Shane Warne memorial: Prime Minister Scott Morrison responds to boos
Scott Morrison has responded to the boos he copped during Shane Warne’s state funeral, in an interview on Sam Armytage’s podcast. LISTEN TO THE PODCAST
National
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Scott Morrison has dismissed the boos he copped during a memorial for Shane Warne at the MCG as just part of the job of a politician.
“Politicians always get booed at every sporting stadium in the country — it’s par for the course. It’s a bit of a ritual,” the prime minister told Samantha Armytage on her Stellar podcast Something To Talk About.
Mr Morrison was met with a frosty reception from some members of the 60,000-strong audience when his attendance was announced during formalities on Wednesday night.
The PM added some Warnie fans came up and thanked him when he was leaving the MCG.
“I was leaving last night that beautiful service for Shane. I was walking back to the car and there was a lovely group of people there waiting for me to leave just to say thank you,” Mr Morrison said.
“I wasn’t expecting that and it was nice of them to do it. And to be honest that happens more often than the alternative.”
He took aim at the media saying they prefer to concentrate on negative interactions with the public rather than the positive, citing his trip to Cobargo following the bushfires.
“You won’t see it on TV, you won’t hear it often out of the media. Why would they?” Mr Morrison said.
“Because that suggests the PM actually connects with people and why would they want to tell Australians that?”
Some fans criticised those who booed the PM, saying it was “not the time or place” for politics, taking to social media to express their disapproval.
“Not the place or event to get political. It was a memorial service, not a political rally. Have some respect,” Patti Rose-Holden wrote on Facebook.
“Don’t like him? Vote home (sic) out in May. Booing him is disrespectful to Warnie and his family,” shared Briony Sheather.
Mary Andriotis added: “People have no respect. Tonight was not about politics, it was about everyone showing their respect for Shane Warne!”
Michelle Coupe also weighed in: “Disgusting behaviour – this memorial is about Shane Warne! Save your opinions and behaviour for more appropriate occasions or better still direct your energy towards being kind!”
It came as Warne’s star-studded state funeral was watched by nearly two million viewers in Australia after it was shown live across several TV networks.
Seven’s broadcast attracted the biggest audience with 829,000, smashing Nine’s metro audience which had less than half the viewers (403,000).
More than 163,000 viewers tuned in via ABC TV and another 161,000 on Ten.
The Foxtel channels including Sky News, FOX Cricket and FOX Footy drew more than 204,000 Warnie fans.
Collectively, Warne’s state funeral – attended by a who’s who of the sporting and celebrity world – was watched by more than 1.8 million Australians across the various networks.
The Sun reported that a billion viewers were estimated to have tuned in worldwide to watch the cricketing great’s memorial, including an audience of 300 million in India alone, as well as millions in the UK, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
A-LIST STARS FAREWELL WARNIE
Warne was a sports-loving bogan from Black Rock who appealed to every walk of life.
The vegemite, baked beans and pizza eating larrikin admitted as much in his most recent autobiography called No Spin.
“The fact is, I was a bogan,” Warne would say of his beer-swilling and fun ways.
“I still am deep down, really.”
It was that likeable persona, the proud Melburnian who lived and breathed footy, that attracted him to every day Aussies plus business leaders, entertainers, politicians and rock stars around the world.
They all united to bid farewell in fitting style to the champion of spin and the superstar of society.
He could play cricket, mix with dignitaries, dated glamour girls, drove top line cars, lived in multimillion-dollar mansions but he could also talk to the common man.
The MCG was packed with familiar faces. Other cricket luminaries included Merv Hughes, Adam Gilchrist, Michael Clarke, Simon Katich, Darren Berry, Brett Lee, Andrew Symonds, Darren Lehmann, David Boon, Simon O’Donnell, Glenn McGrath, Nathan Lyon, Steve Waugh.
From the entertainment world, mourners included Molly Meldrum, Glenn Robbins, Dermott Brereton, Sam Newman, Fifi Box, and Hamish McLachlan.
Famous footballers were also among the crowd including Jonathan Brown, Brendan Fevola, Billy Brownless, Garry Lyon, Gary Ablett Jr, Nick Riewoldt, Marcus Bontempelli and Michael Long.
