Complete package came in the form of Marschke

ONCE the jack of all sports on the Sunshine Coast, 78-year-old Gavin Marschke can look back on his feats with fondness.

BACK IN 2000: Gavin Marschke after receiving an award at a function in Maleny. Inset: Marschke the international umpire. Picture: Contributed

CRICKET: Once the jack of all sports on the Sunshine Coast, 78-year-old Gavin Marschke can look back on his feats with fondness.

Marschke was heavily involved in cricket, but also a champion in tennis, badminton, squash and table tennis.

How he found the time to compete in multiple sports and also earn a crust as a softdrink maker for 30 years at Wimmers Cordials in Nambour is anybody's guess.

But he managed it and he can proudly reflect on some of his achievements with the Sunshine Coast Daily.

"I was as fit as a buck rat," the Kawana resident said while poring over multiple newspaper clippings, treasured photos and documentation of esteemed awards, including the Medal of the Order of Australia, awarded in 2007 for his service to cricket.

A naturally gifted and determined competitor, Marschke won 12 Sunshine Coast first-grade cricket grand finals, captaining Nambour to six of them.

A left-handed batsman, he scored more than 5800 runs and was a highly regarded wicketkeeper.

In badminton, Marschke represented Queensland and was crowned Sunshine Coast champion on six occasions.

He took up squash one day, when rain stopped him from playing cricket, and quickly established himself as the top local player, winning 10 consecutive Sunshine Coast championships.

Marschke also won the Sunshine Coast table tennis crown and was a more than handy tennis player at Maroochy and Palmwoods.

But Marschke's influence wasn't just on the field or court.

A renowned administrator, he was secretary and treasurer at the Sunshine Coast Cricket Association for 13 years.

He is a life member of the SCCA and the Nambour Cricket Association, where he was also curator for 14 years.

Marschke helped promote cricket locally and throughout the state and was never shy to do the lesser roles at clubs, including running raffles, the canteen, games nights and dances.

He also became one of the best umpires in the country, taking control of local fixtures, interstate games and seven international matches.

"I am proud of it. I umpired for 418 days and people used to say to me, 'How come you get all the umpiring and we don't get it?'

"I'd say to them, 'Well I must be doing something right'. If I didn't do it right, they wouldn't have asked me to umpire England, West Indies and all the rest of them."

As a player, Marschke was one of the first in the state to don a makeshift helmet, after he was struck on the forehead while wicketkeeping.

He spent one day paralysed and blind after that incident and had to be relocated to Brisbane for an operation on his compressed skull.

Marschke grew up with parents Charlie and Matilda and his siblings at a farm between Coolum and Yandina.

"I used to ride a horse from where Dad had the farm (Yandina Creek) to Valdora, put it in the Thorogood's paddock and then run down to the river and get the boat to school (Maroochy River State School, near Dunethin Rock)."

Marschke now lives at Kawana with his wife, Sylvia. They have a son, Gary, and a daughter, Karen.

And although he may not be able to wield the willow or the racquet with as much zest as he used to, Marschke's accomplishments will not be forgotten.

WHAT A RECORD

12 x Sunshine Coast cricket grand final winner (six as captain)

6 x Sunshine Coast badminton champion

10 x Sunshine Coast squash champion

1 x Sunshine Coast table tennis champion

International umpire

Medal of the Order of Australia for services to cricket

Originally published as Complete package came in the form of Marschke