Neil Marks - RIP old mate and thank you

Tim Ebbeck | January 29, 2024

I was still at school when I first met the great Neil Marks. 

There was some discussion between my school principal at St Leo's College, the truly inspirational Brother Brian Berg, and Neil about whether I should be playing grade cricket or continuing to focus on school cricket. As much as I felt I let down Brother Berg, I decided to focus on grade cricket with the Club. I had always wanted to represent Northern District Cricket Club based at what was then known as Waitara Park, later known as Mark Taylor Oval.

What an education. I was blessed to have Brian Berg as a school principal and cricket mentor. He was the most brilliant school principal, an Australian Schoolboys selector and manager, rolled a terrific wicket at the school #1 oval himself, took the First X1 away for country trips and had us stay in a local pub and engage with the locals rather than be billeted out, and a wonderful advocate for the Western Suburbs District Cricket Club and the legendary Wally Welham which was challenging! Imagine that sort of leadership from a Christian Brother! But that was the wonderful Brian Berg. Education was about like experiences. 

And then to have the privilege of spending so much time with Neil was just more priceless life experience.

Neil was captain of second grade at Northern District Cricket Club at the time. I had represented the club at Green Shield level, and at the end of my first season I was playing second grade. It was the beginning of some wonderful friendships with mates such as Peter Vilimaa, Michael Coote, Ross Turner, Brad Patterson, Randal Green, Paul and John Grimble, Steve Day, Brian Crawford, Greg Briggs, Jack "Trifecta" Moran, Jack Iredale, Billy North, Vic "Phanto" Gray, Hughey Martin, Dave Glason, Steve Liggins, Bobby Laing, Phil Blazey and of course Neil "Harpo" Marks.

Being a school kid, I didn't drive but lived close to Harpo and his beautiful wife Kay and their 3 lovely daughters in Wahroonga. So, Harpo would pick me up and we would go to games together. What an experience.

Those were the days when you arrived reasonably early for a game, did some rudimentary warm ups, played hard, played fair, and left late. Sometimes very late. Very very late.

You see, Harpo playing second grade was a great cricketer giving back. He had his own first class career cut short by a heart problem requiring surgery overseas. The same operation today would no doubt be done in the local hospital. But not then. Heart surgery was rare, complex, and very dangerous. Harpo was destined for a baggy green and greatness and that was taken away from him. But he loved cricket. He loved NDCC. His patron status of the club wasn't about being nice to a former player. Harpo bled our colours. He WAS NDCC through and through.

Playing under Harpo was sometimes tough. He was a task master. He played hard and he expected a lot from his team. It's not that he was unreasonable. But he played with people he believed in, and he desperately wanted them to succeed. In fact, the great successful NDs team I had the privilege of being part of in the 1980s came through the Harpo school. We won 3 PGs in a row and a 2nd grade premiership (under a young Steve Day who was anointed by Harpo). Harpo's influence was everywhere. He was a HUGE character with a wonderful ability to tell stories, charm people, lead on and off the field, and pick winners. He didn't always get it right but most of the time he did.

I remember Harpo walking up to me between overs on a day I didn't feel I was keeping that well. He had picked up on it. He said to me: "Timmy, how do you feel you're keeping today?". I said "Not as well as I should be Mr Marks." He asked, "So what do you think Esto (Pete Vilimaa) is thinking about your keeping?". I said, "I reckon he's worried he'll bowl a great ball, get the edge, and I might miss the chance." His reply was a lesson I have used throughout my whole life since. He said "Timmy, you haven't missed a ball and haven't conceded a bye all day. And Esto is not thinking about you at all. He's thinking about his own game. Stop worrying about what other people are thinking. Because they are almost certainly not thinking about you, and what they think is less important than you believing in yourself. I believe in you."

Wow. What a lesson. From a man who was a legend.

