Thursday, 7 April 2022

Condolences

Shane Warne

Mr ANDREWS (Mulgrave—Premier) (10:40): I move, by leave:

That this house expresses its sincere sorrow at the death of Shane Warne and places on record its acknowledgement of his lasting contribution to the game of cricket and to the people of Victoria.

When Shane Warne bowled, the world stopped to watch. Part sportsman, part showman, Shane Warne did things with a cricket ball like no other. He was born for the big stage. Warne was cricket’s first blockbuster star. He was our Michael Jordan in many ways. His fame transcended cricket, and the respect for his talent transcended rivalries. The outpourings from those he played against in the wake of his passing I am sure have been a comfort to his family, particularly to his kids. He was held in such high regard by those who played with him and equally those who had to face him and his incredible skill. That respect has been very obvious and, as I said, I am sure a comfort to those closest to him. What set him apart was not just his talent, though, it was his ability to unnerve, to unsettle, to torment even. He was exceptional when it came to mental supremacy. On the field it was his gift in many ways, and he would deploy it with amazing outcomes. He did not just play the game of cricket, he redefined it, and in a team filled with superstars Warne shone brightest.

But behind his phenomenal legacy is a generation of young cricketers, pleasingly boys and girls, young men and women. It is a credit to cricket that they have embraced that sense of equality so, so well, and we are pleased as a government to partner with them. But there is a generation, many generations in fact now, of young cricketers who fell in love with the game because of Shane Warne and tried to do one of the hardest things in cricket, and that is to bowl leg spin.

There will never be another Shane Warne, but there was more to Warnie than cricket. It is important that we acknowledge that he was a particularly generous man. We have heard a lot from fans, a lot from those who were touched by him, but his philanthropic work, the quiet generosity that defined him, was absolutely exceptional. In speaking with his family in recent weeks and in speaking to many people from many different walks of life, everyone has a story about him touching their life and, during the encounter between them and him, him making them the centre of the universe, him making them special. That generosity, together with financial support and his brand, if you like, was lent as support to so many worthy causes. He was a fundamentally generous person, and it is appropriate that we acknowledge that.

More than a cricketer, more than a celebrated or indeed an unsung philanthropist in some ways, but a generous person, he was a father to Jackson, to Summer and to Brooke and a distinguished commentator whose knowledge of the game, whose cricket IQ, was second to none. He was a fantastic commentator and hailed as such. He was so much more than just a player, and we acknowledge that in that sense of loss and grief that we all feel since his passing.

Whether it was on the front page of the paper or indeed the back, the world was always captivated by Shane Warne. He was larger than life, a massive figure in the game, in our state, in our nation. Everyone felt they knew him. Everyone feels they have a story and a sense of him, and that I think speaks not only to all that he achieved and that larger-than-life persona but to his authenticity, which was well understood by everybody. He was very real, often to his own cost, but he was very much an authentic person, and that is so, so important and recognised by so many.

A larrikin, a cricketer, a father, a great Australian and an even greater Victorian, there will never again be another Shane Warne. In his legacy there will be millions of young Victorians who will continue to try to be the next Shane Warne. To those who loved him the most, to those who revered his skill, to those who miss him, I simply say: vale, Shane Warne.

Mr GUY (Bulleen—Leader of the Opposition) (10:45): Right-arm leg spinner, arguably one of the greatest bowlers in cricket history, the king of spin, Melbourne’s own Shane Warne—it is not often this Parliament condoles like this for people who have not served in this place, but on this occasion it is well deserved. Feted by Ian Botham, Boris Johnson and Viv Richards, Warnie will always be the king of spin. But for Shane Warne there were always two characters: the one we the public all think we know and love and of course a private one for a family who grieve and remain heartbroken at the loss of a man of just 52 years of age.

The public Shane Warne was a superstar, the kind of bowler that every backyard cricket player—or in my case cul-de-sac cricket player with my brother; and I guess many in this chamber were too—always wished they could be. The ability to spin that ball to clean-bowl bemused batsmen was something that, when Shane burst onto the international cricket scene, was just jaw dropping, and so were the stats that followed: 7/52 against the West Indies at the MCG in 1992, 6/31 against New Zealand at Bellerive in 1993, 8/71 against England at the Gabba in 1994, 7/23 against Pakistan in Brisbane and 7/33 against the West Indies at the SCG in 1996.

No-one will ever forget the Gatting ball, the famed ball of the century, Shane Warne’s first ball in test cricket history in England, and most significantly the look on Mike Gatting’s face after it. For those who know that magnificent replay clip, and I know the Minister for Sport does, you might remember the stunned commentary of Richie Benaud as well. It was the most unbelievable way to introduce himself to the English cricket scene and to English cricket on English soil, and there is no doubt that this introduction set the scene to the amazing career that would follow.

There are just too many amazing statistics to read out about Shane Warne’s cricket career. It can only be concluded with the point that in our lifetimes we are unlikely to see a spinner of that potency and accuracy ever again. He was a joy to watch play. He was never boring—in his early career, on his path to hundreds of test wickets, during his vice-captaincy, even during his ban from cricket, his return, his international retirement, then his return to Twenty20 and, after all that, commentary.

