The Clara Shumack Trophy
St George Cricket Club | November 21, 2024
When the St George Sutherland Slayers played the Australian Defence Force (ADF) on Tuesday 12 November they contested the Clara Shumack Trophy, honouring a great Australian nurse who spent a large part of her life serving the St George District.
Born in Bathurst in 1899 Clara Shumack trained as a nurse at St George and Prince Henry Hospitals before returning to St George as a Registered Nurse in the late 1920s. After stints at Canterbury Hospital as Assistant Matron then in a private doctor’s surgery she worked for a little over a year in Europe. In 1937 she returned to St George Hospital gaining a reputation as a first rate theatre sister while living at Sth Hurstville.
The outbreak of war saw Shumack enlisted and in 1940 appointed matron in the Australian Army Nursing Service. She served on the hospital ship Manunda making four trips to the Middle East war zone between October 1940 and September 1941. In February 1942, with the ship in moored in Darwin it was hit during a Japanese air raid with 12 killed and 18 seriously wounded. It was reported that during the raid Shumack ‘calmly and efficiently supervised the nursing of the wounded and dying’.
Later in 1942 Shumack made the first of 27 voyages to New Guinea, on the second trip while moored in Milne Bay enemy warships entered the harbour firing over the Manunda. Shumack was not happy as the shelling was ‘interrupting her work’. After being appointed Major in 1943 she was transferred to the hospital in Port Moseby, serving as Matron. In 1945 she was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and awarded the Royal Red Cross in June with the citation noting her ‘exceptional devotion to duty’.
After the war Clara Shumack became a foundation fellow of the College of Nursing, Australia and served at Concord and Lithgow Hospitals as Matron before taking up that role back in the St George district she loved at Lucy Gullett Convalescent Home in Bexley. She died in December 1974.
The Clara Shumack Trophy honours a woman of enormous courage whose outstanding war service record reminds us of the sacrifices that are made in the service of others. In Clara’s case service that was displayed before and after the war.
The Game
On the 12th of November The Slayers took on the Combined ADF (Australian Defence Force) team for the Clara Shumack Trophy. The Slayers team was made up with a mixture of experience and youth and they combined well to take out the trophy.
Lauren Miletich (81) had a great partnership with Katie Abrook (46) to guide the Slayers to victory chasing a competitive total of 172 of their 40 overs. Our bowling was lead by Phoebe Allen taking 3 for 27 from her 8 overs.
It was was a great display of the Slayers spirit and all that helped provided to make the day a success was greatly appreciated..
The Slayers look forward to making this a permanent fixture in the cricket calendar.
