Australia Day 2021: Local legends among Oz Day honours

They’ve poured countless hours across several decades into their local clubs, and now a host of Melbourne’s sporting stalwarts have been bestowed national honours.

Michael Walsh: From the ‘burbs to international cricket tours with Australia.

A lifelong love of cricket has taken Michael Walsh around the globe — and into the Australia Day honours for 2021.

An involvement spanning almost six decades as a scorer and volunteer has culminated in a Medal (OAM) of the Order of Australia for services to cricket.

The scoring role is one Walsh has held since 1963 at Essendon Cricket Club after his mother had inquired about a vacancy listed in the local paper.

“I played at school and I used to listen on the radio — I always had a pen in my hand and I’d do the scoring on a pad,” Walsh said.

Little did he know, arriving at Windy Hill as a 14-year-old, that his passion would land him in the scoring chair on 17 international tours across a decade with the Australian side, highlighting that the team never lost in England in his five visits.

“I had a lot of good times — it’s fantastic travelling with a successful side. David Boone always said — ‘We train hard, we play hard and when we win, we celebrate hard.’”

Walsh is also a member of the Cricket Victoria 200 Club where he’s accumulated 40 years of service.

Also among the sporting honours are Lawrence ‘Lawrie’ Barnett for significant service to Australian rules football and Little Athletics, George Voyage for service to amateur Australian rules football and cricket, Alan Wickes for service to the community of Frankston and Australian rules football, and Janet Howard for service to cricket.

Barnett was made a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia for more than 40 years as a coach, umpire and administrator, and described his honour as “a real shock”.

He holds life memberships across Little Athletics, the Yarra Junior Football League and the YJFL umpires’ association.

“It’s always nice to be recognised but I never did it for that — you go along to enjoy yourself which is what I’ve always done,” he said.

Wickes (OAM) played 14 matches for Collingwood from 1958-1961 before serving as captain-coach of Frankston from 1962-65 and president from 1971-79, and also representing Seaford as captain-coach from 1966-68. He also served as president of the Victorian Football Association (VFA) from 1981-84 and head of the Frankston and District Junior Football League (FDJFL) from 2006-11, which he founded in 1965 and served as secretary until 1972.

Wickes holds life memberships across the Frankston and Seaford football clubs, the FDJFL and its umpires’ association, and the VFA.

Howard (OAM) is a life member of the Ringwood Cricket Club where she holds roles as assistant secretary, delegate for the Eastern Cricket Association, and scorer which she’s served as since 1973, as well as scorer for the Deepdene CC. She’s a foundation member and secretary of the Victorian Umpires and Scorers Association and a member of the Cricket Victoria 200 Club.

Voyage, who received the Medal (OAM) of the Order of Australia, joined the Victorian Amateur Football Association board in 2008 where he is president, following a successful sporting career on and off the field.

George Voyage serves as president of the VAFA board. Picture: VAFA Media.

He’s a life member of the Brighton and St Kilda cricket clubs, and a former player and coach of the Caulfield Grammarians Football Club across more than 50 years of involvement in the two codes.

Voyage noted the people met along the way as his highlight across five decades.

“I’m just representing thousands of people in our community and (sport) binds our community together,” he said.

“There would be tens of thousands (deserving of this honour) in my boat and I’m just really honoured that someone saw fit to nominate me — I’m just one person in our community.”