fidler set 

about the task of 

chasing down the 

159 run target. Our 

designated hitter, 

Steven McCooke, 

managed to get 

a couple into the 

trees but lost his wicket before getting 

to 20. Captain David Broad made his 

quota, as did both father and son, Paul 

and Daniel Worrall. For all their efforts, 

we fell 10 runs short. 

Nevertheless it was a great day and 

the club was delighted to contribute to 

the promotion of the township against 

the background of the “Big Ship” and 

his MCC team taking block against 

Walhalla all those years ago. 

Skipper David Broad (left) and the MCC 

contingent at Walhalla. 

14 MCC NEWS august 2007

CRICKETERS TIE UP 

FOURTH XI FLAG 

The MCC Fourth XI earned the 

club’s only Premier Cricket 

two-day title of the season in 

stunning fashion after a thrilling finish 

against Prahran in April. 

In a match full of drama and 

excitement befitting a final, both 

teams were locked together on 335 

when the last Prahran wicket fell on 

the penultimate delivery of the match. 

Talented youngster Dion Minato lured 

the tail end batsman into a false stroke 

and 17-year-old wicketkeeper Will 

Sawyer did the rest, as pandemonium 

hit the Albert Ground. 

Under Cricket Victoria rules, the 

Demons were awarded the flag due 

to its better performance in the season’s 

two-day preliminary rounds. It was the 

Fourth XI’s eighth premiership. For 

retiring MCC captain Chris Muller, it 

was his first premiership as skipper after 

two near misses with the Third XI in 

2002/03 and 2003/04. 

HODGE, MCDONALD HEAD 

LIST OF HIGH ACHIEVERS 

The MCC prides itself on the 

success of its players at higher 

levels, and there has been 

no shortage of such honours in 

recent months. 

The Victorian Bushrangers team 

regularly included four MCC 

representatives — Brad Hodge, Andrew 

McDonald, Shane Harwood and Mick 

Lewis — all of whom were outstanding 

contributors to the team’s performances 

over summer. 

Hodge won 

a place in 

Australia’s 

successful 

World Cup 

team and, 

along with 

McDonald, 

was named 

Above: Brad Hodge 

triumphant. Right: 

Peter Nevill receiving 

his club champion 

trophy from Cricket 

chairman Bob Lloyd. 

in the Pura Cup team of the year. 

In addition, McDonald won the W.M. 

Lawry Medal as Victoria’s Pura Cup 

player of the year. 

Hodge and Harwood were included in 

the Ford Ranger Cup team of the year. 

Harwood was also chosen in Australia’s 

team for the Twenty20 international 

against England in January. 

McDonald enjoyed the best all-round 

season by a Victorian in Sheffield Shield/ 

Pura Cup history. Since 1892, only 

four others from any state have made 

750 runs or more and taken at least 

25 wickets: Norm O’Neill, Garry 

Sobers, Shaun Young (twice) and 

Tom Moody (twice). 

That’s esteemed company. McDonald 

scored 750 runs at 57.69, including one 

century and six half-centuries. He also 

took 29 wickets at 30.13, including 6/34 

against Queensland. 

To top off our list of high 

achievers, wicketkeeper Peter 

Nevill, who was named 2006/07 

MCC club champion, was 

rewarded for his fantastic season 

with the gloves and bat when he 

was chosen in the Premier Cricket 

team of the season. Nevill effected 

29 dismissals and scored 666 runs 

at 51.23 with three centuries to be 

Melbourne’s only representative 

in the all-star line-up. 

NEW MCC 

CRICKET 

COACH 

APPOINTED 

A new broom comes 

to Melbourne with 

sound credentials 

Our MCC cricketers scored 

a recruiting coup over the 

winter break with the 

appointment of former South 

Australian batsman Chris Davies 

as captain-coach for the next 

two years. 

