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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2019-07-31 Daily Xml
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Causby, Mr J.

Mr SZAKACS (Cheltenham) (15:19): I rise to note the passing of Mr John Causby. Mr Causby was a local cricket legend at the Woodville District Cricket Club. He was a life member and a man who also made an immense contribution not only to his club but to South Australian cricket and the western suburbs.

The western suburbs are home to many great clubs and, just like the Woodville District Cricket Club, they form part of the intangible connectivity that our community in Cheltenham enjoys. These clubs have a deep and lasting place in our western suburbs. Many of them were formed by the distinct working-class communities within the broader west. They were formed and continue to serve the purpose of bringing people together. No matter the club, the sport or the suburb, these clubs are built by the hard work and dedication of individual members and their supporters turning their shoulders to the wheel and putting in the hard work to make these clubs great, both on and off the field.

The Woodville District Cricket Club, the club of the late John Causby, is one such club in my electorate with a long and storied past. The earliest formation of the club dates back to 1874, and they first played their matches in the paddocks just across the road from the Woodville Town Hall. Over the ensuing decades, the clear, cogent record of the club becomes slightly more obscure until the reformation of the club in 1937 at the instigation of the then mayor of Woodville district council, who would later become club legend, James Spencer Butler. This reforming of the club coincided with the turfing of Woodville Oval—the great Woodville Oval, in my electorate of Cheltenham—the home and base of the Woodville District Cricket Club today.

Woodville Oval has over the years seen its fair share of exceptional sporting talents in many sporting disciplines. On the cricket end of the turf, the likes of Sir Donald Bradman and Sir Garfield Sobers have plied their trade with the dominance that they are remembered for. The club developed a number of household names over the decades, most notably Australian test cricketers Rodney Hogg and Barry Jarman, and amongst these household names is Mr John Causby.

He was a life member of the club and for very good reason. He started at the club in Woodville in the schoolboys team in 1954, and he played out the rest of his career at the very same club before taking on roles and responsibilities as a volunteer, coach and other executive roles in the club. With 10 A-grade centuries and almost 6,000 runs, John is easily one of the most accomplished batsmen the club has seen.

Mr PATTERSON: Mr Speaker, I draw your attention to the state of the house.

A quorum having been formed:

Mr SZAKACS: John was a classical opening batsman, respected by all, and an inspiration to batsmen of all ages throughout his time with the club. John Causby excelled and represented South Australia for 12 years, clocking over 3,000 runs and helping to secure Sheffield Shield victories for our state in 1968-69 and 1970-71. With only three Sheffield Shield victories since then, it is fair and reasonable to say that John Causby was clearly part of a golden era for South Australian cricket.

John's talents were obvious and they were obvious from a young age. In the SACA under-16 championships, he secured 10 centuries from just 11 innings, and in the innings he missed out on he was run out. John never stopped setting records throughout his career. Until this day, John, along with another SA cricketing great, Les Favell, holds the record first wicket partnership for South Australia, 281 runs. He was the deserving winner of the Viscount Hampton Trophy in 1968-69, awarded for the most valuable South Australian player for this season.

In addition to his on-field contributions, John pitched in around the club in many different roles both in coaching and helping to run the club. While I understand that, in the most recent few years, his ill health slowed his involvement, he will be remembered fondly by everyone down at the Woodville District Cricket Club and by many others in the broader west. John is survived by his wife, Ruth, and his two daughters. My sincere condolences to the family and John's many former teammates, and friends.

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