Gavin Marschke tribute: Tears flow for Sunshine Coast cricket stalwart

The Sunshine Coast sporting community is mourning Sunshine Coast and Nambour cricket life member and Medal of the Order of Australia recipient Gavin Marschke.

Gavin Marschke has contributed greatly to cricket over the years. Picture: Chris McCormack

The Sunshine Coast sporting community have paid an emotional farewell to ‘legend’ of the region, Gavin Marschke following his passing last month due to heart failure.

Mr Marschke, who died on August 21, 2022, aged 84, was an important figure of the Sunshine Coast cricket community and was also heavily involved in tennis, squash, badminton and table tennis.

Mr Marschke grew up with parents Charlie and Matilda and his siblings at a farm between Coolum and Yandina where they used to horse ride from Yandina Creek to Valdora, then make a run down to the river to catch the boat to the Maroochy River State School, with the reverse in the afternoon.

Marschke and his wife of 64 years, Sylvia, raised their two children Gary and Karen in Kawana.

Sport quickly became an essential part of Mr Marschke’s life.

Scott Milini, Levi Towart and Gavin Marschke in 2007 at the Sunshine Coast Scorchers season launch. Picture: Warren Lynam

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 15 Sunshine Coast singles titles, 10 of which were consecutive.

Marschke also won the Sunshine Coast table tennis crown and was an established tennis player at Maroochydore and Palmwoods.

The sport of cricket still remained in top spot with the talented left-handed batsman and highly regarded wicketkeeper going on to play more than 260 matches, scoring more than 5900 runs from 211 games in the A-grade division.

Marschke won 12 Sunshine Coast first-grade cricket grand finals, captaining Nambour to six of them.

He worked as a soft drink maker for 30 years at Wimmers Cordials in Nambour and was a secretary and treasurer at the Sunshine Coast Cricket Association for 13 years.

Sunshine Coast Sports Hall of Fame Induction in 2008, John Blanck, Edith Blanck and Gavin Marschke. Picture: Warren Lynam

He is a life member of the SCCA and the Nambour Cricket Association and also became one of the best umpires in the country with invitations from Townsville to Toowoomba from Queensland Country, and state contests for Queensland, NSW, Tasmania and South Australia.

Touring international sides, India, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and the West Indies watched his finger rise in crucial decisions during his 372-match career.

He was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2007 for services to cricket, attending the 2008 Allan Border Medal Presentation as the Umpires Representative for Queensland.

These followed the Australian Sports Medal, the Australia Day Council Achievement Award, numerous Life Memberships, and fittingly, in 2017, the official Sports Legend Award from the Sunshine Coast Sports Association.