our great sporting moments remembered - Melbourne Cricket Club

CLUB NEWSMANY TREASURES AWAITVISITORS TO THE NSMWhen the ABC’s Gerard Whateley was engaged to compere the club’s footy season launch luncheonin March, he was asked, inter alia, to mention the National Sports Museum’s recent opening in hisintroductory spiel. There was no specific brief to plug the NSM, but this thoroughly researched, gunbroadcaster astounded his audience with an erudite, emotive report on a visit to the new museum thatno advertising copywriter could hope to match.Gerard’s address is reproduced in the expectation that it might stir members to experience perhaps thefinest sports museum in the world, right here at the MCG.The MCG stands as a tonic to themodern obsession with the hereand-now.This is a place thatknows its history, surely as well as anysporting venue in the world.You’ll know this to be true when youtake a tour through the National SportsMuseum.Sport has an ever-growing capacity todisappoint. Or at least there is an intensefocus on the shortcomings. If you need areminder of why sport matters or whyyou love sport, take the time.Every corner heaves with treasure,trinkets encapsulating the mighty deedsof the past. Photos, words, uniforms,paraphernalia to draw images to themind of moments you’ve witnessed orread about or had recounted to you.There are the banner acts. EdwinFlack’s olive branches. The suits ofFreeman and Thorpe. The 1956 medalsof Betty Cuthbert.But your eye might just as easily becaught by the less grandiose. They’lltouch you. And you mightn’t be certainwhy. Chances are they’ll be different foreveryone.There’s John Konrads’ baggyswimming trunks worn in his 1500mgold medal swim at the Rome Olympics.You’ll look and wonder how on earththey stayed on.Beside them, from 32 years on, areDuncan Armstrong’s Speedos and you’llwonder how on earth he could even getthem on.There’s Shane Gould’s terry towellingrobe – her uniform from 1972 in12 MCC NEWS JULY 2008