|PIC1|Through his vision, backed up by his theological and practical intuition, Mark Tronson was able to build a sustainable structure for the Sports and Leisure Ministry. He had the ability to seek out those key people in Sports administrations who saw the benefit of chaplaincy while the chaplains appreciated Mark's wisdom and heart.
Delma Tronson commented, "Mark's monthly newsletter to the chaplains and our financial supporters was one hallmark of his 'relationship' skills. He was always on the phone, and away from his young children much more than we would have liked. Although people were generous with 'faith' monies given to us personally, we used only a portion of this, redirecting the rest to help the ministry and many chaplains' expenses.
"Mark was tireless in building good relationships with the Sports (coaches and administrators) and Heads of Churches released us to a less stressful ministry after eighteen years." [Since 2000 as chairman of Well-Being Australia his ministry centres on athlete respite].
He has decided to re-tell some of his experiences of those remarkably heady years of development, for a wider audience, although he notes they are recorded in his 1994 book 'No Orchestra, No Trumpet' (now out of print).
M V Tronson was invited to Hong Kong in 1982 for an international congress on sports mission where his vision to develop a ministry to Australia's professional sports gathered momentum. The trip was endorsed by both the Baptist Churches of New South Wales and the InterChurch Trade and Industry Mission (ITIM) for which he was a part-time industrial padre at Shell Australia in Sydney.
That initial period after Hong Kong was devoted to establishing a theological foundational for such a Mission to professional sport along with meeting with Heads of Churches in order to base such a ministry under their umbrella.
In 1984 Mark and Delma Tronson moved from parish based ministry into 'faith finance ministry' so as to develop the Sports and Leisure Ministry, a term coined by ITIM director the Reverend Kenneth L McDowell. That first year involved meeting with professional sport administrators with a theologically sound marketing strategy and then a US sports ministry study tour including the LA Olympics.
It was only years later, that M V Tronson discovered the reason for Cricket's smooth acceptance of chaplaincy. The clue came in the late 1990s, when Denis Rogers, chairman of the Australian Cricket Board (ACB), would introduce him as "Cricket's industrial chaplain".
The original letter setting out cricket chaplaincy was on InterChurch Trade and Industry Mission (ITIM) letterhead as this was the original mission through which Mark Tronson established the sports ministry. Denis Rogers, the Tasmanian representative on the ACB and associated with Hobart Baptist Church, was conversant with this chaplaincy model and translated it to the sporting arena.
"The 1984 ACB letter adopting chaplaincy spoke of the value of chaplaincy, that I was recognised as the cricket chaplain and that its careful development was in my hands," M V Tronson noted.
ACB Chairman at this time, the late Fred Bennett from Sydney, was an inspiration to the Sports and Leisure Ministry. He had a lunch meeting with Mark Tronson and Reverend Roger Reid and Dr Ken Manley, and pledged his support for any publicity we might engender for the chaplaincy. As an aside, he noted the chaplain would be paid the same as the chairman (which is itself a honorary role!)
Mr Bennett suggested that another good supporter of the cricket ministry was fellow ACB board member from Sydney, Mr Allan Crompton (who subsequently followed Fred Bennett in the chairman's role). Indeed he was, and he was active in addressing sports chaplains' functions and attending national chaplains' dinners.
"It was he who invited me to the Cricket Centennial Dinner and placed me with Mr Basil Sellers, who in turn financially supported the athlete respite centres and our family faith living, all of which can be read in Mr Basil Sellers' book, 'From India with Love'," M V Tronson explained.
"Delma my wife said the secret of my cricket ministry was that I was there without fail. I developed a formula of travelling four times each summer with the team to the training sessions. I was present on the first day of play, and was always available for home pastoral visits and all year round pastoral care, all around the nation," M V Tronson noted.
In those early years, Mark Tronson appointed chaplains to each Sheffield Shield State Team, with those initial early '80s chaplains setting up their ministries in such a way that those who followed settled in very smoothly. Barrie Sutton (Victoria), Barry Ryall (Western Australia), Russell Hinds (Qld) and Greg Shaw (South Australia) played crucial roles in this.
Over a seventeen year period, to the end of 2000, he saw five generational changes of cricketers in the Australian team. When he moved sideways to his ministry 'Life After Cricket in 2001', it was a natural extension of his relationship with retired cricketers. For example, the editorial team of his bi-annual newsletter for retired cricketers (18th edition comes out on 30 March 2009) consists of Allan Border, Phil Emery, Jason Bakker, David Boon, Greg Chappell and Kim Hughes.
The cricket ministry is not just for retirees. Well-Being Australia has an active program for up-and-coming and current cricketers, which encompases the AIS Cricket Centres of Excellence in SE Queensland. The latest developments include the annual Festival of Cricket initiated in 2005 where Delma and I are the chaplains, the visits to the AIS men's and women's cricket squads which include talks on the value of 'respite'.
"In 2007 we initiated 'Cricket Family Respite' which incorporates the Basil Sellers Tweed respite facility for use by the cricket fraternity," M V Tronson said. "After discussion, Allan Border and I decided this was an apt name for the ministry."