When he passed away so unexpectedly the cricket world mourned more than any other community. They were obviously so devastated. I do send my heartfelt sympathy to all of those involved in Australian cricket for their obvious and deep loss and the extent to which they felt this legend of their game would be around for so much longer. Having his life cut short, for them, is also heartbreaking. Internationally as well, Sir Ian Botham said he had lost a great friend on and off the cricket field. His ashes rival Kevin Pietersen posted an emotional tribute online, ending with #RIPKing. Cricket nemesis and Indian icon Sachin Tendulkar said he was shocked, stunned and miserable. But I have to say I was heartened to see such a heartfelt tribute to Shane Warne posted by none other than the Barmy Army, the English cricket team’s famed vocal and very rowdy travelling supporters group, which famously taunted Shane Warne for many years from the grandstands:

Simply can’t believe we are writing this.

RIP Shane Warne, one of the game’s best characters … finest bowlers.

Forever etched in Ashes history

Certainly he will be. Like many in public life, but like few to his extent, Shane Warne drew a lot of attention. Many of us who adored his cricket often wondered if it was too much—after all, he was just a person underneath all that publicity. He made mistakes. He knew things would not always go right, but he seemed to get back up, dust himself off and keep going all over again, which is why I believe many Australians thought so highly of him. That image of an average Australian, that kind of larrikin spirit that Australians love and take to so much, it was not confected—it was clearly real.

But he was not just a cricketer. He advertised gin, undies, beer and even, yes, Messages on Hold text messaging services. He loved the irony of that self-deprecation. However, when the 2004 Asian tsunami hit, he was quick to fundraise tens of thousands of dollars and to help. He was there to help many families who lost everything after Black Saturday. During the COVID pandemic his gin distiller turned into a hand sanitiser producer. And one of the things I liked so much about Shane Warne as a character was his appearances on Kath & Kim. His humour was lighthearted; his great manner was always on display. When his past fans bought beer, baked beans, meat pies and cigarettes to adorn his statue, not just flowers, the Melbourne Cricket Club made a fitting gesture and renamed the Great Southern Stand the Shane Warne Stand—all this for a boy from Black Rock.

We can always see celebrities through the prism I have talked about above. As wonderful and endearing as that is, it is never more important than at the time of someone’s passing to remember who they were most importantly. Shane Warne was a son, a brother and clearly a very loving father. What we will not forget from his wonderful remembrance service at the MCG were the reflections of his children and that of his father, Keith. Those personal reflections are the most meaningful of all. Shane’s father told the story of the kid from Black Rock who loved his footy, took on athletics, basketball, tennis and then cricket. He conquered the world but never forgot his family. He was foremost a loving and caring son and brother, a generous man who always stood for photos with fans, who gave his time to so many. As his father, Keith, said, prince or pauper, Shane would give the same undivided attention and respect to whomever he encountered. He worked hard and quietly away from media attention to put smiles on faces, once visiting a young boy with cancer whose father had asked if his unwell son could meet Shane. No fanfare, no accolades, Shane Warne took no convincing; of course he would drop by—drop by for 2 hours.

‘Generous and loyal’, said his dad, Keith. ‘Loving and devoted’, said his children, Brooke, Jackson and Summer. ‘Thank you for the memories’, say his millions of fans. Rest in peace to a Melbourne legend, an Australian icon taken far too soon, Shane Warne.

Mr PAKULA (Keysborough—Minister for Industry Support and Recovery, Minister for Trade, Minister for Business Precincts, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Minister for Racing) (10:51): After Shane Warne’s passing I recalled that very early on in my parliamentary career I had done a members statement regarding him. I checked back through Hansard and I realised it was the very first members statement I ever gave, in the other place on 21 December 2006. The reason for it was that the previous day Shane Warne had announced that he would be retiring after that summer’s Sydney test. Five days later, on Boxing Day, at the MCG, he took his 700th wicket and a few days later, after the Sydney test, he retired from test cricket for good.

Fast-forward 15 years and, as members are aware, I was in Birmingham a few weeks ago for the Commonwealth Games presentation. On the morning of that I got up early and thought as a cricket fan I would go for a walk to Edgbaston. I had never been there, and I thought I would like to see Edgbaston. So I walked there and it was a bit of a construction zone. A security guard stopped me and said, ‘Can I help you, sir?’. I said, ‘I am just an Australian cricket fan wanting to have a look at Edgbaston’, and he said, ‘My condolences on the loss of Shane Warne’.

Two weeks later, 50 000 people gathered at the MCG for his tribute, and it leads me to ask why. What is it about this cricketer, this man, that caused a new member of Parliament to devote his first members statement to him or to elicit a comment from a security guard 15 years and 10 000 miles away? What was it about him that made grown men cry, that caused people from all over Melbourne and Victoria to leave flowers and tinnies at the base of his statue outside the MCG, for him to cover front pages across the world and for tens of millions of people to tune in to his memorial service, because he is not the only cricketing legend that has passed away in recent times—Richie Benaud, Dean Jones and indeed Rod Marsh, my childhood hero, on the very same day? He was not the only sportsman with a high-profile social life, and he was not the only sportsperson that has done good deeds outside of cricket. I think the answer is quite simply that he was one of those people that absolutely belongs in the sporting firmament, with Nicklaus and Woods, with Federer and Williams, with Jordan and Ali. He is the only bowler in the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century. He was an absolute phenomenon.