The 28-year-old will fill the 

coaching void created by the 

departure of Robert Templeton 

at season’s end, 

while his batting 

skills should 

compensate for 

the loss of threetime 

club 

champion Liam 

Buchanan, who 

has returned to 

Geelong. Chris 

(pictured) will 

combine the coaching role with 

his full-time employment at the 

Australian Cricketers’ Association, 

where he is general manager 

of cricket operations. 

He is a talented middle order 

right-hand batsman who played 

25 first-class matches for South 

Australia between 1997 and 2004, 

as well as 38 one-day matches. He 

enjoyed tremendous early success 

at junior level and was a stand-out 

player in the South Australian 

Under 17 and Under 19 teams. 

He also displayed tremendous 

leadership qualities, as evidenced 

by his appointment as South 

Australian Under 19 captain 

(1994–1996) and as vice-captain 

of the 1996 Australian Under 19 

World Cup team that toured 

South Africa. 

A shoulder injury forced Chris 

into early retirement from firstclass 

cricket in 2004. 

august 2007 

MCC NEWS 15

FUNCTION NEWS 

WEDDINGS, PARTIES, ANYTHING 

One of the many privileges of 

being an MCC member is the 

opportunity to avail yourself and 

your guests of the top-notch function 

facilities on offer at the MCG. 

Members can book fabulous locations 

such as the Members Dining Room, Long 

Room or Frank Grey Smith Bar for 

private functions with a touch of class, as 

did 17-year member Simon Jefferson and 

Rebecca Burke for their wedding 

reception in the Long Room on March 3. 

Set against the unlikely backdrop of 

a Pura Cup match on the arena, Simon 

and Rebecca (pictured cutting the cake) 

celebrated their marriage with 100-plus 

family and friends who were equally 

thrilled to be spending some time in 

such an iconic venue. They had booked 

their wedding before the cricket fixtures 

had been finalised and the club honoured 

the reservation. 

Bride and groom were delighted with 

the outcome and effusive in their praise 

for Epicure’s input into their wedding 

arrangements. “The room looked 

spectacular, the food was great and the 

service sensational. In short, the night far 

exceeded our already high expectations,” 

said Rebecca. 

So if you or a family member have 

a special occasion coming up, whether 

it’s a wedding, 50th birthday or an 

engagement party, then the MCG with 

its myriad fine facilities could be the place 

for you. There are more than 20 function 

James Grant Photography 

rooms or spaces available with capacities 

ranging from 80 to 1000. 

The MCG is more than a sports 

stadium. It’s now a large, user-friendly 

venue with rooms, spaces, resources and 

under-cover parking for 600 cars that put 

it in the upper echelon of function centres 

in Melbourne. For bookings and inquiries, 

please contact Epicure on (03) 9284 2340 

or functions.mcg@epicure.com.au. 

GOLFERS GO FOR VICTORIA 

The bi-annual MCC Members’ 

Golf Day will make its debut at 

the prestigious Victoria Golf 

Club on Wednesday December 5. 

Members holding a Club, VGA or 

WGV official handicap are invited to 

enter what promises to be an enjoyable 

day on one of Melbourne’s finest courses. 

Golfers will compete for many prizes, 

including the President’s Plate which will 

MCC Golf Section chairman Peter Mitchell 

(right) presents the President’s Cup to Bill 

Murray at Kingston Heath in February. 

be presented at a dinner in the clubhouse 

following play. A prominent guest 

speaker will entertain at the dinner. 

The cost for the day is $135, which 

includes green fees, a snack bbq lunch 

and three-course meal plus drinks at the 

evening function. Participants can choose 

an AM (8am) or PM (1pm) tee-off time. 

Bookings are now being taken. Should 

applications exceed the field capacity, a 

ballot will be conducted. An application 

form can be obtained via the club website 

or by phoning Member and Customer 

Services on (03) 9657 8888. 


