MEMBERS ON SPORTING STAGE - Melbourne Cricket Club

CLUB NEWS
THOMPSON, OPAS
DEPART MCG SCENE
We lost two fi ne friends of the
club and the ground with the
recent passing of Lindsay
Thompson and Phil Opas.
A former Premier and long-time
Education Minister, Mr Thompson
was an MCG trustee for 32 years and
chairman for 12 years until 1999. While
he was not a member of the MCC, he
was a great clubman, recognising the
MCC’s role as part of a unique triangular
arrangement with the government of
the day and the MCG Trust in managing
and maintaining the People’s Ground.
Current trustee and MCC Honorary
Life Member John Cain recalled Lindsay
Thompson’s commitment to the ground.
“The interests of the public were
The MCC Foundation has
continued the club’s longstanding
support of junior sport
through its links with AFL Victoria’s ‘G
Footy initiative. This program aims to
promote and develop the game in
secondary schools across Victoria and the
MCC is chief sponsor of both the MCC
Herald Sun Shield and VSSSA State
Championships.
On August 2, the AFL Victoria MCC
VSSSA State Championship fi nal was
6 MCC NEWS
DECEMBER 2008
always uppermost in Lindsay’s mind,” he
said. “He appreciated how people from all
sides of politics had worked together for
many years to create a culture that, I
think, refl ected the public’s expectations
of how the MCG should be run.”
Phil Opas QC, a 50-year member, was
a remarkable man. He served with
distinction in World War II and later
represented his country in war-torn
Europe, recruiting skilled workers as
migrants. As a youngster he was a good
footballer, cricketer and athlete and in
1956 managed the athletics competition at
the Melbourne Olympics.
He was admitted to the Bar in 1942 and
most famously represented Ronald Ryan,
the last man hanged in Victoria (1967).
STRONG SUPPORT
FOR JUNIOR FOOTY
played as a curtain-raiser to the
Essendon-Melbourne match.
In a high-standard contest, Box Hill
Secondary College turned around
a 29-point half time defi cit against
Ballarat High School to take out their
second consecutive state championship
and sixth overall.
The MCC Herald Sun Shield was a
tough contest between Assumption
College and Essendon Keilor College,
played prior to the Melbourne-West
Lindsay Thompson (right) with honorary
librarian Rex Harcourt and Tony Charlton
at an MCC function in 1987.
Dr Opas protested Ryan’s innocence
to the end and, 40 years on, would
recite – at the drop of a hat – details of
bullet projections and so on,
enthusiastically putting his case to
anyone who’d listen.
Those lucky enough to be seated on
an Opas table were privileged indeed.
At 90, he attended last year’s
preliminary fi nal and the grand fi nal
won by his beloved Cats and returned
yet again to the MCG for the fi rst two
days of the Boxing Day Test.
Coast clash on August 16. Essendon
Keilor led by 27 points heading into the
main break. However, Assumption
College capitalised on their opposition’s
wayward goalkicking to fi ght back and
record a nail-biting six-point victory and
tenth title.
MCC president David Meiklejohn
(above) and MCC committeeman
Stephen Spargo (top) represented the
club and presented the trophies to the
winning teams.