It is not impossible to describe what Shane Warne could do with a cricket ball. Many cricket writers have done so very eloquently, but I do not think any of those descriptions ever do proper justice to his brilliance. The fact that we can simply reference individual deliveries—the Strauss ball, the Chanderpaul ball, the Gatting ball—and every cricket fan around the world knows exactly what you are talking about says everything. The fact that when you say ‘I could not leave my chair when he was bowling’ and most Australians of my generation say they felt exactly the same way says everything about him.

I have seen it said in regard to both test cricket and leg spin bowling that there were two eras: ‘before Warne’ and ‘after Warne’. But I do not actually think that is right because there was no-one quite like him before him but there has never been anyone quite like him since him either. There was just a golden era that we were lucky enough to witness called ‘during Warne’. There is no real ‘after Warne’ or ‘before Warne’. There was just what we were lucky enough to see while he played the game. I do not condole him based on my really fleeting interactions with him in a personal sense, whether they were at a racetrack or a function. I condole him and pay tribute to him through the eyes of a fan and on behalf of all the fans who were lucky enough to be transfixed and mesmerised and joyous as he spun Australia to victory after victory after victory for so many years.

Now the Shane Warne Stand at the MCG will stand there as a permanent tribute to him, not just to the amazing feats where he bamboozled opposing batsmen—not those amazing feats there alone—but all of those feats, whether they were at Black Rock or East Sandringham or Hampshire or Rajasthan and back again, the things he did all around the world. I do want to just take this opportunity to thank both the Melbourne Cricket Club and the MCG Trust and his family for working with us to allow that to happen so quickly and so appropriately in time for his memorial service. Like the Premier and the Leader of the Opposition, I was very moved by the statements made by both his father, Keith, and his children, Jackson, Brooke and Summer. To all those who loved him, but in particular to his family—Brigitte and Keith, Jackson, Brooke, Summer, Jason—my condolences to you. Vale, Shane Keith Warne.

Mr WALSH (Murray Plains) (10:57): I join the condolence for Shane Warne today, and I want to spend my time talking about Shane Warne the person. I think his cricket prowess is very well documented, and everyone is going to speak about that, but it is Shane Warne the person that was so generous. Some of that is documented and a lot of it will never be known as to how generous he was with people, but his commitment to Challenge, which is an organisation that supports families living with cancer, and the things he did with Challenge are very well known. The CEO of that organisation, David Rogers, recently said:

Whenever I had a sick kid, I could ring him, and he’d go straight to FaceTime, or he’d be available to go see them. He was an amazing man.

I think that is the Shane that I want to get through today. At one stage he was meant to be playing a golf tournament in America for the 24 all-time greatest sportspeople in the world. Michael Jordan and Tom Brady were two of those that were going to be playing golf with him, and he actually donated the tickets to that to the Challenge charity to auction. The tickets made $45 000. That is the sort of generosity he had. In 2003 Challenge invited him to go to America with 10 sick children for their trip of a lifetime. He went to Disneyland, and as I understand it was comfortable in his own skin enough that he could stand there in the queue at Disneyland with Mickey Mouse ears on. Not everybody probably would be comfortable with that, but Shane was very happy to do that. He let the kids put his hair, when he had hair, in a ponytail. He went out on the tarmac at NASA with them. He did everything with those kids for their trip of a lifetime. That was the sort of person Shane was.

After the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami he got onto his cricket friends in Sri Lanka and travelled over there to be with them for the recovery of that nation—a cricket-mad country. He went to villages, he gave out cricket balls, he gave out lollies, he gave bowling advice and he offered assistance with the clean-up. He did lots of things there in Sri Lanka. One of the little girls who was affected by the tsunami recalled:

I remember he gave me a ball, he gave us something to eat and then he asked me for a kiss on the cheek.

That humble man who spent time with us … he gave us something we could treasure when we had nothing.

After Black Saturday Shane Warne went to Kinglake, where lots of people lost their lives, as we have spoken about in this house in the past. Aiden Buchanan was 13 years old at that time. He had lost everyone except his grandparents. Warnie went up to Aiden and said, ‘How are ya, mate?’, and after that there was a lifetime friendship, including coaching him at football and doing all those things. It was something that was very, very special to Aiden. They maintained a lifetime friendship until he died.

After the 2019 bushfires Warnie sold his baggy green for $1 million, a great contribution. If you ever have the opportunity to have a baggy green, it is something that people hold forever. And then the baggy green went on a national tour to raise additional funds as well. Warnie posted on his social media after the action:

Thankyou so much to everyone that placed a bid & a huge Thankyou / congrats to the successful bidder—you have blown me away with your generosity and this was way beyond my expectations! The money will go direct to the Red Cross bushfire appeal. Thankyou, Thankyou, Thankyou …

In September 2020 he posted an article on his website remembering the bushfires in Australia and he said:

I thought “what can I do to I help?” and I thought one of the most cherished things I own would be my baggy green cap. I was so grateful for the opportunity to play cricket for Australia and it is such a meaningful item that not many people have the privilege to wear.

… We were all so blown away at how much this went for. To raise that much money to go towards our fellow Australians made us all pretty proud to be honest.