FUNCTIONS CALENDAR 

DAY DATE FUNCTION VENUE 

Wednesday Aug 15 MCC Annual General Meeting Members Dining Room 

Monday Aug 20 New Member Induction Evening Members Dining Room 

Friday Aug 24 Bradman Luncheon Members Dining Room 

Monday Sep 24 Brownlow Dinner with the Coodabeens Members Dining Room 

Friday Sep 28 Members’ Dining — Grand Final Eve MDR/Long Room 

Friday Oct 26 Spring Racing Carnival Dinner Members Dining Room 

Thursday Nov 22 Sporting Sections Annual Dinner Members Dining Room 

Monday Nov 26 Annual 50-Year Members Luncheon Members Dining Room 

Tuesday Nov 27 Annual 50-Year Members Luncheon Members Dining Room 

Wednesday Dec 5 Members’ Golf Day Victoria Golf Club 

Friday Dec 7 Members’ Dinner Members Dining Room 

Friday Dec 14 New 50-Year Members Luncheon Members Dining Room 

Tuesday Dec 25 Christmas Day Luncheon MDR/Long Room 

Wednesday Dec 26 Boxing Day Breakfast Members Dining Room 

Thursday Dec 27 Boxing Day Test Breakfast (Day 2) Members Dining Room 

monday Jan 28 Australia Day Luncheon Members Dining Room 

NOBODY WILL FORGET 

THIS ANNIVERSARY 

Members and guests 

celebrated the Long 

Room Wine and Food 

Society’s 20th anniversary in grand 

style with a magnificent black-tie 

dinner in the Members Dining 

Room on June 27. 

A spendthrift could dine out 

daily for months and fail to match 

the superb mix of high cuisine and 

Penfolds wines presented to 320 

appreciative guests on this 

memorable evening. 

Guest chef Adrian Tobin, flown 

in by the Spotless group especially 

for the occasion, was ably assisted 

by Epicure head chef at the MCG, 

Jeremy Woods. Rarely has the 

gastronomic offering risen to 

such heights. 

President Ian Johnson was 

a polished MC, Brian Adams 

delivered a rollicking discourse 

as keynote speaker, Channel 9’s 

Michael Roberts conducted a 

question-and-answer session with 

senior Penfolds red winemaker 

Steve Lienert and Keith Dunstan 

nearly got writer’s cramp signing 

copies of his book on the society’s 

first two decades, The Lunch 

Group That Grew. 

At the back of the room, guests 

sampled the 20th anniversary 

wine, a terrific 2005 Heathcote 

Winery shiraz that punches way 

above its price range. It’s available 

for $235 a dozen including free 

metropolitan delivery. Non-society 

members are invited to share these 

spoils and you’ll find an order 

form on the MCC website. 

Author Keith Dunstan signing 

copies of the history of the society 

(top) and master chefs Adrian Tobin 

and Jeremy Woods with society 

president Ian Johnson at the end 

of a memorable evening of fine 

food and wine. 

august 2007 

MCC NEWS 17

FUNCTION NEWS 

PAD UP FOR 

BRADMAN LUNCHEON 

M 

embers and guests are invited 

to celebrate the immortal Sir 

Donald Bradman’s imminent 

99th birthday at the seventh annual 

Bradman Luncheon to be held in the 

Members Dining Room on Friday 

August 24. 

The luncheon, hosted by Tony 

Charlton, is a celebration of The Don’s 

brilliant career as well as his personal 

achievements and interests. Held in 

conjunction with Cricket Victoria, this 

standout event has previously featured 

guest speakers of the ilk of Bill Lawry, 

Max Walker, Bob Simpson and John 

Bradman, The Don’s son. This year’s 

event promises to be just as memorable. 

Members are invited to make up a 

table of 10 at this quality function, 

which is an ideal opportunity to 

entertain business associates or family 

and friends at the home of cricket. 

And don’t forget that the MCC 

Museum would be well worth a visit 

before adjourning upstairs for lunch. 

It’s a cricket-lover’s paradise. 

The luncheon costs $95 (members) 

and $105 (guests), which includes 

a three-course meal, beer, wine and 

sparkling. 

