What’s your connection to Brimbank?
I’m a son of Sunshine. I grew up there and still live there with my wife and four children. When someone asks me where my fondest memories are, I always say Brimbank. I’m really proud of it.
What do you like best about the area?
The migrant flavour of the place is something that really stands out. There’s some terrific examples of successful immigration projects in the west. I also think under the administrators Jane Nathan and (John) Watson, the council has been able to focus on community building rather than politics and under John Hedditch last year, we were able to return to democracy and continue that work.
You’ve had a long association with cricket in Brimbank and now on a national scale. How did you come to love the game?
My involvement in sport helped me integrate into the broader community. My parents were migrants. My father didn’t really know the language or the sport of cricket, but all the members of the club embraced our whole family and really nurtured our introduction to the community and the sport.
Brimbank has a high rate of new arrivals. What role do you think cricket can play in this community?
I think cricket clubs are in a powerful position because we’re established. For me it’s really about rolling out the welcome carpet just like I was as a child. It’s on us to continue that legacy. I know that at my club, Sunshine West, this is something we’ve done successfully for a very long time and the club is better off for it. We’ve got people of all different walks of life working together, establishing friendships and improving their cricket skills. The club is a really vibrant place to be.
Women’s cricket is growing rapidly. What is being done to help cater for females wanting to play the game locally?
The girls probably aren’t being catered for as well as the boys are, so we’ve got a bit of catching up to do. There’s a couple of things we can do to help. One has already been done at the elite level, so now we have role models young girls can look up to. But at a local level, clubs can offer programs and opportunities for girls to engage in. Associations can also play a role in establishing opportunities for more females to be able to play.
How would you rate the health of club cricket in Brimbank?
The game holds its own. It ebbs and flows, but overall I’d say it’s pretty healthy. Each week I drive around there’s lots of matches under way on pristine grounds. The quality of a lot of the grounds in the area has improved greatly. We’ve (still) got challenges.
What do you think the biggest challenges facing the game are?
There’s four major challenges as I see it. The first is nurturing and retaining volunteers. The second is upgrading facilities – people are more discerning these days and expect more. Thirdly, we need to engage with multicultural groups and expand our reach. And finally we need to cater to millennials.
