MEMBERS ON SPORTING STAGE - Melbourne Cricket Club

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CLUB NEWS At the hall of fame opening were (from top) Bob Skilton, Tom Hafey and Kevin Bartlett, AFL Commission chairman Mike Fitzpatrick with MCC president David Meiklejohn and CEO Stephen Gough, Ron Barassi and Gavin Brown. 10 MCC NEWS DECEMBER 2008 FOOTY HALL OF FAME FINDS HOME The MCG completed a coveted sporting trifecta with the opening in August of the Australian Football Hall of Fame (AFHOF). This magnifi cent new attraction, now housed in the National Sports Museum in the Olympic Stand, joins the Sport Australia Hall of Fame and the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame as key elements of the country’s fi nest repository of sporting heritage. Drawing AFHOF to the home of football was a win-win move for all concerned. This celebration of the game’s champions had been “off campus” since its establishment in 1996. However, there was consensus in recent years between the AFL, the MCC and the MCG Trust that it should be based at the MCG and the advent of the National Sports Museum was the catalyst for its relocation from the CBD. Opening night was a grand occasion, particularly for those who were on the honour roll. As happens in sport, champions of the game were humbled to be in the company of their peers. Rubbing shoulders with legends Nicholls, Barassi, Skilton, Bartlett and Hudson were a host of AFHOF members who had been recognised for their contribution as players, umpires, administrators and media personnel. Guests were welcomed by president David Meiklejohn, who reaffi rmed the stadium’s commitment to preserving sporting history. AFL Commission chairman Mike Fitzpatrick responded on behalf of the league. Hawthorn’s peerless full forward, Peter Hudson, represented his fellow legends at the microphone and spoke impressively of the pride they felt at being recognised formally by football’s governing body. The hall of fame is of two parts. The anteroom is bright and welcoming, with walls festooned with photographs of the inductees. Press a button or two and you’ll fi nd 150-word biographies telling the story of these brilliant performers. By contrast, the legends room is a darker, more reverent space where the material on display is simply sensational, refl ecting a generosity of spirit among the 22 legends and their families. There’s an illuminated address that accompanied the fi rst of Haydn Bunton’s three Brownlows in 1931, Baldock’s guernsey from the Saints’ 1966 premiership triumph, Coleman’s training bag, and you name it. Football’s hall of fame is a must-see addition to the National Sports Museum’s stunning range of attractions. We suggest members treat themselves and guests to an hour or two in the new museum. You’ll fi nd yourself coming back for more.
HIRD, WARNE STILL STARRING AT THE MCG It has been a hectic time for the National Sports Museum since its grand opening in March and there will be no time for a breather now that its latest stunning attractions have been unveiled. Two of Australia’s sporting greats of the modern era, Essendon’s James Hird (on September 3) and spin king Shane Warne (October 27), are the stars of sensational three-dimensional holograms that are fascinating visitors to the MCG. In Off The Bench and Cricket Found Me respectively, Hird and Warne take visitors through many of the highs and lows of their magnifi cent careers. Using the latest in simulated hologram technology, audiences feel as though they’re actually in the room with the subject as he interacts with the set and moves around the space. Standing in front of the bench at the end of the 2007 season and facing retirement, “Sir James” offers a moving account of his NSM PRAISED FROM AFAR Museums general manager Gerry Kerlin was pleased to receive an email commending the National Sports Museum from an overseas member of the MCC, Barry Critchley, a journalist with Toronto’s National Post who visited the NSM in October. “As a fi rst time visitor, I can’t say enough about the National Sports Museum at the MCG. It is simply wonderful,” Barry wrote. “It is easy to get around, the displays are great, there is lots of good information and lots of variety with all the major sports covered. “I especially liked the Olympic Games section and the many gold medal- life as player and captain, including the private turmoil of his baby daughter’s ill health leading up to the 2000 grand fi nal. The virtual Warne talks from the MCG changerooms, where he relives his Test debut, the famous “Gatting ball”, his MCG hat-trick and his 700th Test wicket in the 2006 Boxing Day Test – his last at the MCG. It’s a fabulous presentation. “It’s going to be fantastic for people around the world to come here to the National Sports Museum and have a look at this,” said Warne at his exhibit’s media launch. “As Australians we can be very proud. “I have a very close relationship with the MCG. I’ve been coming here since I was a HOW IT WORKS young kid, watching AFL football and playing cricket for Victoria and Australia, which has been an absolute pleasure.” Technology used in the new permanent attractions draws on a 19th century technique known as Pepper’s Ghost. An illusion is created by vision and light being refracted from a hidden source onto a pane of angled glass, leaving the visitor seeing a semitransparent version of the subject. The technique has been modernised using the latest high-defi nition fi lm and sound technology. Produced in conjunction with media companies Shirley Spectra and Turnstile4, Hird and Warne each spent a day-and-a-half fi lming in a South Melbourne studio many months ago in order to produce the 10 minutes of winning efforts of the Aussies. The James Hird display was also wonderful and I see that similar technology was used by the TV networks in covering the recent US election. “The football section was also great and showed the many highlights of what is a fantastic form of football. There was only one problem: I didn’t have enough time to do it all, which I suppose is not a bad problem to have. I will solve that problem when I am next in Melbourne. “Well done to those involved in making the National Sports Museum such a great memory of my recent trip to Melbourne.” footage that is the fi nal product. Each was required to deliver his script in one take, with no editing. Afterwards, Hird described it as one of the most challenging exercises he has ever undertaken. Warne also acknowledged the diffi culty of the task. “It did take a bit of time and I messed up a lot of lines,” said Warne. “I had to rehearse it and rehearse it and do it again and again. There was a bit of prompting but it was basically off the cuff.” Admission to these superb additions to the National Sports Museum is included in the general admission price. Further information is available at www.nsm.org.au. DECEMBER 2008 MCC NEWS 11
Page 1 and 2: NO. 140 • DECEMBER 2008 • ISSN
Page 3 and 4: As we head towards the end of 2008
Page 5 and 6: OLYMPIC MEDAL HAUL FOR MCC MEMBERS
Page 7 and 8: MCG AGAIN THE STAGE FOR SOCCEROOS
Page 9: GRAND RECEPTION FOR NEW MUSEUM An e
Page 13 and 14: VES UP TO THE HYPE made for another
Page 15 and 16: Picture: James D Smith UNKNOWN AUSS
Page 17 and 18: IT’S YOUR CLUB, SO WHY NOT ENJOY
Page 19 and 20: that held his audience spellbound.
Page 21 and 22: YOUR FUNCTIONS CALENDAR DAY DATE FU
Page 23 and 24: SYDNEY TRIP FOR YOUNG MEMBERS The c

MEMBERS ON SPORTING STAGE - Melbourne Cricket Club

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