Cricket Centennial Glass 1988, Sydney
The 34th edition of the Retired Australian Cricketers Bi-Annual Newsletter released 30 March illustrates the value of Respite for the cricket family. Cricketer respite has become a cricket policy with a fresh appreciation and approach toward future cricketer generations.
There has been considerable experimentation in recent years as to how best to handle such an on-field situation as cricketers do get worn out, they can become prone to career affecting injury, cricketer families have dad away a great deal, and at the same time, there is a better recognition now that cricketers want to play cricket.
Cricket is the primary focus of cricketer’s activity. But career, future employment prospects (coaching, umpiring, management, media, business, cricket tourism), and therefore, every endeavour is to ensure these avenues remain open to them.
Recent cricket news with changes to the Australian Test XII illustrate how pertinent Cricket itself and our Life After Cricket ministry ponder on such respite issues.
The kind of Respite that we provide through Well-Being Australia is based on how we provided it for elite athletes from the Australian Institute of Sport since 1992, and that is a break 'away' from the concrete edifices of modern sport. For 14 years we served these athletes at Basil Sellers House in Moruya (NSW south coast) and since 2006 at Basil Sellers Tweed (Tweed Heads).
North Mackay Cricket Academy with Dr Mark Tronson
Published twice a year
The Retired Australian Cricketers Bi-Annual Newsletter is published 30 November and 30 March each years and was initiated in November 2000 after my 17 years as the Australian cricket team chaplain. I moved sideways to establish Life After Cricket.
The editorial team continues to be Allan Border, Greg Chappell, David Boon, Kim Hughes, NSW and VIC 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.
Five years ago the format changed. It was initiated as a page of cricket news, and the reverse, my Chaplain's Chat, with an occasional guest writer such as the retired Victorian cricket chaplain Barrie Sutton and the AIS chaplain Peter Nelson.
Merv Hughes with team chaplain Dr Mark Tronson way back in 1987
Cricket family respite
It is part of Well-Being Australia's “Cricket Family Respite” which in turn is part of the Life After Cricket program. In 2007 I consulted cricket stalwart 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 “name 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 in Moruya, Timeout in the Tweed, at Laguna Quays (Whitsundays) and as available Timeout in Moruya.
This issue is a colourful newsletter of the Laguna Quays Respite cottage (beach house) supported by Mr Basil Sellers AM.
Delma Tronson with the Blind Cricketers
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 http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/mark-tronson.html