MEMBERS ON SPORTING STAGE - Melbourne Cricket Club

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MEMBER PROFILE 8 MCC NEWS There’s no forgetting THE WARDILLS Tracey Wardill’s connection to the Melbourne Cricket Club runs much deeper than most. Not only has her family rendered exceptional service both on and off the fi eld since the 1860s, but this eminent neuropsychologist also is a committee member of the Women of the MCC group, and she loves it. “It’s a connection that I really enjoy”, says Tracey, adding that the club “is in my blood”. She says the ladies’ group is a great success, not least because it gives women the opportunity to enjoy the club’s facilities with or without a partner. Apart from the (almost traditional) breakfast on day two of the Boxing Day Test, the Women of the MCC group has run functions dedicated to wine and football and, most recently, sport generally. Catherine Freeman was their special guest at a Long Room luncheon in October. The Wardills are indeed legends of the Melbourne Cricket Club. Tracey’s great grandfather Dick was Victoria’s leading batsman in the early days and scored the fi rst century in Australian fi rst-class DECEMBER 2008 cricket. He also was secretary of the club from 1860-63. His brother, the fl amboyant Major Ben Wardill, was secretary for a remarkable 32 years from 1879. Dick’s son Richard captained Melbourne to their fi rst VFL fl ag in 1900 and his son David, who served with the RAAF in World War II, played in the famous Stalag Luft IV “Test” between Australian and English prisoners. David was the family’s great collector of memorabilia and his daughter Tracey and son Jonathon have continued the line. You can see some of the family gems in the MCC Museum. Tracey’s calling has particular relevance to a large section of the community. For more than 20 years she has worked as a clinical neuropsychologist, specialising in the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementias. She has researched the impact of ageing on memory and thinking, conducting the largest study of its kind in Australia to determine that memory loss is not an automatic part of the ageing process. Earlier this year she received a Churchill Fellowship to study a younger onset form of dementia that impacts on the 45-65 age group, and the devastating effect this illness has on families. This “dementia of the young”, clinically known as fronto-temporal dementia (FTD), is diffi cult to diagnose, often being confused with depression, bipolar disorder and Alzheimer’s. Tracey has experienced some bizarre behavioural shifts in patients with FTD. A gourmet chef started cooking “meat and two veg” for her family every night and one chap started drinking expensive bottles of wine at two o’clock in the morning. The Churchill Fellowship gives Tracey the opportunity to travel to the UK and the US to visit dementia clinics involved in the diagnosis and management of FTD. She is a prime mover in the Eastern Cognitive Disorders Clinic at Box Hill Hospital, a part of the public health system which specialises in FTD diagnosis. The current aim is to maximise the number of patients seen with this disorder. “The more we see, the better we get at it,” is the rationale.
GRAND RECEPTION FOR NEW MUSEUM An exit poll satisfaction rating of almost 100 per cent and a doubling of MCG visitation confi rm that the National Sports Museum is off to a fl ying start. Occupying a large space beneath the Olympic Stand, the NSM has added a signifi cant new dimension to MCG operations and has been an important new string to the bow of the Victorian tourism industry since opening in March. A recent comprehensive survey of visitors was full of positives. More than 80 per cent thought the experience was good value for money – a very high rating for any attraction – while museum staff received a 99 per cent tick for their attentiveness. In this case, “staff” would mostly refer to our band of NSM volunteers. Coupled with MCC guides and library volunteers, these willing helpers now number 400-plus and PEOPLE, MATERIAL WALK IN ON CUE There has been no shortage of special visitors to the National Sports Museum since it opened in March. After all, there’s much to see, many sports are featured and the support of athletes and organisations has been both generous and appreciated. The Beijing Olympians are strongly represented and one of the fi rst to oblige our collections team was Jared Tallent. You’d walk a long way to fi nd a nicer chap and a more modest champion than Jared. This young man from Ballarat has also been walking a long way – long enough to claim bronze and silver medals in the 20km and 50km walk respectively at Beijing, thus becoming the fi rst Australian male athlete to win two track and fi eld medals at the same Olympic Games for more than a century. An Australian Institute of Sport graduate, Jared, 24, has loaned the museum the gear he wore in gruelling heat at the Games, shortly after which he tied the knot with Claire at (where else but) Walkerville in suburban Adelaide. Senior members may recall Dolly Lindrum, whose billiards and snooker parlour in Flinders Lane was a Melbourne institution. Dolly, 86 and sharp as a tack, is a niece of the great Walter and was raised by him in the Albert Park family home after her mother died at childbirth. The Lindrum story is a fascinating tale of the family’s freakish ability to pass on their unique cue skills from generation to generation. As is legend, Walter was so good that they changed the rules to give his opponents a chance to beat him. His nephew Horace was also a champion, winning the world snooker championship in 1952 and dominating the sport for more than 30 years. Dolly says the visit to the museum Australian basketball legend Lindsay Gaze addresses schoolchildren during the National Sports Museum’s “Meet an Olympian” program in July. recruitment is ongoing. The Olympic Exhibition was most popular with visitors although, as museums general manager Gerry Kerlin noted, it’s an Olympic year and favourites will tend to be seasonal. “Coming into summer, we’re fi nding the Baggy Green exhibition and the Shane Warne Pepper’s Ghost feature are very popular, and our various football displays are sure to boom next season,” said Gerry. “We’re very pleased with the results of the survey but there’s still much to do. In April we’ll be opening a temporary exhibition space for Rugby League’s centenary celebrations and we plan to schedule three or four such exhibitions annually to encourage return visitation.” Meantime, we’ll ponder the views of those surveyed on what additional sports, if any, they’d like to see represented. The chequered fl ag went to motor racing. Top: Dolly Lindrum admires footage of Uncle Walter in the NSM. Above: Museums general manager Gerry Kerlin accepts material from dual Olympics medallist Jared Tallent. was a real eye-opener for her. “I couldn’t begin to imagine what I’ve seen here today. “It’s just marvellous and I won’t stop talking about it.” DECEMBER 2008 MCC NEWS 9
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: MCG AGAIN THE STAGE FOR SOCCEROOS
Page 11 and 12: HIRD, WARNE STILL STARRING AT THE M
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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