I suppose I will just finish with my own Warnie storey. When I was involved with SPC—quintessentially Australian—we employed Warnie to do a baked beans ad. The advertising agency took him to India, and we filmed that ad. Everyone that came back that went with Warnie said they had the trip of a lifetime riding a motorbike, having a microwave plugged in to about 10 double adapters off a faulty powerline to heat up baked beans and eat them in India. They said he was just fantastic company when they went overseas to make that ad. To his parents, Keith and Brigitte, to his son, Jackson, to Brooke, to Summer, to all his extended family and to all Australians who just loved Warnie, my condolences and rest in peace.

Mr FOLEY (Albert Park—Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services, Minister for Equality) (11:02): I rise to join the condolence motion marking the sad passing of Shane Warne. The great West Indian cricket writer CLR James in his classic book Beyond a Boundary posed a question for cricket obsessives the world over: what do they know of cricket who only cricket know? Shane Warne knew cricket, and through cricket the world knew him and he knew the world. He carved out a unique place in Australian and world sport and indeed in the popular culture of our nation and state. At the same time he retained that duality of the knockabout Australian larrikin, a strong sense of irreverence that so characterises what we like to see as the best of our national character.

His record as the saviour of the almost lost art of leg spin bowling is widely known. Arguably the greatest bowler of all time and certainly the greatest spin bowler, he rewrote all the records. He received all the accolades and was successful in so many ways, beginning as that young sport scholarship winner in our southern suburbs in the 1980s. I am sure he could never have imagined he would achieve such global recognition and the achievements that he went on to make.

His duality was as both the ordinary, knockabout, loyal bloke who was loyal to his mates and loved a beer, a pie, his baked beans, flash cars and loud music whilst all at the same time being possessed of skills to make a cricket ball do what no-one else ever could even dream of. In that regard he occupies a unique place in both our sporting and our popular culture. He was both a cricketing immortal who could turn a test in a single spell and at the same time the loyal local cricketer and footy fan who would support his mates and his club wherever and whenever he could. He had that sense of knowing who he was and where he came from and made efforts in developing both his own skills and with them those who he came in contact with, whether they were the next generation of cricketers or those who were down on their luck or facing catastrophe. He marked his contribution wherever he went in his global travels whilst at the same time never forgetting his humble beginnings at the St Kilda Cricket Club in the fourths and thirds as a batter who could bowl a bit.

With a sense of commitment to the St Kilda club I might briefly just read from a statement put out by the club’s president, Paul Ryan, who joins us in the gallery today:

Shane Warne was the greatest cricketer St Kilda Cricket Club has produced since it was established in 1855 and without doubt one of the greatest cricketers to ever play the game. Shane was a premiership player for, life member of, our club.

Shane was, just as importantly, also a great and loyal friend to many at St Kilda Cricket Club and an ongoing supporter of our club.

Our club will always be proud of his on-field achievements but also of the contribution he made off the field to children and families in need.

However, we are very conscious that our loss needs to be kept in perspective with the devastation being felt by Shane’s children and family at this difficult time.

Shane is and will continue to be greatly missed.

That same sense of being both an ordinary person and a global superstar is reflected in how his support at the local level for the St Kilda Cricket Club and Victorian cricket endured—whether it was for the men’s team, the women’s team, the all-abilities team—and his support for how community clubs are really there at the best of developing their young talent and sharing it with the world. He was also important in the development of the Victorian cricket centre at the Junction Oval, and it is fitting that his home club, St Kilda, continues to be part of that important cricket infrastructure in our community. Now it is the secure home of cricket in this state and shares with his famous club, the St Kilda Cricket Club, the home of developing those next generations of men’s, women’s, all-abilities and other outreach programs, particularly engaging with newly arrived communities and the absolutely cricket-mad South Asian communities.

Shane Warne took cricket, with all of its millions of fans and players, to new places that the game had not known. Not many cricketers, not many Victorians, can lay claim to being a globally dominant player of the craft, a philanthropist, a supporter of great causes, big and small, and the subject of their own musical, named after them—and endless small, individual kindnesses—all at the same time stretching the rules that he ran up against to their limits and occasionally broke. We thank him for all his efforts in this game, Australia’s most famous and most popular community and summer sport, and our thoughts are with his family at this time, especially his parents, Brigitte and Keith; his former wife, Simone; and his children, Summer, Jackson and Brooke. Vale, Shane Warne. He was one who knew cricket and, through cricket, the world, and through cricket he appreciated the role that we can all play in building communities while supporting this, the most important summer sport, in our community.

Ms McLEISH (Eildon) (11:08): You did not have to love cricket to know who Shane Warne was. He was known worldwide for his wonderful talent on the field but also for the generosity of the person he was. At the time he was taken, way too young, he was mourning the loss of one of his idols, Rod Marsh. At the time the world lost an icon whose commentary we were still enjoying, but for the children it was way too young for them to lose their father.

