Snug went wild
The small town of Snug, south of Hobart, in the beautiful Huon Valley, went wild when homegrown cricketer Beau Webster made a fine debut in the Sydney test. He scored runs, bowled well, and took great slip catches, hitting the winning runs to the roar of the packed crowd. Webster, tall and strongly built, is well and truly in the line of rugged bush cricketers who have adorned the summer game across the generations.
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The recent Australian V India series was one of the most watched in history. A total of 830,000 people came through the gates and Channel 7, Fox, and Kayo recorded massive viewing audiences. On radio, the ABC continued to give great service as it has done since the 1930s. Their service is a boom to people in remote areas and the likes of the long-haul transport drivers right across this vast continent.
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Book early
Next summer sees the iconic Ashes battle resume, and this will again draw huge crowds. Fans are already being urged to get in early when bookings open mid-year. Thousands of English followers are likely to flock here for the series.
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First Nations hero

Victorian pace bowler Scott Boland was a real star of the summer. His ability to land ball after ball on a dinner plate area and move it both ways is now the stuff of legends.
A very humble person, Boland is loved by the Aussie crowds. He has not been treated well by the national selectors and should have played many more tests. Boland is a reminder of another great First Nations speedster Eddie Gilbert.
On November 6, 1931, Queensland’s First Nations fast bowler Eddie Gilbert dismissed Don Bradman for a duck in a spell of bowling the champion batsman rated the fastest he’d ever faced or seen.
With that one ball, the young man from Barambah Aboriginal Settlement earned a place in this nation’s folklore.
To government officials of the time, it was seen as public vindication that the controversial settlement system was working, while for the First Nations people, it was proof that one of their own could compete against the best of white men and win.
Gilbert came up against Bradman on two more occasions, took on Douglas Jardine during the infamous Bodyline Tour, vied for Test selection and was branded a ‘chucker’ by influential whites who did not want Gilbert to reach the heights.

Eddie Gilbert’s life story is a powerful and moving one that transcends cricket.
His experiences both on and off the settlement provide a fascinating insight into Australia and Australians of the time.
There is plenty of anecdotal evidence to suggest he was as fast as any express bowler in history—up there in pace with Lindewall, Larwood, Tyson, Lillee, Thomson, and the rest.
Much has been written about the speed or legality of his bowling, his appalling treatment at the hands of white officialdom, and ultimately his lonely and pitiful death.
He does deserve though to be remembered as an Australian sporting legend.
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War hero honoured

Neville Clark (MC and OAM) was headmaster of Mentone Grammar for more than a decade from the early 90s.
He loved his trips to Assumption with his school’s cricket and footy teams, enjoyed meeting Kilmore people at the scrumptious afternoon teas provided by local ladies in the Anderson Pavilion, and got to know many ACK boys.
When Assumptions teams visited Mentone, Neville was a most gracious host. He was not only a great school man, but he was also a genuine wartime hero, awarded the military cross for bravery under fire in Vietnam.
Now a resident of Hobart with his wonderful wife Lorna, a proud Scot, Neville travelled to Townsville prior to Christmas where he was honoured by the naming of a fine new training facility at Lavarack Barracks.
It will bear the name ‘Neville Clark M.C, OAM’. Neville himself sees this honour as a tribute to the accuracy and endurance of the 106 Gunners throughout the 1967/68 Tour, especially during the Suoi Chau Pha and Bunkers Battles.
This announcement was made before a packed auditorium at the fourth Regiment’s Honours and Awards ceremony on St Barpara’s Day, December 4, 2024.
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Bill McMaster, Cats legend

The last-surviving member of Geelong’s 1951 and 1952 premierships, Cyril ‘Bill’ McMaster OAM, has died aged 94.
McMaster quickly became an established member of the legendary Geelong side that holds the league record for the most consecutive wins—23 across the 1952–53 seasons.
He was also part of the losing 1953 grand final team in one of the club’s most cherished eras.
McMaster was a ‘pioneer of our game’, who the Cats said became football’s first full time recruiting officer in 1973. He held the role until his retirement in 1994.
Bill was a fine person from a highly respected family from the farm fields near Lake Bolac. A person of great faith and strong family values, he was a frequent visitor to Assumption First XVIII games as a Geelong recruiter, and among the ACK players he gave the nod to were Bill Brownless, Tom Lonergan, and the Christensen brothers.
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I hope all readers have a good year in 2025—no doubt a fairly early feature will be the federal election, so we can expect to be bombarded by political news and promises from both sides.
Whatever the outcome, hopefully a major party will win in its own right. It could be a disaster in these troubled times to have a hung parliament relying on a minor party.