What 

Bradman Luncheon 

When Friday August 24, 2007 

Time 

Where 

Dress 

Cost 

Noon for 12.30pm 

Members Dining Room, 

Level 2, Members 

Reserve, MCG 

Jacket and Tie 

$95 (members) and 

$105 (guests) 

To confirm your booking, please visit 

the website to download an application 

form or contact Member and Customer 

Services on 9657 8888. 

COODABEENS 

TO HOST A 

CHAMPION NIGHT 

After their hugely successful 

inaugural Brownlow Dinner 

last year, the Coodabeen 

Champions are back in town and ready 

to host this year’s event. 

With a sell-out crowd in 2006, don’t 

miss out on this year’s function, which 

returns to the Members Dining Room 

on Monday September 24. 

Enjoy a three-course dinner with 

beverage service and a live telecast of 

the Brownlow Medal count on the big 

screen while the Coodabeens assess the 

chances of the top medal contenders, 

check out the fashions and keep a close 

eye on the vote count as it unfolds. 

Members are encouraged to book 

early to avoid disappointment and 

remember that guests are welcome 

to attend this function. 

To confirm your booking, please 

visit the website to download an 

application form or contact 

Member and Customer Services 

on 9657 8888. 

What 

Brownlow Dinner with 

the Coodabeens 

When Monday September 24, 

2007 

Time 

Where 

Dress 

Cost 

7.00pm for 7.30pm 



Reserve, MCG 

Jacket and Tie 


$105 (guests) 

18 MCC NEWS 

august 2007

WE’RE RACING INTO 

THE SPRING CARNIVAL 

We’re at the barrier and ready 

to race! Don’t miss this 

exciting evening of Spring 

Racing Carnival entertainment and 

fashion in the Members Dining Room 

on Friday October 26. 

Hosted by the 

inimitable Tony Leonard, 

the evening will capture 

all the excitement and 

glamour of Australia’s 

premier horse racing 

carnival within the 

confines of the country’s 

premier sporting stadium. 

Sit back and enjoy a funfilled 

evening that will 

feature a panel of racing 

experts. 

A perfect lead-in to the 

following day’s Cox Plate 

at Mooney Valley, a host 

of racing and fashion 

identities will be on hand to offer 

their tips for the punters and a range 

of door prizes and giveaways will make 

this a night to remember. A threecourse 

meal to Epicure’s high standards 

comes with fine wines and beverages. 



application form or contact Member 

and Customer Services on 9657 8888. 

What 

Spring Racing 

Carnival Dinner 

When Friday October 26, 2007 

Time 

Where 

Dress 

Cost 

7.00pm for 7.30pm 



Reserve, MCG 

Jacket and Tie. Dress to 

impress with a touch of 

Spring Racing! 


$100 (guests) 

MEMBERS’ DINNER SET FOR DECEMBER 7 

As we lead into another 

tantalising summer of cricket, 

headlined by the last chance 

to witness Indian dynamo Sachin 

Tendulkar in action, the tradition 

continues at the Members’ Dinner on 

Friday December 7 in the Members 

Dining Room. 

This annual event, open to Full and 

Restricted members, always features 

a who’s who of prominent cricket 

personalities and this year’s line-up 

will be no exception. Master of 

Ceremonies will be the incomparable 

Tony Charlton, who has compered 

this function since inception in 1994 

when former England captain David 

Gower spoke as elegantly as he batted. 

Since then, the Members’ Dinner 

has featured such luminaries as 

Sir Richard Hadlee, Lord Cowdrey 

of Tonbridge, Kim Hughes, Wes 

Hall, Jeremy Coney, Mike Brearley, 

Sunil Gavaskar, Ian Healy and last 

year’s guest speaker, Graham Gooch. 

Prominent cricket journalists Tony 

Cozier and Mike Coward have also 

graced the podium. 

The cost for the event is $100 per 

member. The fare includes canapés on 

arrival and a sumptuous three-course 

dinner with fine wines and beverages. 



application form or contact Member 

and Customer Services on 9657 8888. 