Shane Warne never moved far from bayside Melbourne. He had a very international, flamboyant lifestyle, but he always came back to his roots. Like many others growing up in Victoria, sport was a huge part of his life, whether that was backyard cricket, footy, basketball or athletics, and it reminds me and all of us how important community sport is at that level. Shane was pretty good at sport. He wanted to be a footballer. He did not quite get there, but when he was at Mentone Grammar the sportsmaster at the school took him down to St Kilda Cricket Club, where that sportsmaster played. Shane Warne walked into a club that had been known as the home of Bill Ponsford, an absolutely outstanding batsman whose name adorns one of the stands at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. It is quite interesting now that St Kilda have two cricketers whose names are at that marvellous ground. So the sportsmaster took Shane into St Kilda Cricket Club as an opening bat who could bowl a little bit, and he worked his way up through the fourths, thirds, seconds and firsts; he played at all levels. He understood base-grade cricket and that pathway through.

While he was there he went to the academy in South Australia and met Terry Jenner, and he forged a very strong and ongoing relationship with Terry Jenner as he learned the craft of leg spin. As Warnie did, those relationships he established lasted a lifetime, and he certainly had that with Terry Jenner. He continued to go back to him during his test career to sharpen his trade, to work out how to do something a little bit different a little bit better, which is pretty amazing, because we all thought that he was pretty remarkable from day one.

He was a premiership player at St Kilda, which is one of the oldest clubs in Victoria and remains on its original patch of dirt. Following his time at district he was picked up by the state, but he did not actually play a lot of games for Victoria because he had this rare skill of leg spin, and that was in short supply. Very quickly he was moved into the Australian team, and he went on to achieve wonderful things. But he never lost that connection with the St Kilda Cricket Club. Every time he came back from injury, whether it was a shoulder injury or a thumb injury, he came back through his community club, through that district club, and you can imagine what that did for the other players, for the kid in the fourths and for the others in the firsts, to be able to play with Shane Warne. What an opportunity for them.

One time they actually went out to Windy Hill to play—2000 people turned up to Windy Hill for a district cricket match. Every one of those 2000 people wanted an autograph, and every one of those 2000 people got an autograph. He was never too far from remembering his life as a kid, loving sport and lining up with an autograph book himself. He was a very avid autograph collector, and because of that he knew how important that was and what it meant for a kid to get an autograph.

During his time with the Bushrangers he claimed 171 wickets in 46 first-class matches, including eight 5-wicket hauls. Overall in his test career—which put him on the world stage, we know—he took 708 wickets; in first-class, 1319; and in the one-day internationals he had 293. These are extraordinary figures. Catches—not many people get over 100 catches, but Warnie got 125 in tests. He was a gun in the slips, whether that was first or second slip. And he was pretty handy as a batsman, because when he went to St Kilda he was there as an opening batter, and he did his bit. Certainly many times when Australia looked down, Warnie was able to come out and put on a few runs. He made 3154 test runs; in first class, which included his time in the UK, he made 6919, virtually 7000 runs; and in the one days, 1018. It is extraordinary for somebody who is seen as the world’s best leg spinner, the king of spin, that he was still able to do so much on the field and with the bat. His best hauls: 8/71 in tests and first class; and in the one days, 5/33. And when the Indian Premier League was launched in 2008 nobody expected a semi-retired 37-year-old Shane Warne to lead the Rajasthan Royals, and he did it with gusto. He loved that time.

In February 2012 he became the 35th player inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame during one of the Allan Border functions. Named one of Wisden’s five great cricketers of the 20th century—he was 42, I think, at that time—he had single-handedly put leg spin on the map of cricket, and kids all around the world wanted to work out how he did that, practise that and learn about the flipper. Andrew Strauss was his 700th wicket at the MCG before Boxing Day crowd of 90 000, and he was bowling from his favoured end. That favoured end is the southern end, in front of the Great Southern Stand, which has now been renamed the Shane Warne Stand, and that is entirely fitting for what he would have liked. He retired from the international arena in 2007 after the Sydney test, with that record of 708 test wickets. We all remember the ball of the century, which dismissed Gatting—Gatting’s bemused, bewildered look at how he managed to go out. Warnie did that many times, but that ball was the one that changed his life. We all know that Warnie had a wonderful cricket brain, and we did not get to see him as captain of Australia, which might have been not a bad thing, but we certainly got to enjoy that when he was commentating—that cricket brain and his strategy.

He lived a great life. He was loved by so many. He was loved for his sport. He was loved for being a regular person, for his larrikinism. He was loved, as we have heard from other speakers, for his incredible generosity. He loved sport, loved life, and we cannot forget the strong family values and the love for his children that he had. Not only has he brought my family and me and so many in the cricketing world enormous joy, but for his children he brought so much more to them. We heard that in their comments at the memorial service at the MCG just recently about what a fabulous parent he was and what he really meant to them. So our thoughts are with his family—his parents, his brother and his children. Shane Warne will live for a very long time through the record book, through the stories that will be passed down and through the naming now of the Shane Warne Stand at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Rest in peace.

Mr HIBBINS (Prahran) (11:16): I rise to speak on the condolence motion for Shane Warne. Shane Warne was a cricketing legend, and he was a Victorian. I thought, with this speech, what better place to start than a time before Warnie. He was a legend, so what was before Warnie? What was before all the kids bowling leg spin in the schoolyard? Well, before Warnie there was Deano. Dean Jones was the cricketer who everyone in the schoolyard wanted to be. His life also ended far too early almost two years ago. What so often happens when one legend’s career comes to an end far too early is it crosses over with the start of another. I thought it was fitting that Shane Warne’s first wicket in test cricket was Ravi Shastri caught Jones bowled Warne—a passing of the guard, if you will—albeit it was for 206 and Shane Warne’s figures were 1/150, but even Bradman had a tough first test.

