The Keepers - part five. WEP Harris and Thommo
Ian Elks | June 05, 2023
Multi part interview with three of the finest Queensland and University of Queensland Wicket Keepers Lew Cooper, Wade Seccombe and Chris Hartley
William Edward Pender (WEP) Harris was born in October 1925.
He served in the Royal Australian Air Force from 1944 to 1946 and for the next 50 years he became a devoted member of the University of Queensland Cricket Club and Queensland Cricket as a player, secretary and administrator.
He passed away at the age of 71 in March 1997 and the University of Queensland Senate agreed that the Cricket Oval be renamed in his memory to acknowledge his outstanding contribution to cricket and sport in general at the University.
The interviews with Wade Seccombe, Chris Hartley and Lew Cooper concludes with their memories of WEP and Lew shares a story of his first experience with Jeff Thomson
The first thing that comes to mind about Wep?
Lew – It used to be a ‘pigsty’ in that kitchen, which WEP used to keep. He used to serve afternoon tea out of a big metal pot that he got off the stove. WEP would be on the phone most of the time. Harry Jefferies, from the Brisbane Telegraph, would be there. He’d be pissed, so WEP would write most of the column for the day. Harry would go off to the local bowls club and WEP would finish everything off.
He’d always be saying, ‘Those (St) John’s kids!’ Anything that happened, it would be ‘the John’s kids’. He’d join Tom Moran in the US every year, and come back with a different hat or sunglasses or some play thing. A good bloke WEP. I knew him real well and he was very good to me.
Wade – His heart was in the right place. I’ll never forget him answering the phone, ‘Hello, St Lucia.’ One year he came away with the Qld Colts team to Sydney. We played at Hurstville and the phone rang in WEP’s general vicinity. Instinctively he picked it up — ‘Hello, St Lucia.’
I remember him at the back of the nets, bellowing out instructions. But whether we were sitting on the balcony of the club or having a beer at the Regatta, he would have a photographic memory of any player at any club, and of their strengths and weaknesses. His knowledge on club cricket was unbelievable. He used to attend all the selection meetings ‘to stop the rorts’.
Lew – Probably came from the Clem days — Clem would pick his mighty C (Fourth) Grade team first, and the other teams were selected after that. Bobby Crane said he was never ‘promoted’ to C Grade, but was fortunate enough to play B Grade.
Chris – Similar memory — whatever WEP said, I just went along with it. You really got the idea that the club ran around and through him.
WEP’s unique catering style
Lew – I was a school teacher originally, and then a hotelier and licensee at pubs and clubs. I’d go into WEP’s shed/kitchen (at Uni No 1), conscious of the businesses that I was running, you know kitchens/bars etc., and the place was just a mess.
People would be getting fed out of there and I could hardly believe it. Everything would be semi- disorganised, but we’d always get there.
Ian – When we were playing, WEP used to get a student on a part-time basis to give him a hand to make burgers, mix drinks, serve the beers and clean the bar/BBQ afterwards. I remember WEP used to refer to one of the girls as ‘Stacia’. In WEP’s inimitable fashion, ‘Where’s Stacia? Stacia did this, Stacia did that.’ After all these years, Stacia turned out to be Annastacia Palaszczuk, who was putting herself through Uni flipping burgers for us. So she’s a Uni girl.
Wep’s car
Lew- I remember WEP was the first President of the Cricketers’ Club when I ran it. He wasn’t a big drinker, but he’d drink in the top bar of the QCC with Quentin Rice, who was a state selector at the time. They’d go home together and always stop at the South Brisbane Railway Station to pick up all the interstate newspapers.
WEP was a prolific reader of all the papers. After they finished reading them, they’d throw them over into the back seat of the car. So the back seat was full of newspapers and Christ knows what else. Anyway, he bought a new Datsun, and I was talking to the bloke who traded his old one in — Wally Taylor (Australian Champion boxer) — he said, ‘You know Lew, the newspapers filled the back seat up to the windows. That wasn’t so bad, but when we cleaned them out, we found an empty five gallon keg under them all!’ — that was WEP.
WEP the commentator
Lew – (Wep) was the manager of the Qld Sheffield Shield side, including the Southern Tour one year. He’d giggle away — ‘Hee, hee, hee.’ Bill Buckle was on the trip, he’d remember it.
He also used to commentate on baseball and rodeos. His baseball commentary would carry over to his cricket commentary when he used to host the Channel O knockout games. Guest players such as Richie Benaud and Alan Davidson use to come up and play with the club sides. It was televised and WEP’s favourite phrase — ‘a swing and a miss’.
Memories of Thommo
Lew – (Thommo) first came and played as a guest player, along with Terry Jenner, for Uni in a Channel O “Knock Out” Match, at the Gabba, in a game vs Valleys.
I didn’t know who Jeff Thomson was? We fielded and he bowled off his short run (it was raining). Bill Buckle was our Captain and he set the field. Bob Crane first slip, Bill Grienke second slip, Terry Jenner fourth slip/gully.
I looked around the field and noticed that Terry was fielding in a position which was a lot nearer to third man than in the gully! I said to Terry, mate, you’re in the gully – up here - and Terry said to me, “Have you seen this bloke bowl”? I said No? “Well I’m stopping here and you’re too f…king close”.
Anyway, every time Thommo bowled a ball at Geoff Gray, who was opening the batting for Valleys, it used to go straight through him. He wouldn’t get out of his block. Sh.t, he was quick. I couldn’t believe how quick he was. So I kept on going back and Terry Jenner kept yelling, “I told you so you mug”.
On the third ball, it was wet and I use that as an excuse, the ball went through my gloves and hit me in the guts and left me with one great big bruise. When we went off, I asked Jeff Thomson what he was up to and he said, “The f…ing NSW selectors don’t know what they’re doing.”
In my then position as Secretary Manager of the Qld Cricketers’ Club and with Greg Chappell’s permission, I approached Thommo about coming to Queensland. He said he’d come and have a look.
I got him a job at Sharp’s Electrical, through a bloke who use to drink in the Cricketers’ Club’s cocktail bar.
After an interview for the job, Thommo said no, I’m not going to do this. So I said to him if you do come to Brisbane what do you want to do? “All I want to do is go fishing and play cricket,” (replied Thommo)
I said mate, if you gonna come up here you gotta work. What sort of work do you want to do?
“Aren’t you fu.kin listening”, he said, “All I want to do is go fishing and play cricket!”
So that’s all he bloody well did. He hung around the Cricketers’ Club and drank and ate with his good mate Lenny Pascoe. 4IP came to the party and paid him a motza. Gave him a Maserati and the rest is history.
(Thommo) came on a Wanderer’s Tour with us once and normally you get two men and a dog along to a game - there was 2000 to watch him play, he was such an attraction.
What’s more, the crowd was full of women, trying to get in the dressing rooms and on to the team Bus. All the young fellas, like Greg Ritchie, thought it was marvellous as they were all getting the cast offs and the seconds. Good trip it was.
