Cricket Family Respite was established in 2007 when former Australian cricket team chaplain Mark Tronson consulted with cricket luminary Allan Border as to a suitable name for the expansion of the respite facilities from Australian Institute of Sport elites athletes to also include the cricket fraternity.
Well-Being Australia chairman Mark Tronson had served as the Australian cricket team chaplain for 17 years and in 2001 moved sideways to establish Life After Cricket as Mark Tronson and the Reverend Barry Sutton the then Victorian Sheffield Shield Cricket team chaplain met with both the Australian Cricket Board (now Cricket Australia) and the Australian Cricketers Association.
Since November 2000 this bi-annual retired cricketers newsletter has been published and distributed by the States, by either hard mail or email. The editorial team is Allan Border, Greg Chappell, Kim Hughes, David Boon, NSW and VIC Cricket with Phil Emery and Jason Bakker and Sean Graft.
Newsletter's Focus
It's focus changed in its 23rd issue last November to that of cricketer respite by featuring the Well-Being Australia respite facilities. Each issue would centre on one of the three facilities (Moruya, Tweed and Laguna Quays) and last November it was Laguna Quays.
This 24th issue 30 March 2012 it features Basil Sellers Tweed which is located within the Surfing Australia High Performance Centre at Casurina on the tweed coast, a few minutes south of Tweed Heads.
Basil Sellers Tweed was opened in 2006 for the SE Qld AIS Sport unit coaches and athletes along with those Canberra based athletes that sought respite on the Gold Coast.
Tweed Respite
This issue of the Retired Australian Cricketers Bi-Annual Newsletter features the Tweed respite facility with four photographs, one are the AIS Diving Coaches on respite, another the AIS Basketball coach and his family from Canberra, the third, Mr Basil Sellers AM at the facility and the fourth, Reverend Dr Russell Hinds the respite chaplain, the Surfing HPC manager James Eggington and Mark Tronson.
Mark Tronson explained that cricketers are in the forefront of pressure at every angle, from home, sport and coaches, investment opportunities, personal managers and the media. Cricket Family Respite provides one form of release.
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