In those very early days Shane Warne was plucked from relative obscurity. His selection for the Australian team took a lot of vision from the selectors, who are not renowned for always getting it right. When he was first picked for an Australian development team for an overseas tour it was against the wishes of the Victorian coach at the time, with Warne probably third pegging for selection as Victoria’s spinner, and they felt like the national selectors were trying to dictate who should play in the Victorian team. But the selectors certainly got it right with Shane Warne.

I do not think the Australian public quite knew what to make of this blond-haired leg spinner in the beginning. I remember being at the MCG for the now-famous Boxing Day test against the West Indies in 1992. There certainly was a bit of uncertainty about him being back in the team. But he arrived in that test match, picking up seven wickets on the final day, and from then on he was always the crowd favourite and much loved by bay 13, where the Shane Warne Stand sign now sits above them—and how fitting is that. That was just one of many incredible match-winning performances over his career when the odds were stacked against Australia. My favourite to this day is the 1996 World Cup semifinal played in India. I think I woke up in the middle of the night, wandered downstairs a bit bleary eyed, and turned on the telly. The Windies were cruising to an easy win, and enter Shane Warne, assisted by his fellow Victorian Damien Fleming, to run through the Windies for an incredible win. I remember sitting on the couch absolutely stunned from what I had just seen. It is not an overstatement to say that Shane Warne changed the game of cricket. Selector John Benaud said in his book:

Warne was a major player in a revival of legspin worldwide, a kiss of … death by slow over rates and pace. The new wave of legspin didn’t just influence Test match results—it performed a facelift on limited-overs cricket.

Watching Shane Warne bowl was something you could do all day. It was just thrilling when he would build pressure and run through teams. My grandfather, when we talked about cricket, always spoke about Bradman and being able to watch Bradman, and I suspect I will be doing the same with my children and grandchildren when they ask me about having the privilege of having watched Shane Warne play. In addition to being one of those people who is just naturally good at every sport they play, he was one of the best cricketing brains out there. He had to be to take so many wickets. So many of his wickets were out-thinking and outsmarting batsmen, setting them up in the overs and balls before, especially in his later years, when he could not necessarily rely on that big leg spinner or flipper as often. We saw that with his incredible 40 wickets in the 2005 Ashes tour just before his retirement, and we saw it in his really innovative and aggressive captaincy when he was given the chance. There is no doubt that we really missed out on something special by him not being made a permanent Australian captain at some point in his career, but we also heard it quite often in his later career as a commentator.

Over the weeks since his death we have heard a lot more about Shane Warne the person. The person you saw on the screen was the same off the screen, someone who could fit in and mix it with any crowd—celebrities or the punter on the street. He was a much-loved person, and he really did exude that energy of the love that so many Australians had for him. We heard about him as a mate, a reliable friend who kept his word, a son and a father who had such a positive influence on his kids’ lives by being there and helping them in their toughest moments, and a brother. For me the highlight of the state memorial service was the letter his brother wrote to him at the start of his career urging him to sacrifice so he would look back on his career as the best spin bowler in history. That I thought was a highlight.

Like many at the state memorial, I was very surprised by his advocacy for the environment. It was revealed that Shane had joined the UN Development Programme’s wildlife fund and that they will now present a Shane Warne conservation grant to memorialise his work to protect wildlife and catalyse more action. To be fair, he had previously called for cricket to be proactive and reactive about the dangers the sport faces due to the climate crisis, with cricket a summer sport played in some of the hottest places and certainly the sport that is the most under threat from climate change.

Shane Warne was a legend, he was an inspiration, he was a Victorian icon. To his family—Brooke, Jackson and Summer; his parents, Brigitte and Keith; his brother, Jason—our thoughts are with you. We mourn your loss. We celebrate his life. Vale, Shane Warne. I will finish by simply saying, ‘Bowling, Shane’.

Mr EREN (Lara) (11:22): It is obviously with great sadness that I rise to join the condolence motion for the late Shane Warne today. Victoria lost an icon on 4 March 2022, but it was not just Victoria. As we all know, Shane Warne was an Australian legend, a king of cricket and the wider sporting world. We saw that support in the attendance at his memorial service at the MCG by thousands of people from across the country. It was viewed by over a billion people on TV. He inspired and defined the cricketing world. A right-arm leg spinner, he is widely considered one of the greatest bowlers in cricket history.

And what a career he had. Whether it was the Ashes hat-trick at the MCG, his 700th test wicket on Boxing Day or the famous ball of the century in 1993, he gave the nation memories that will not soon be forgotten. Shane earned his baggy green in 1992 and went on to play 145 tests for Australia. He played 194 one-day internationals, taking over 1000 wickets combined and establishing himself as the greatest leg spinner of all time. His performance on the pitch drew us to the game that he cared so deeply for. Anyone who saw Shane Warne play will never forget him, and that is why to many he will always be known as ‘Warnie’ or the ‘King of spin’. His talent was matched by his humour, flair and larrikinism.

