SIR RODEN CUTLER AWARD – FINALISTS

In recognition of their determination and sheer inspiration, five of Australia’s most outstanding athletes with a disability, including Paralympic and Invictus Games medallists, have been named as finalists in The Primary Club of Australia’s 2018/19 Sir Roden Cutler Award.

Among the finalists are Madison de Rozario, three-time gold medallist in wheelchair track and field, and Joany Badenhorst, the first and only female Paralympian to represent Australia in Boardercross.

Also included as finalists are Cristine Suffolk, middle and long distance runner, Damien Thomlinson, Afghanistan war veteran and snowboard Paralympian, and Curtis McGrath, an eight-time World Championship gold medallist in para-canoeing.

The winner, to be announced at the Baggy Green Awards Dinner at NSW Parliament House on 15th November, will receive a $20,000 grant for sporting and recreational equipment to be given to an organisation he/she chooses which reflects the Club’s charter. In addition, each finalist will receive a grant of $2,000 for a charity of his/her choice that supports people with disabilities.

CURRENT YEAR PRIMARIES? ONLY FIVE SO FAR!

Primary Club Members donate $10 to charity every time an Aussie cricketer suffers the indignity of scoring a primary in an international fixture.

Since 1 June 2018, there have only been five such events.

• Chris Lynn in the ODI vs South Africa at Hobart on 11th November: Ct De Kock B Steyne
• Mitchell Starc in the same innings: Ct & B Rabada
• Nathan Coulter-Nile in the T20 vs Pakistan at Dubai on 29th October: Run out.
• Nicole Bolton in the ODI vs Pakistan at Kuala Lumpur on 22nd October: LBW Sana Mir.
• Kane Richardson in the T20 vs England at Birmingham on 27th June: Ct Hales B Jordon.

GRANTS MADE IN 2017/18

The Board of the Primary Club of Australia is pleased to advise $357k in grants were paid or committed to the following organisations, consistent with our charter to provide sporting and recreational facilities to people with a disability.  (All in NSW unless advised otherwise.)

• Aspect School, Central Coast – playground
• Balmain Para Rowers – double scull
• Blind Cricket NSW – marquee
• Civic Disability Services, Wattle Grove – wheelchairs
• Disabled Surfers – surf wheelchairs, hypothermia rugs
• Disabled Winter Sports – bluetooth guide
• Coogee Minnows – surfboards
• Riding for Disabled, Box Hill – ramp
• Sargood on Collaroy – gym equipment
• Sporting Wheelies QLD – rugby wheelchairs
• St Andrews Public School, Southwestern Sydney – playground
• Studio ARTES, Hornsby – touch screen, loom, music instruments
• Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick – supine bike
• The Ponds School, Southwestern Sydney – climbing nets
• Towradgi Public School, Illawarra – specialised play/therapy areas
• Trytons Cricket, Randwick – cricket equipment
• Wheelchair Sports – all sports wheelchairs

2017-18 ANNUAL REPORT NOW AVAILABLE

Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting will be held at the Queen Street Lounge, Woollahra Hotel, 116 Queen Street, Woollahra, on Wednesday 24th October, commencing at 6pm.  Please advise Anja on (02) 9980-2525 if you can attend or are an apology.

Annual Report 2017-2018

The Primary Club of Australia Annual Report 2017/18 is now available to download.

Click here to download the Annual Report (mid res): Annual Report 2017-18

 

Note: the audited version of the financial results will be available at the AGM.

 

 

TOUR TO KENYA, JUNE 2018

The Primary Club of Australia squad of 14 cricketers and 26 supporters recently visited Kenya, playing a total of 7 matches.  Highlights of the tour included visits to two major game parks – the Ol Pejeta Conservancy to the north of Nairobi and the Maasai Mara to the west.

While at Ol Pejeta, we played three games in the ‘Last Male Standing Rhino Cup’, a tournament with other teams from the UK, South Africa, Mauritius and locally.  Now in its fourth year, this tournament raises funds for the Conservancy and its Rhino campaign and for the East Africa Cricket Foundation.  The latter is a coaching program dedicated to cultural and character development in schools for underprivileged children across Kenya.  We visited two of these schools on the outskirts of Nairobi – Dr Aggrey Primary School and the Muslim Primary School – and witnessed the coaches in action.  The Primary Club donated $7k to this program two years ago from funds we generated at our Marathon Cricket event at the SCG.