In his last season playing for the Club, Harpo scored a half century almost every time he went out to bat. He was in his forties but played every ball on his merits. He used to say that he could count on the fingers of one hand the number of truly great cover drives he had ever played. But did he accumulate runs or what! Amazing career stats. I was talking with one of my great mates Angus Farncomb yesterday and he recounted the story of Harpo playing as a fill in in 4^th grade in about 1981. Gus was an exciting up and comer and this grissly older bloke came out to bat with him and immediately took over. Quick singles, nothing flashy but runs accumulated effortlessly and another half century without having picked up a bat for a couple of years. Gus went home and told his dad about this old bloke and Dr Farncomb gave his son a lesson on who the great Neil Marks really was. Gus was in awe.

I mentioned we stayed late after games. That was because Harpo new everyone. He was the most amazingly well-networked person in the world. With an amazing sense of humour, wit and a monstrously large collection of stories. And a love of beer. His professional partnership with Warren Saunders always meant that a very large portion of the cricket world had their insurance work done by Warren and Neil. Neil no doubt covered the north and west. Warren the south and east. And I reckon they held about 98% of all insurance work in Sydney. Bill "Jingles" Jocelyn, another NDs legend and former CEO of GIO, no doubt was pretty happy with Warren and Neil's contract writing!!

I remember playing a game the day Jim Burke passed away. We were having the usual after game drinks with the opposition and the message came through that Jim had died. Jim was a mate of Neil's and another ND's alumni. Harpo went on tell the most amazing stories about Jim and the players of that era. He captivated players from both sides for hours. Memories were illustrated when Harpo told his stories. If you've never read one of his books, you should. But to have been there as a young bloke listening to them in real time, it was more than special. It was amazing. It was what the culture of cricket is all about.

Later on, I was playing first grade and took on the Club Secretary responsibilities for a season after the wonderful Hilary Griffith stepped down. Not a great move for me to be honest but great experiences. At the NSWCA AGM that year, I drove Harpo to the city for the meeting. We were drinking with Alan Davidson (another NDs alumni!) and the legendary Alan MacGillivray. Mr Macgilvray was in need of a lift home and Harpo said "Timmy can drive you!". Which I did. We were invited in to his apartment in the eastern suburbs for a quiet beer. That was 10pm. We left at 2am. I sat on the one beer listening to Harpo and the other great man share stories. What an experience!! But that was Harpo. He knew everyone and told stories better than anyone I have ever met.

That same year, we needed to renew our club sponsorship with McDonalds. I had a fledgling business career started and was in awe of meeting very senior business leaders (a fear I overcame later because I remembered one of Harpo's lessons). We walked into the headquarters of McDonald's in Sydney and were taken to the office of Bob Mansfield. Peter Richie and Bob had started McDonalds in Australia. And here we were about to meet Mr Mansfield. Bob opened his door and said "g'day Harpo!". I looked at Neil and thought this man knows bloody everyone! I tried to be professional and give Mr Mansfield the logic as to why continued sponsorship was a good thing. Harpo stopped me and said "Timmy, don't worry. Bobby knows the story. This isn't about selling hamburgers". Little did I know at that stage that Bob had played in one of Harpos successful 2nd grade teams at NDs. And Bob's business career was characterised by the values and style of the NDCC ethos and culture.

A few years later I have a very fond memory of us defeating a wonderful St George team in the 1985/86 first grade final. The story of this game has been told a number of times and the heroics of Peter Vilimaa (the best cricketer to ever come out of Estonia, indeed the only cricketer to come out of Estonia) and Patto (Bradley Harold Patterson of Monty Python fame) are cricket folklore. As we were celebrating in the change rooms, I remember taking a quiet moment to look around. So many wonderful club members for whom a first grade premiership after 23 years was an amazing thrill. Ken "Tex" Longley, Phil "Cupie" Harris, Kenny Tulk and so many more. And two faces stood out. Austin Hughes. The "Ger". The Club President. A wonderful man and known to so many in the world of cricket, who gave so much to our Club. Beaming. Joy. His "Boysh" had done it for his Club. And the second was Harpo, who was part of the last team to secure the Belvedere, and who had nurtured so many of members of the team that had just done it. Harpo was not just a bloke who played for Northern District. He was a big part of the fabric of the Club which I maintain has a culture and fabric which others aspire to emulate.