I was lucky enough to have met Shane during my time as Minister for Sport. We did a number of cricketing events together. He was a genuine person. He was delightful to be with. He was very witty and down to earth and very relaxed. He made you very comfortable even though he was a worldwide superstar. I met a lot of athletes through my time as the Minister for Sport and Minister for Tourism and Major Events, and I have got to say that Shane Warne by far was the most special person that I met in that time. When you consider it, there were a number of things that made him happy. Cricket made him happy, and the Saints made him happy. He was very happy for us as a government to make Lakeside Stadium the home of Victorian cricket and moving the Saints to Moorabbin, their spiritual home. I am sure the member for Bentleigh will remember that as well. He was very happy about those two things, the two things he loved the most: cricket and the Saints.

He was also very generous, if I can call it that, with his time, especially for some of the things that he did behind the scenes, and not many people knew all of the things that he did for charity. The member for Yan Yean reminded me of the time—and it was mentioned by Keith, his father—when he assisted with the terrible tragedy that was the Black Saturday event in Victoria and how he paid special attention to Aiden. I think that says a lot about the man himself. Apart from being a really talented cricketer, he was also a decent human being.

Those of you in the house will know that I too suffered a cardiac arrest in 2016 at the age of 52, and as we know, Paul Couch did at the age of 52 and Senator Kimberley Kitching did at the age of 52. There is something about that age. But I can just say at this point in time it is a very timely reminder to us all—and I urge even the healthiest of people—to have regular heart check-ups. It is so important to listen to your body, especially if you have got a family history, like I have. You should be going to your doctor regularly and getting at least a 12-monthly check-up. Approximately 50 people die from cardiac arrest every day. I was one of the lucky ones. It is absolutely horrible that we are here today because Shane Warne was not.

It was a special moment on 30 March when the state memorial was held to honour Shane Warne, and it was held at the MCG. The service commenced with a minute’s silence followed by a welcome to country and a rendition of the Australian national anthem performed by Greta Bradman—how appropriate. Shane’s memory was then honoured by a number of video tributes and live performances from artists, including Elton John, Ed Sheeran, Chris Martin, Coldplay, Robbie Williams, Jon Stevens and of course Anthony Callea. But what was really on display throughout this service was the way Shane had touched the hearts of so many in the wider community, those who knew him well and those who were never lucky enough to have met him. Throughout the service his contributions and achievements were honoured by his family, his close friends and former teammates. It was a truly heartfelt moment when at the conclusion of the service his children, Brooke, Jackson and Summer, honoured their father—and I have got to admit they were all great eulogies, but Summer’s one got to me the most; I could not help but cry when I heard Summer eulogise her dad. It was great to see that all his children unveiled the new Shane Warne stand at the MCG.

My heartfelt sympathy goes out to Shane’s family at this sad time. While we are all feeling grief at his passing, it is his parents, Keith and Brigitte, his brother, Jason, and his three children, Jackson, Summer and Brooke, who are truly suffering. I would like to thank them on behalf of all Victorians for sharing the special gift that was their son, their brother and their dad with us all. Vale, Shane Warne.

Mr NEWBURY (Brighton) (11:28): Shane Keith Warne, what a bloody legend! When Shane Warne passed it felt like Australia had collectively skipped a beat. Though we miss and mourn those who pass, there are some who touch us so deeply that we hold our collective breath when they pass and openly grieve as a community. Well, Australia stopped when Shane passed. He has left a significant imprint on our nation: one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, the greatest Australian captain we never but should have had. Deep and heavy footprints he has left across his 52-year life, a life filled ten times over. Shane was a man of profound achievement, a man who like most of us started as a boy kicking a football and playing backyard cricket with his brother, dreaming about his future. The difference is that boy grew up and became a rockstar of cricket—a rockstar who delivered magic when he bowled.

Over recent weeks we have all seen the outpouring of love for Shane, and he was loved for many reasons. Part of that love can be explained quite simply. In many ways Shane embodied the Australian character. He was an underdog who took up cricket after being denied his football dream. He was egalitarian—he never had tickets on himself, no tickets despite becoming the cricketing legend who delivered the Gatting ball, the Boxing Day hat-trick and took a career haul of 708 test wickets.

He was a larrikin and a self-described bit of a bogan in the best possible way, a bloke who took a sandwich maker and plastic cheese with him to India. He was a man with a big smile who never took himself too seriously. Perhaps what we all loved so much about Shane was that despite his skill and achievement he was authentic. Of course he made mistakes, like we all do, many of which he lived through publicly, but he owned them. He was a bit of a scallywag with a cheeky laugh, and not just the laugh—he really loved to sledge, and I confess I fell victim to it more than once.

I recall Shane arriving at an event in Brighton once soon after coming back from overseas. He had a fresh haircut. He had an undercut. I mentioned to him that it was a seriously edgy new look, and he paused, looked me dead in the eye and said, ‘I’ve done you a favour, James’. Can you imagine my response? I stopped absolutely dead. He had stumped me. I asked how the king, someone who I had idolised since I was a teenager, had done me a favour. ‘Well’, Shane said, ‘now Brighton won’t just be talking about your hairstyle, mate’—and he delivered it deadpan, before lighting up, overly pleased with himself.