During the final of the Rhino Cup, President Jim Maxwell added to the significance of the event by commentating on the game live and was assisted by international scorer Ian Wright, both parties touring with our squad.  Two local teams fought out the final – the Kanbis CC defeating the Kongonis CC in a high quality cricket match.

Following the tour, Jim discussed the tour, the Rhino Cup and the state of cricket in Kenya on the BBC World Service’s ‘Stumped’ program.  To hear the full interview, CLICK HERE.  Congratulations to two Primary Club of Australia Members who are the main organisers of the Cup – Rob Stevenson and Nathan Dale.  Well done to you and your support team!

“FIRST BALL” MAY 2018 NEWSLETTER

The Primary Club of Australia’s May 2018 Newletter, called “First Ball” is out now.  You may view a low-res version via the link below.  Or call Anja on (02) 9980 2525 to request hard copies for your coffee table, office or waiting room.  Stories include our charity projects, a feature article about “Sargood on Collaroy”, our interstate events during last summer, and of course our Marathon Cricket event and Elanora Golf Day in Sydney.

Click on this link below:

First Ball May 2018 – low res

PRIOR YEAR PRIMARIES? 13 AS 2017/18 CLOSES

The Aussie cricketers were enjoying a super summer, until our men’s team arrived in South Africa in March!

To date, in all forms of international cricket this financial year, we now have 13, compared to the 20 we accumulated in the full 12 month period the prior year.

Primary Club Members donate $10 to charity every time an Aussie cricketer suffers the indignity of scoring a primary in an international fixture.

• Chadd Sayers (#13) was welcomed into the Primary Club in his maiden Test, the second innings of the 4th Test in Johannesburg on 3rd April.
• Peter Hanscomb became No. 12 in the first innings of the 4th Test in Johannesburg on 31st March, while Beth Mooney earlier on the same day in Mumbai opened with a primary in the Australian Women’s T20 Final against England.
• In the 3rd Test at Newlands, Capetown, Australia wilted in the second innings (against the back-drop of the ball-tapering scandal) and racked up the 9th and 10th primaries, with Shaun Marsh and Pat Cummins capitulating in a team total of just 107 runs on 25th March.
• Amanda-Jade Wellington in the ODI in India on 15th March (run out without facing ball) and Pat Cummins in the 2nd Test at Port Elizabeth on 9th March.
• Agar, Cummins and Coulter-Nile in the ODI series in India in Sept/Oct.
• Villani, Beams and Wellington in their ODIs in Taunton (July) and Coffs Harbour (Oct).

PS.  The visiting English team did not suffer a single primary in the Ashes Series!

Katie Kelly named Sir Roden Cutler Awardee 2016/17

Para-triathlete and Rio gold medallist, Katie Kelly OAM was selected from five amazing athletes as the winner of the 2016/17 Sir Roden Cutler Award at the Primary Club of Australia’s Marathon Cricket Dinner on Thursday 16th February at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Katie, with her support group, has established the Sport Access Foundation to assist people with a disability with access to sport and recreational facilities.  Her $20,000 grant from the Primary Club will be directed to this organisation.

On Friday morning, Katie was interviewed on the ABC Breakfast program.  Hear her amazing story by clicking here.

In the photo here, past winner Liesl Tesch is presenting the Award to Katie (centre) with NSW Minister for Sport, Stuart Ayres MP.

The other four finalists each received a finalists medal from Life Member Daphne Benaud:  Ryley Batt OAM (Wheelchair Rugby, Port Macquarie NSW), Matt Bugg (Sailing, Lindisfarne TAS), Carol Cooke AM (Cycling, Melbourne VIC), Michael Lyddiard (Triathlon, from Townsville QLD)

Some of Australia’s best athletes named as Sir Roden Cutler Award finalists

Five of Australia’s most inspiring athletes with a disability, including Paralympic medallists and an Afghanistan War veteran, have been named as finalists in The Primary Club’s Sir Roden Cutler Award.

