A sculpture! My acceptance speech.
Good morning everyone.
I would like to acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the traditional custodians of this land and pay my respects to the Elders both past and present.
Some important guests for me to recognise:
Premier Perottet, Premier NSW
Dame Quentin Bryce AC
Venues NSW and the SCG - Tony Shepherd (Chair) and Kerrie Mather (CEO)
Cricket Australia - Lachlan Henderson (Chair) and Nick Hockley (CEO)
Todd Greenburg, CEO ACA.
Lee Germon and Christina Matthews, CEOs of CNSW and WACA respectively
Distinguished guests, family, friends and cricket lovers
What an honour and a privilege to be here today to unveil a sculpture that I believe represents and recognises the many women and girls who play cricket in this country.
It’s somewhat strange to see a bronzed life size replica of yourself in full flight, and it is equal parts exciting and humbling.
A big thank you to Dame Quentin Bryce for her wonderful contribution today and for the inspiration she continues to provide Australians, including me.
Sometimes you are lucky to come across amazing people in your life. I have had a lot of this luck over many years, and I will thank some of those people today. But what a treat to have Quentin in your corner. It’s a real honour to know you and call you a friend. Thank you.
I would like to thank Venues NSW and the SCG, Tony Shepherd, Kerrie Mather and the Board. This initiative is supported by a number of benefactors who I would like to acknowledge – two of whom are here today - in Maurice Newman and Tony Shepherd.
Importantly I would like to recognise Basil Sellers and Rodney Cavalier for their role in the SCG Sculpture Project. Basil has been a generous supporter of cricket over a long time.
The SCG has created a place in history today. I understand there are many who have been involved in the decision to advocate for and now deliver the first bronzed cricketer who is female.
It takes significant and sustained effort to bring these things to life. Thank you to each and every one of you involved. In addition to Venues NSW and the SCG, thank you to Cricket Australia, ACA, State and Territory Associations and the thousands of cricket clubs for their continued work to create symbols and opportunities that reflect a game that is open to everyone.
It’s wonderful that both Sydney Cricket Club and Dandenong CC who were my main Premier Clubs in Sydney and then Melbourne are represented today by Neil Maxwell and Kelly Applebee.
We should not underestimate the positive impact of having courageous women in ones eyeline. I am fortunate to have a number of role models who broke convention, created their own path and made me think anything was possible.
Dame Quentin Bryce, Rina Hore, Marg Jennings, Ann Mitchell, and my mum who unfortunately only saw the beginnings of my international career but who’s impact, along with my Dad, was critical.
I believe it’s possible to be bold if you can convince yourself you have a safety net of some description to catch you after mis-steps.. My parents built me a safety net based on solid values and unconditional love.
I was fortunate to play in an era with a group of talented, focussed and ambitious players. Together we played some good cricket, we won together, we lost together, we had a lot of fun together. It’s great that some of you can share in this moment today – Christina, Alex, Julia, Mel, Lisa and Kelly and the players that followed in Leah, Alyssa and Rachael.
Our lives were punctuated by cricket tours. Every single person arranged their life around these touring opportunities and as each playing career came to an end, many found a way to continue to contribute to the game. It is this last part that makes me most proud. I feel fortunate to have been their Captain.
A special mention to Christina Matthews who guided, challenged, and supported me throughout my career. Her influence on the sport more broadly has been enormous and continues. It is also appropriate to call out John Harmer who as a Coach had a profound impact on me as a player, captain and person.
There are many others who have generously helped and supported me along the way. Some from an on-field perspective and others helping me juggle a professional career and a cricket career. That juggling act was not always easy, but it was well worth it. There are way too many to name them all but Janine Stainer, James Sutherland, Steph Beltrame, Ross Turner, Pat Howard, Michael Brown were all great support.
I would like to pay tribute to the clever artist Cathy Weiszmann. Cathy has been fun to work with and each time we met to see the progress and talk about the sculpture, I was awestruck by her creative genius and attention to detail. In fact, at one point Cathy informed me that she was checking the sculpture after it had been at the foundry and she had noticed a spike missing. This was addressed and rectified – so please take the time to check out the spikes! With Henry Mulholland by Cathy’s side they are quite a dynamic duo. Thank you.
I just want to talk briefly about the actual scuplture. There are 3 things that I believe it represents:
Firstly, have a go. It takes courage to follow your passions and dreams, particularly if they are unconventional. This sculpture is bold and attacking, and I believe in approaching sport and life this way.
Secondly, ensure you have a strong platform to live your life. Get the basics right. Be clear on who you are and what is important to you so that you can be confident, grow through the challenges, and ultimately make a contribution to society. In batting terms, make sure you have a solid base.
And thirdly, play your part and pass it on. This scuplture is at a moment in time. It’s important to recognise and be grateful for the people who have come before and created the opportunities enjoyed by the next generation. This goes all the way back to the Gregory sisters who started it all at this very ground back in 1886 and all the way forward to today where I believe the Australian women’s team is an outstanding outfit who continue to do their bit to inspire boys and girls.
My wish is that you can see these 3 elements in the scuplture.
Who would have thought a small sports mad girl from Newcastle, primarily a tennis player who thought her cricket skills would only ever reach the heights of the backyard and the school nets, would one day have a chance to not only play on this iconic ground for both NSW and Australia but be recognised with an amazing scuplture. It’s a story that reinforces that if you can find what you love doing, then opportunities find you.
Finally, I would like to thank my family for their love and support and for being here today. My dad can’t be here, but at 92 and living in Brisbane, he has a good excuse. My late mother’s brother Fred is here with his children and it’s great you could join us.
Thanks to my partner Sally, and my siblings Colin, Sally and Helen who have always been there to encourage and keep me grounded. Your heroes are often close to home, and this has certainly been the case for me.
To my nephews Ben, Max and Angus and niece Sarah – I am very proud of you all and appreciate you all swapping the sports clothes for the good clothes today.
To the extended Clark, Birchall, Bishop, and Bailey clans who made the trip to share in today’s excitement. You mean the world to me.
This Test match holds a special place on all our hearts. The work of Glenn and the McGrath Foundation is amazing and needed. I hope you are all able to support the cause and have a great day today watching the cricket.
Thank you.