The following year I was batting in a semi final against the great Western Suburbs team of that era. Again, a game of folklore. Our great skipper, Ross Turner, and I held out to stumps to draw the game and give us the pathway to the final which we won against Paul Bourke's brilliant Campbelltown team the following week. Whilst batting in the semi, I faced one ball from Dave Gilbert that almost took my head off and deflected it for a single. I never faced another ball from that end and held out Greg Matthews for the next hour. Every ball I faced was followed by small talk from the Wests team, but also from an excited yelp from the grandstand. The Wests chatter was humorous to me. But the yelp was getting to me. It was Harpo. Living every ball. NDs blood pumping through his huge heart. Unable to control his passion. I tucked one from Mo through mid wicket and called Rossco through for 2. Harpo yelled from the grandstand "No!" He didn't want me facing Gilbo again. I've always reflected that there were 2 men at that game that I was so proud to performed in front of. One was my Dad who would attend games and quietly watch from the side of the ground. He was there as Rossco and I came off to a pretty amazing reception. Dad was beaming. The other was Harpo. He believed we would go back to back and his passion and excitement was just so evident, if not a little disconcerting!

Harpo picked some great talent. Some would say he had his favourites, and maybe they would be right. But that's not a sin. He generally got it right! Perhaps one of Harpo's greatest moments was picking out a young left handed opening batsman as a future Australian Captain before he'd even played a first grade game. Now, Mark Taylor was a left handed batter like Harpo. Bowled and did everything else right handed just like Harpo (and Peter Taylor). And was (and still is) so astute. Just like Harpo. He didn't go to Barker College which was a challenge (although Peter Taylor did which was comforting for Harpo!). Harpo picked some very good young players. As I said, he didn't always get it right, but the last person who did played first grade for the Bethlehem XI a couple of thousand years ago (to quote Harpo)!

Harpo was one of a kind. He could tell stories better than anyone. Clearly, he never let the truth get in the way of a great story! He was passionate. He was committed. He always gave 100%. And he knew cricket and cricketers. He epitomised the soul of cricket. We must never lose that.

But more importantly, Harpo was a loving husband and father, a bloke with 4 amazing women. In my view, a true test of a person is the people who love them. Well, Neil was a much loved person. His wife Kay was his batting partner. They formed the biggest partnership of Harpo's life. We would often drop in on the way home from games to have a chat with Kay and another couple of beers. She knew just as much about cricket as Harpo did. And about people. I recall being at a Sydney Test match and my wife, Sharon, was pregnant with our first child, Ben. We were in a box with the Marks group and so many more greats. Keith Miller. Ray Lindwall. Alex Bedser. Legends. They were all fussing over Sharon and her upcoming baby. I was stuttering, in awe. Kay walked outside and ran in to a little boy she knew from Sunday School. Kay came back into the room and started telling the story of her chat with the little boy. Apparently, the little boy said "Mrs Marks, you have a very famous cricketer in that room!" Kay said "Johnny, there a lot of very famous cricketers in that room." Johnny said "But Mrs Marks there's a VERY famous cricketer in there!!" Kay asked "Which one?" Johnny replied "He presented me with a trophy last week at my school cricket presentation night. It's Tim Ebbeck!" I nearly died. The great men laughed. Kay laughed. I was looking for a rock to climb under. But Kay could tell stories as well as Harpo. 

The partnership hasn't ended. It will live on forever.

The world is a poorer place without Neil Marks. 

But it is a far richer place for him having been here. He left his mark.

RIP old mate. 

And thank you."