 

Among the 2017 finalists is Ryley Batt OAM, a four-time Paralympian and dual Paralympic gold medallist in Wheelchair Rugby, and Carol Cooke AM, a three-time gold medal winning Paralympic cyclist.

 

Also included as finalists are Paralympic sailor Matt Bugg, Paralympic gold-winning paratriathlete Katie Kelly, and endurance athlete and Australian of the Year finalist Michael Lyddiard.

 

The winner, to be announced at a major dinner at the Sydney Cricket Ground next Thursday night, will receive a $20,000 grant for sporting and recreational equipment to be given to an organisation they choose which reflects the Club’s charter.

 

Jim Maxwell, president of The Primary Club of Australia and legendary cricket commentator, said the finalists are an inspiration for not only people challenged with a disability, but the broader community too.

 

“What makes these five athletes worthy of being finalists in the Sir Roden Cutler award is their sporting accomplishments, their sheer determination to overcome their challenges and their tireless efforts to encourage other people living with a disability that they too can reach their dreams,” Mr Maxwell said.

 

The 2017 finalists in the Sir Roden Cutler award are:

• Ryley Batt OAM, a four-time Paralympian in the Australian Wheelchair Rugby Team that has won two consecutive gold medals in London and Rio, who delivers Paralympic awareness talks and mentors young people with disabilities.
• Matt Bugg, has a sailing world championship and a silver medal from the Rio Paralympics in the 2.4m class, who tirelessly works with sailors with disabilities in Tasmania by coaching and providing technical advice.
• Carol Cooke AM, the winner of three Paralympic gold medals in cycling at the 2012/2016 Paralympic Games, who gives motivational talks to young women and founded the MS 24 Hour Megaswim which has raised over $7m for those living with Multiple Sclerosis since 2001.
• Katie Kelly, a gold medal winning Paratriathlete, who provides inspiration to young children with Usher’s Syndrome and founded the Sport Access Foundation to provide grants for disabled people to be involved in sport.
• Michael Lyddiard, Afghanistan War veteran who after being severely injured in the line of duty has competed in triathlons, cycling, and distance swimming, who is an Ambassador for the Veteran Charity “Soldier On” and a finalist in the 2017 Queensland Australian of the Year awards.

 

The Sir Roden Cutler Award, established in honour of the Primary Club’s first Twelfth Man and Patron and the longest-serving Governor of New South Wales, recognises athletes with a disability who display enormous determination and dedication in their sporting pursuits, inspire the nation, and are the embodiment of the Australian spirit.

 

A portion of the grant this year comes from the Royal Australian Mint that will donate part of the proceeds from the recently released limited edition Richie Benaud 50 cent collectible coin, after it heard of the Primary Club of Australia from Daphne Benaud while she assisted with the coin’s creation.

 

Richie Benaud was a foundation member of the Primary Club when it formed in 1974 and was its Twelfth Man and Patron from 2002 to 2014.

 

Royal Australian Mint Chief Executive Officer Mr Ross MacDiarmid said: “The Royal Australian Mint is proud to contribute to Richie Benaud’s legacy by not only releasing this special commemorative coin but also supporting the Primary Club of Australia and the athletic industry with a contribution of proceeds towards this inspiring program.”

 

Media contact:          Peter Laidlaw 0419 210 306

 

About The Primary Club: For more than 40 years, The Primary Club of Australia, with support from the cricket-loving public, has been committed to helping many of the four million Australians with disabilities lead a more active and inclusive life. A cricket-based charity, we have provided more than $6 million of equipment and facilities for organisations that support people with disabilities. It works with other leading charities in the disability sector to identify community needs and ensure all of the funds it raises delivers a positive outcome for people with disabilities. Since its establishment, The Primary Club of Australia has funded projects ranging from specialist playground equipment for young children with disabilities through to sporting equipment for people with disabilities participating at the elite level of sport. All donations by the Club are made to other registered charities.

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