What 

MCC Members’ Dinner 

When Friday December 7, 2007 

Time 

Where 

Dress 

Cost 

6.45pm for 7.30pm 



Reserve, MCG 

Black-Tie 

$100 (members only) 


FUNCTION NEWS 

OUT AND ABOUT AT THE MCC 

It’s been another hectic round of social engagements for our members and special interest groups 

A 

wide range of functions and 

special events entertained MCC 

members and special interest 

groups in recent months, many of which 

were conducted for the first time. 

One of those interest groups, Women 

of the MCC, held a Women in Wine 

cocktail party in late-February. The 2003 

Victorian Rural Woman of the Year, Anna 

Aldridge, was a most interesting guest 

speaker as members and their guests 

indulged in the chef’s selection of canapés 

whilst enjoying a fine selection of wine 

from the Yarra Valley. 

The 2007 AFL season was ushered in 

by the Football Season Launch Luncheon 

on March 29, an event that followed in 

the footsteps of the inaugural function in 

April last year. Compered by football 

commentator Tim Lane, more than 250 

members and guests were entertained by 

a panel of experts including recently 

departed Melbourne coach Neale Daniher, 

The Age’s Caroline Wilson, highly 

regarded administrator Greg Miller 

and newly appointed AFL Victoria boss 

Peter Schwab. 

The Young Members Club is celebrating 

yet another successful year, with an 

inaugural cricket cocktail party and four 

football functions on the agenda. The 

Young Members Club also secured the 

hallowed turf for a very pleasant evening 

of food, wine tasting and music at the 

March 16 Field of Wines presentation on 

the arena. A host of sports stars in the 

wine industry were in attendance, 

including former Carlton player and 

AFL coach Robert Walls and Olympic 

runner Cameron McKenzie. 

The Cricket Presentation Dinner was 

held on May 4 in the Members Dining 

Room, where new coach Chris Davies was 

introduced to his players for the first time. 

Former club greats Peter Bedford and 

Max Walker were also in attendance, 

as were captain Ian Huntington and other 

members of the 1966/67 First XI team that 

gathered for a 40-year reunion. Later in 

May, the MCC Bowls Section also toasted 

their high achievers with a post-season 

presentation night in the same room. 

The Long Room Wine and Food Society 

celebrated its 20th anniversary with 

a black tie gourmet dinner on June 27 

(see page 17), while guest speaker Major- 

General Mike O’Brien was a highlight 

of the War Veterans Group’s 10th 

anniversary celebrations in the Members 

Dining Room on June 20. 

20 MCC NEWS 

august 2007


MEMBERS’ NEWS 

POOR BEHAVIOUR 

BRINGS HEAVY PENALTIES 

There is a crackdown on misbehaviour in the Reserve and 

the consequences for offending members and guests are serious 

Your committee has become 

increasingly disturbed by the poor 

behaviour of members and/or their 

guests since the start of the football 

season. There have been several 

instances of abusive language, card 

misuse, fighting and failure to conform 

to the dress standards in the Reserve. 

“These instances highlight how 

badly some members and guests have 

been behaving and the committee is 

toughening its stance on offenders,” 

DINE OUT WITH 

A DIFFERENCE 

The fantastic dining facilities 

in the Reserve have been 

enthusiastically embraced by 

members looking to treat their guests 

to a taste of club life at the MCG. 

While the stunning Members Dining 

Room remains popular for those 

visiting the ground on event days, 

another initiative that is enjoying rave 

reviews is weekday dining in the 

Committee Room on non-event days, 

now also available on Thursday and 

Friday evenings. Why not treat 

yourself, family, friends or business 

associates to a special experience in 

the MCC inner sanctum. The usual 

Members Dining Room/Long Room 

dress regulations apply. 

Your contact for all non-event day 

dining bookings at the MCG is Epicure 

Catering on (03) 9284 2300 or email 

functions.mcg@epicure.com.au 

MCC NEWSLETTER TURNS FIFTY 

We agree that this is hardly 

earth-shattering news so, just 

quietly, we’re celebrating 50 

years of MCC newsletters this year. The 

first appeared in June 1957, a four-pager 

that carried details of Ian Johnson’s 

appointment as secretary from July 1. 

