The Wide Brown Land
The name Scott has featured at Assumption across the generations. From a sprawling sheep station on the far north Riverina Belgium Park homestead is surrounded by 75,000 acres. Balranald is the family’s hometown, some 80 kilometers south, it is a wide, brown land of blue skies and an often-pitiless summer sun. The scene and the setting is of the kind made famous by author Mary Grant Bruce in her much-loved Billabong series
Ray Scott and wife Marie are wonderful people – Ray was a very good sportsman — cricket and football – at ACK in the 1960’s. Five sons and latterly grandchildren have attended ACK. All have made their mark at the college.
Ray and Marie’s boys were all good footballers and cricketers at college, and two grandsons are young stars in the SANFL (Adelaide).
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Lance Phillips
Long time Kilmore resident Lance Phillips is a real trooper. A regular at St. Patrick’s Church, he is a kind, well-loved person. His wife Meree passed from this life nearly a decade and a half ago. As a young lady she was an outstanding ballet dancer who appeared with leading companies in Australia and New Zealand. Lance and Meree were engaged when Lance was 24 and were apart for long months of the engagement period as Meree was on tour.
Lance, a fit guy in his early nineties, attended the renowned Parade College in Bundoora. He was a fine student and footballer there. To this day, he meets up once a month with about 70 former Parade students, one of whom was a Brownlow winner and Victorian Cricketer Peter Bedford. The latter was guest speaker at the recent meeting at the RACV in the city. John Gats, an ACK sporting legend, has been a highly regarded teacher at Parade.
Lance was a very fine schoolboy footballer and was approached by Carlton and Essendon but, as he had lost both parents when very young, he offered to stay and play with his Catholic Young Men’s Society footy mates, who were always there for him.
Meree Phillips was for some years a highly regarded employee at Assumption. Lance and the wife raised a fine, devoted family, members of whom are now based in Queensland, West Australia and Victoria (Avenel).
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Well Done, Adam
Congratulations to Kilmore FC Under 19s on another premiership victory. Good for you, Adam Goudge at the helm as coach.
Adam was a fine schoolboy footballer and later gave outstanding service to Kilmore and for a time clubs in northern Victoria.
Gareth Sharp, who coached and played cricket for Broadford the last few years has just completed his second season in the Hampshire league (UK). He had another good run tally including three centuries with a top score of 160. He has returned home to Seymour, and this coming summer will play for Mernda in the Diamond Valley League.
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Marist Girls
Assumption will host the first national girls’ Cricket Carnival in early December. Teams from Victoria and interstate will compete. The Marist Colleges across the nation have played for the Stan McCabe shield in boys’ cricket for many years. McCabe, a Marist boy, was one of Australia’s greatest ever batmen. His epic 187 against England’s bodyline attack in Sydney in 1932 was followed by a similar score of Johannesburg in 1936 against South Africa and of Trent Bridge in 1938 his 232 versus England was described by Don Bradman as “probably the finest innings I have ever seen”.
