The editorial team over these 25 editions continues to be Allan Border, Greg Chappell, David Boon, Kim Hughes, NSW and CIC Cricket representatives, with me as the cricket chaplain as publisher. Each State posts out the newsletter to their own retired Australian cricketers and current Australian cricketers and an e-vision is sent for those with email.
Three issues ago the format changed. 25 years ago it was initiated as a one A4 page flyer, the front page was cricket news, and the reverse side my Chaplain's Chat, with an occasional guest writer such as the ten Victorian cricket chaplain Barrie Sutton and the AIS chaplain Peter Nelson.
After 22 issues it altered focus on Well-Being Australia's "Cricket Family Respite" which is part of the Life After Cricket program. In 2007 I consulted Allan Border to widen the Respite ministry from the AIS athletes and coaches to include the cricket fraternity. Together we came up with the phrase Cricket Family Respite. We kicked around a few ideas until this one gelled.
There was so much cricket news available across the breadth of media it seemed that this newsletter needed a fresh approach and therefore refocused itself to the respite ministry and the three available respite facilities.
Well-Being Australia provides Respite to Australian Institute of Sport athletes and coaches in three facilities sponsored by Mr Basil Sellers AM: Timeout in Moruya, Timeout in the Tweed and the third, at Laguna Quays (Whitsundays).
Last issue, the 24th, focused on the cricket fraternity and their families being invited to Basil Sellers Tweed which is a Resort Unit in the Surfing Australia High Performance Centre and the Mainwaring Resort, a combined project sponsored by the Australian Sports Commission.
This 25th issue, the focus is on inviting the cricket fraternity and their families to make use of the Laguna Quays Respite cottage which is located on the Whitsundays mainland along the shores of Repulse Bay.
The colourful retired cricketers bi-annual newsletter hosts a number of bright photographs illustrating the nature of respite in the quiet surrounds of Laguna Quays and Midge Point, what is known as the Carlisle Coast.
Dr Mark Tronson is a Baptist minister (retired) who served as the Australian cricket team chaplain for 17 years (2000 ret) and established Life After Cricket in 2001. He was recognised by the Olympic Ministry Medal in 2009 presented by Carl Lewis Olympian of the Century. He has written 24 books, and enjoys writing. He is married to Delma, with four adult children and grand-children.
Mark Tronson's archive of articles can be viewed at www.pressserviceinternational.org/mark-tronson.html