The lead item, headlined “MCC 

CARRIED HEAVY GAMES BURDEN”, 

noted the club’s contribution to the 1956 

Games had attracted extensive praise, 

albeit at considerable cost to members. 

There were no photographs in the 

first edition but items referred to the 

“new playing area” improving after 

says Paul Sheahan, chairman of the 

Club Sub-committee. “The MCC is a 

democratic club and our membership 

profile more or less reflects that of the 

general community. 

“However, once a member enters 

the club, everything changes. Certain 

standards of behaviour are laid down 

and won’t be relaxed. We urge 

members to respect the club and what 

it can offer them, and to respect their 

fellow members.” 

post-Games renovations and a tribute 

to retiring secretary Vernon Ransford 

was glowing in its praise of a great 

administrator. 

It was inevitable that club-member 

communications would improve 

when “Johnno” took over as secretary. 

Recently retired from Test cricket, 

he was already a prominent electronic 

media commentator and had written a 

syndicated newspaper column for years. 

His successor, John Lill, accepted 

a compelling argument for a change 

to full colour and more pages of 

information for members. So the 

1982/83 annual report signalled a new 

era in club publications and it wasn’t 

long before there were three editions 

annually to cover the news generated 

by and for a growing membership. 

Please keep turning our pages. 

We hope that in this modern era of 

full-colour, full-on communication, 

our messages are getting through 

to the majority of members. 

2007 QUEEN’S 

BIRTHDAY 

HONOURS 

List of MCC 

members honoured 

AO 

General Division 

BEST, John Barton AM 

CHERNOV, Justice Alex 

MITCHELL, Neil 

MYERS QC, Allan James 

MYERS, Maria Josephine 

TAYLOR, Michael John 

AM 


BUTLER, Dr James Michael 

DARLING, James Anderson 

DARVALL, Anthony William 

GOURLAY, John Wilson (Dec.) 

HARTY, Jack Henry 

HODGSON, Anthony George 

MILES, David Arthur 

PARK, Graeme Alston OAM 

WEST, Janet Barbara 

OAM 


APPEL, Simon Ernest 

BURT, John Charles 

CHISHOLM, Donald Lyston 

FRASER, Dr John Gavan 

GILMORE OBE, Brigadier Ian George 

HARCOURT, Peter Rex 

HOCKING, John William 

LAWRENCE, Shirley 

MC INNES, John Lachlan 

MANNERS, Clayton Robson 

NICHOLSON, Roger Baillie 

ROBERT, Gordon Edward 

RUTLEY, Peter Russell 

SMARRELLI, Donato 

WISE, Clifford Dennis 

WOOLACOTT, Graeme Louis 

AFSM (Australian Fire Service Medal) 

WALKER, Michael Anthony 

DSC (Distinguished Service Cross) 

TYRELL, Kyle Patrick 

CSC (Conspicuous Service Cross) 

UPJOHN, Ian William 

**The club also congratulates 

MCG Trust chairman John Wylie, 

who was awarded an OAM (General 

Division) in this year’s honours list. 

22 MCC NEWS 

august 2007

WE’RE HERE TO SERVE YOU 

The club’s commitment to service 

for our members has been 

reinforced by the expansion of 

the Member and Customer Services 

Department over the past 12 months. 

“Our focus is not only to look after 

member interests, but also to implement 

a framework for customer service across 

the organisation,” says Stephen Philp, 

customer services manager. 

Stephen’s team of nine permanent 

service representatives, plus a bank 

of casuals during peak periods, handle 

inquiries from members and the 

public across a wide range of issues 

Stephen Philp (centre) and members of the 

service representatives team. 

affecting membership and the MCG. 