Other guests in attendance were Governor Linda Dessau, Mick Gatto, Lord Mayor Sally Capp, Brodie Harper, Leigh Montagna, Havana Brown and business, industry and sport leaders as well as politicians — including former Prime Minister John Howard.
Singers Jon Stevens and Anthony Callea provided the live music while a fair line up of international stars sent their unique messages and performances — Elton John, Chris Martin, Robbie Williams and Ed Sheeran.
Tributes came from a variety of names who need no introduction: James Packer, Greg Norman, Hugh Jackman, Kylie and Dannii Minogue, and Kelly Slater.
Dannii, who Warne had nicknamed “Disco”, referenced the longstanding friendship between the Warne and Minogue families.
“You are absolutely Mr Sunshine, you have always been so incredible to my family as so much love to you and your family from all of us and I miss you,” Dannii said, in a recorded tribute.
Warne’s group of poker playing mates gathered in the city on Tuesday night for a round in honour of their king who would always generously host them at his house.
One of those players, former footy star and broadcaster Campbell Brown, said their poker nights were ‘legendary’, this one organised by Joe Hachem. Other players included Tony Hachem, St Kilda president Andrew Bassat and Glenn Maxwell.
“It was a good venue, the poker wrapped up about midnight and we got about 14 or 15 there and it was a really nice night,’’ he said.
“Joe just thought it would be a good idea to get together in a private environment and have a game of poker because we probably won’t see each other after the service.
“Warnie would always be in charge of the music. He’d have Ed Sheeran on, Bruce Springsteen and no one else could go near it.
“We’d play poker till the early hours and these nights were legendary.
“They’d been going for about 20 years. There were about 15 of us in a WhatsApp group and the banter was magnificent.
“The poker crew will miss him as much as anyone.”
Host of Warne’s funeral among family and friends and of the state memorial, Eddie McGuire, said it was no surprise so many big names had connected with the cricket great.
“He had an amazing charisma that took this Black Rock kid, Black Rock bogan if you like, who could go to three-star Michelin restaurants and order a pizza in, and could walk with kings and the greatest names in world sport — but at the same time never forgot those who he walked with around the streets of Melbourne with,’’ McGuire said.
“That’s why everyone loved him and that’s why we’re grieving so badly.” Warne’s close friend, Aaron Hamill, who he grew close with him while playing for the Saints, said Warne never felt he was better than anyone else.
A message written by James Packer was delivered by McGuire: “While Shane will be remembered for his exploits, I’ll remember him as a hero, a friend, a man who was brilliant, vulnerable, lovely and fiercely loyal,” Packer’s tribute said.
“I could sneak a smoke with him, listen to music and share stories, our successes and failures.
“He was wickedly funny, cheerful and fearless, he was so very human. I’ll miss those hugs forever.”
Aaron Hamill, former St Kilda player, spoke about how Warne was his best man on his wedding day.
He said at a nervous moment, Warne gave Hamill a hug and said: “Mate, it’s not too late” and produced two passports.
“He managed to get a hold of my passport, just for a gag,” Hamill said.
Sam Newman joked he put a “beach wing” on his beach house with all the money he lost to him on bets.
“All he wanted to talk about was footy, footy, footy. Whether he’d taken five for … or the 2005 Ashes series where he was certainly helping me through a few things and he was interested in what was happening back at the club. Always there if you needed a hand whether here or with an auction item. He’d show the boys how good he was at snaps and kicking goals. The Aussie rules flavour, that’s all he wanted to, was play Aussie rules footy. That wasn’t to be but it turned out OK for him.”
Former footy star turned radio host Brendan Fevola said Warne touched so many lives with his generosity, charisma and ability.
“It wasn’t just his cricket, it was his off field stuff,’’ Fev said.
“So many people could relate to it.
“He was a great human and I was lucky enough to be in the jungle with Shane but I saw first hand as well, he did so much for kids. He’d cop a lot of shit off people, but he did so much for kids and he raised millions and millions of dollars. He didn’t have to but he did it because he knew he had a yardstick where he could touch people’s lives and he had the friends who could donate money.
“He did golf days and gee that man was good at everything. He played for St Kilda and he always used to say to me I would have been a superstar full forward if it wasn’t for Tony Lockett because he was there at the same time.”
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