Despite the sledge, I should point out that the event was in support of a Bayside sporting club, and that is the way he was: giving up his time to help kids. He would often get out and train with the local clubs, helping young kids learn sport. In fact whenever he would attend he would arrive, speak as briefly with the team executives as he could without being impolite and then head straight out onto the field, where he would spend hours with the kids. He also gave to the community through the Shane Warne charitable foundation, which while it operated donated over $4 million to sick young people. And let us not forget his charitable $1 million donation to the bushfire appeal when he sold his iconic baggy green cap.

Shane was an incredibly loved person in Bayside. He was part of our community, and he gave to our community—a boy from Sandringham Primary, Hampton High and Mentone Grammar. As he would often say, Brighton was his patch, and he had certainly worked his way through a lot of Brighton property. Now he has done all of Brighton. With that in mind, I want to acknowledge his parents and children, who spoke so beautifully at the recent memorial: Summer, who was so deeply honest and raw; Jackson, who spoke so openly of missing his best mate; and Brooke, who has always been such a brave eldest sibling. To his family, we as a Parliament send our condolences, and on behalf of my community: Brighton will miss you, Shane, very much. Rest in peace, legend.

Mr ROWSWELL (Sandringham) (11:33): I also rise to mourn the death of the boy from Bayside, Shane Warne. Warne was a Bayside boy through and through. Growing up, he lived at 229 Thomas Street, Hampton, then moved to Black Rock. He attended Sandringham Primary School and Hampton High and was the recipient of a sporting scholarship to Mentone Grammar from year 10. He later moved to Sandringham and then to Brighton. His parents, Brigitte and Keith, still live in Black Rock today.

His cricket career started at the RG Chisholm Reserve in Duncan Street, Sandringham, when in 1978 he played for the East Sandringham Cricket Club. He returned to the ground many times, played in a junior premiership team there and even donated a beer fridge to that club. Six years ago he returned to Chisholm reserve to play a match against Bentleigh ANA Cricket Club. He said at the time:

1978 was the first time down here as a nine-year-old, so it’s nice to be back at East Sandy, that’s for sure …

…

Whatever [East Sandringham] need me to do, I’m happy to do—if they need me to bowl a bit, I’ll bowl a bit …

Kim Pitt, a former president, captain, coach and cornerstone of East Sandy cricket club remembers Warne fondly. Kim shared with me that Warne’s cricket skills when a junior were honed with the assistance of a few East Sandy senior players, and according to Kim both batting and bowling skills were deemed to be closely the same back then. Warne was part of an under-12A premiership team and played seniors with the club through to 1985–86, and when a 16-year-old he played four games that season in the senior 1s team prior to departing for Mentone Grammar and the St Kilda club.

I spoke to Warne’s great mate Brad Hodge, a former teammate, very recently and Aaron Hamill, a good friend of his, this morning. Both men wanted me to stress just how much Warne loved Bayside and was a champion for our sporting clubs and teams. Whether it was recalling childhood memories of having a hit of the tennis ball at the Black Rock Sports Club with his brother, heading to the local cricket nets or in later life watching his son, Jackson, play footy at Donald MacDonald Reserve in Beaumaris, Warne loved local sport, he championed it and he supported it.

But there is no sporting prowess without sustenance. Arguably the best takeaway pizza in the district is served up at Alex’s Pizza on Bluff Road in Sandringham. The business owner there, head chef and local identity Michael Sawiris, recalled:

He used to come every Tuesday to buy pizza—even when he moved from Sandringham to Brighton. His regular order was tomato, cheese and ham—he was a simple man and very nice person. When he came in, he knew my name. He would always joke. I had a photo with him of course.

He used to talk to me about cricket, I said “Shane, I don’t like cricket”, “Why do you not like cricket?” “I don’t understand it”. He starts to explain cricket to me.

He came in on Tuesday. On Saturday, I was driving in my car and on the radio, I heard he passed away. I cannot believe he passed away.

He was a friend to me, he would come into the kitchen. I would say he does not have to pay. He would insist “I have to pay”. He was always a happy person.

Michael went on to tell me that although he would not pay for his pizza, at Michael’s insistence, Warne would stand out on Bluff Road for a couple of minutes, pizza box in hand, outside Michael’s restaurant, to show everyone driving by that he thought Michael’s pizza was something special.

Like many thousands of people from Bayside, my wife and I attended the state memorial for Warne at the MCG, and at that memorial Jason Warne, Shane’s brother, recalled that when Dave Beck:

… and Shane were 13 years old, Shane slipped when jumping off the pier at Halfmoon Bay and knocked himself out … Dave jumped in … saving his life … you gave us an extra 39 years with Shane and gave the world so much entertainment.

It is no wonder then that when a similar circumstance unfolded in 2016 Warne was there to help: 14-year-old Will Murray, son of Emma and Nick, broke his neck jumping from the Half Moon Bay pier and became a quadriplegic. Will was a star athlete, from football to basketball to BMX. It was apparent to me and others that Warne saw parallels with his own experience when he heard Will’s story. It was the Shane Warne Foundation that supported Will and the Murray family with a $340 000 contribution—Warne, a Bayside boy, helping a Bayside family in their time of need. He never forgot his local roots.

My electorate, and my community, was Warne’s home. He lived there, he studied there, he enjoyed magnificent pizza there, he helped others there and he mastered his cricket craft there also. Vale, Shane Keith Warne.

Motion agreed to in silence, members showing unanimous agreement by standing in their places.