“The results of this increased service 

focus were evident during the year,” 

observes Stephen. “There was a substantial 

reduction in the time members spent 

in a phone queue, while emails and 

written correspondence were responded 

to within reasonable timeframes.” On 

event day and during business hours you 

will always find a friendly face at the 

Membership Services Office inside Gate 2 

to answer your queries. 

To assist 

members even further, here’s a 

selection of some commonly asked 

questions of our Member and Customer 

Services team: 

SOME FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 

How long does it take to become 

a member? 

Due to the numerous variable factors 

that are taken into consideration when 

determining new member intakes each 

year, it is not possible to estimate exactly 

how long a candidate on the waiting list 

will have to wait before they are offered 

membership. However, the one thing we 

do know is the nomination date of the 

latest candidates to be elected to membership 

in our most recent intake for the 

2007/08 season. 

All candidates on the waiting list from 

August 1, 1987 to January 31, 1988 

were elected to Full membership, while 

candidates on the waiting list who were 

nominated prior to October 1, 1994 have 

been offered Restricted membership. 

How do people join the MCC 

waiting list? 

Applicants must complete an MCC 

membership form and pay the $55 

nomination fee. Nomination forms 

require the signature of both a proposer 

and seconder, both of whom must be 

Full members of the MCC. Club rules 

do not permit Restricted members to 

propose or second nominations. 

Can I bring guests into the Members 

Reserve? 

Yes. All members can purchase a 

maximum of four visitor tickets for 

entry into the Members Reserve for most 

cricket and football matches (Grand Final 

excluded) at the ground. There are 

variations for the AFL Finals, Boxing 

Day and for other major sporting events. 

Members are advised of these arrangements 

via this newsletter, the website, 

email or the weekly information bulletin 

in the sporting pages of each Thursday’s 

Herald Sun and The Age newspapers. 

Where can l purchase visitor tickets? 

Visitor tickets can be purchased through 

Ticketmaster (1300 651 220, online at 

www.ticketmaster.com.au or via outlets), 

the Membership Services office (Monday- 

Friday, 9am-5pm) or at the Gate 2 ticket 

windows on match day, subject to 

availability. 

Where is the members’ car park? 

The City of Melbourne controls all 

parking in Yarra Park and unfortunately 

there is no area set aside for members. 

On match days, the closest public parking 

area to the Members Reserve is through 

Gate 3 on the corner of Wellington 

Parade South and Jolimont Terrace. 

On non-event days, members can utilise 

short-term street parking in Jolimont 

Street or Jolimont Terrace, or if booked 

into the Committee Room for lunch, 

parking will be arranged in the underground 

carpark off Brunton Avenue. 

How does the Long Room and Members 

Dining Room dress code compare to the 

remainder of the Reserve? 

The standard of dress in the Long Room 

and Members Dining Room for males is 

shirt, tie, jacket, slacks and dress shoes 

(jacket is optional in cricket season). 

Females are expected to dress to a similar 

standard. Minimum dress requirements 

for the Members Reserve is neat casual 

for men and women. Denim is acceptable 

and males must wear a collared shirt, 

irrespective of whether or not a collared 

sweater or jacket is being worn over 

the top. 

Can I use my MCC membership to enter 

the public and AFL areas at the MCG? 

No, your membership card will not be 

recognised at the public or AFL member 

entrances at the MCG. 

Can I transfer my membership card to 

another person to use? 

No. Your photo ID membership card 

is strictly non-transferable and is issued 

for personal use only. Lending your card 

is a serious breach of the club rules and 

offenders will incur severe penalties. It is 

also a member’s responsibility to make 

sure that their card is secure so that 

it cannot be used by another person. 

DID YOU KNOW…? 

The club has recently added some 

useful features to its website, 

including online application forms 

for the Members Dining Room, Long 

Room and Balcony passes and change 

of address notification. Be sure to 

check out www.mcc.org.au to avail 

yourself of these options. Of course, 

there are several other communication 

mediums available for members who 

don’t wish to utilise the website. 

august 2007 

MCC NEWS 23

MEMBERS’ NEWS 

YOUR 2007 

AFL FINALS 

ARRANGEMENTS 

Grand Final 

The Members Reserve will be at full capacity for the 2007 AFL Grand Final 

and members are strongly encouraged to support the match. Full members 

should check details of seating arrangements and the reserved seat ballot in 

the information sheet accompanying their recent renewal notice mailing. 

