Cricket Victoria celebrates 50-Year Volunteers
Cricket Victoria held it’s 50 Year Service Awards on Day Three of the 2018 Boxing Day Test against India. This was the 15th consecutive year of the awards, that look to highlight those who have contributed outstanding service as either a player, coach, official, administrator or volunteer of our great game.
Hosted in the historical Olympic Room, 30 recipients, who were nominated by their peers received a framed certificate signed by Cricket Australia CEO Kevin Roberts and Cricket Victoria CEO Andrew Ingleton to thank them for their contribution and commitment to cricket in Victoria.
Attendees were also treated to star guest speakers. Former Australian cricketers Clea Smith and John Hastings spoke as part of a Q and A, while Minister Martin Pakula spoke about the importance of volunteers within community cricket.
Bill Birch was one of the volunteers acknowledged on the day and has contributed to local cricket for 56 years. Local heroes like Bill are paramount to the success of local cricket and should be appropriately celebrated.
Bill has been a main stay of local cricket at club and association level, beginning with a playing career with St Andrews Gardiner, in the Malvern-Glen Iris area, in 1962/3 in the junior team and finished 40 years later in 2002. For most of those years he was a member of the First XI, playing in three First Grade grand finals, winning in 1983/4. Bill has scored the most runs and taken the most catches (as wicket keeper) than any other St Andrews players in the club’s 100-year history. He had stints as club treasurer, secretary, president, captained the First Eleven, managed junior teams, and is a Life Member.
The Awards are a fantastic opportunity for Victoria Cricket to thank local heroes like Bill, that make community cricket possible.
Cricket Victoria would like to congratulate the 30 volunteers who thoroughly deserve their award for their tireless contribution to cricket for over 50 years:
| John Hill | Ken Dawson | Wavell George McPherson |
| Douglas Neilsen | David Tomlinson | Greg McLeod |
| Howard Donaldson | William (Bill) Meaklim | Graham Francis (Gus) Bull |
| Paul Dillon | Adrian Fisher | Barry Robert Manning |
| Donald Bruce Bienvenu | Les Jason | Keith Lewis Hill |
| Les Quarrell | Robert Russell | Malcolm John (Mick) Kirkpatrick |
| Clarrie Talbot | Ross Teschendorff | Ian John Ewart |
| Ian Good | Arthur Pritchard | Scott Fletcher |
| Albert Mitchell | William (Bill) Birch | John Graham |
| Col Carmody | Raymond Hugh Collins | Rod Browning |
In another opportunity to thank local cricketing heroes, nominations for A Sport For All Awards are still open, closing on January 31.
There are 12 categories that you can nominate your local hero to and we encourage everyone involved in cricket to consider nominating someone who has made an outstanding contribution to the game and inspired, motivated or supported others over the past year. It’s a fantastic way to say thank you and only takes ten minutes!
To nominate someone, please click here.
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