I was born in 1943 into a keen cricketing family. We were a farming family and played cricket in the summer and tennis in the winter, but cricket was our first love. Our farm was in the Windera district about halfway between Murgon and Gayndah. Windera Cricket Club started in 1913 and we had a team in the South Burnett competition playing against Kingaroy, Murgon, Wondai, Goomeri, Cherbourg and Kilkivan teams.
My dad and his brothers were good players and Uncle Freddie opened the bowling for South Queensland country with Eddie Gilbert. He moved to Wellington Point after he came back from the war and has the No. 2 Oval named after him at the Redlands Cricket Centre. He was classed as the best all-round cricketer to come out of the South Burnett. My dad was a fast out-swing bowler and hard-hitting batsman, and after bowling well against Wests at Gracemere, they wanted him to play in Brisbane but farm and family came first.