Please note that for the first time Full members may register for the ballot 

online this year. 

Restricted members normally are ineligible to attend the Grand Final. 

However, if the Reserve appears likely to be at less than capacity, a limited 

number of entry tickets may be sold either in the week leading up to the Grand 

Final or on the morning of the match. Updates on this situation will appear on 

the MCC website and in the weekly information column. 

The club has again decided on a split of approximately 55 per cent reserved 

seats and 45 per cent walk-up seats for the Grand Final. This will allow about 

12,000 pre-purchased reserved seats to be allocated to successful applicants in a 

random computer ballot. The seats remaining are for walk-up members on the 

big day when gates open at 8.00am. 

Early Finals 

The Reserve will operate as per the home and away season during the first three 

weeks of the AFL finals series, with the majority of the Reserve’s seating 

available on a walk-up basis. 

Visitor Tickets 

The number of visitor tickets available for early finals will depend on the likely 

popularity of each game. Up to four per member may be available. Visitor 

ticket prices had not been finalised at the time of publication. 

Tickets will go on sale on the Monday preceding the weekend’s game/s and 

will be available from the Membership Services Office (9am–5pm, Mon–Fri), 

through Ticketmaster (1300 651 220, www.ticketmaster.com.au or at any 

outlet) or, subject to availability, at the members’ entrance on match days. 

Dining 

The Members Dining Room will be available for members during the finals 

series, although there will be a ballot for spaces for all finals matches. 

Registrations for the ballot will be taken via the website (www.mcc.org.au) or 

phone (9284 2300) from 9.00am to 5.00pm on the Monday preceding the 

particular match/es. 

At the latest, members will be advised of the ballot outcome by the close of 

business on the Wednesday before the match. Members are only entitled to one 

registration in the ballot. Duplicate registrations will be excluded. 

A reserved seat on Level 2 is part of the Members Dining Room package 

during the early finals but this does not apply for the Grand Final. All other 

Members Dining Room conditions that existed during the home and away 

season will apply during the finals. 

membership 

renewals 

There are still a number of candidates or 

existing members who have yet to take 

up or renew their membership for the 

2006/07 season. Final reminder notices 

have been issued, advising they have 

until August 31, 2007 to make payment 

or be removed from the membership list. 

Existing financial members for the 

2006/07 season should already have 

received their renewal notice for the 

coming season, which commences on 

September 1, 2007. 

Payment of subscription renewals are 

due from September 1, 2007 and those 

wishing to attend Round 22 and finals 

matches must pay their subscription at 

least two business days in advance for 

their membership card to be valid at the 

turnstiles. 

2007/08 

MEMBER 

INTAKE 

At its meeting on July 17, 2007 

the Committee elected to 

Full membership candidates 

on the waiting list nominated 

from August 1, 1987 to 

January 31, 1988. 

Those nominated prior to 

October 1, 1994 and who turn 

15 before September 1, 2007 

were elected to Restricted Junior 

membership. These candidates 

were previously eligible for 

membership based on their 

nomination date but were too 

young under the club rules to be 

offered membership at the time. 

Due to the large number 

of candidates in this situation, 

the club will not be advancing 

the waiting list for Restricted 

membership this year. 

Candidates wishing to advise 

address changes are asked to do 

so through the website or by fax, 

mail or email. 

MCC CONTACTS 

Mail: PO Box 175, East Melbourne, 8002 Telephone: (03) 9657 8888 Fax: (03) 9650 5682 

Country and interstate: 1300 367 622 (local call fee only) Email: membership@mcc.org.au Web: www.mcc.org.au

August - Melbourne Cricket Club

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