The Revered Rev

The revered Reverend; Pete Nelson

My first encounter with the man affectionately known in Canberra cricketing circles as ‘The Rev’, was as part of the opposition, a young upstart trying to forge my way up the grades, playing on a dodgy wicket in the leafy suburb of Aranda. Plodding to the wicket with his team precariously placed at 5-30 was an elderly gentleman shoulders hunched, dragging his bat behind him like a man who’d lost his dog off its leash.

Being a naive and chirpy teenager I piped up from the slips cordon ‘let’s see how he goes upstairs’ (a signal to the bowler to rip the ball in short at the ribs or head of the batsmen) I thought to myself ‘let’s see how the old bloke handles the quick stuff’ as our tear away steamed in. I felt a sense of guilt as the quickie dropped the ball in short and it seared towards his sternum, guilt that soon turned astonishment as the old fella swivelled onto the back foot and uncoiled a pull shot a young Ricky Ponting would have been proud of, the ball rushing to the mid-wicket boundary. Rubbing my eyes in disbelief my skipper at gully quipped ‘don’t bowl short to the Rev’. Between overs I said ‘why didn’t you mention something earlier?’ he replied ‘I thought you young punks needed to learn a lesson.’

It was the first of many lessons I would learn from the ‘Reverend’ Peter Nelson.

Pete Nelson was aged 55 that day in Canberra and had been playing in the Nation’s capital for nearly eleven years. He made his Canberra cricketing 1st grade debut at the tender age of 46. At time of publication, he is the leading run scorer for the North Canberra-Gunghalin Cricket Club (NCGCC), amassing 6530 runs at a tick under 30 in 274 games, with no danger of being overtaken anytime soon.

Before his debut in Canberra, he started his cricketing career, like many others, tagging around Launceston with his uncles, shadow batting in the dressing rooms of country cricket games emulating fellow left handed heroes Arthur Morris and Neil Harvey. At the age of eight he began playing for the Glenn Dhu State School in Launceston before going onto represent Riverside and Northern Tasmania.

He regards his finest cricketing hour as also his greatest disappointment, when as a young man, he was selected to play in the Tasmanian XI against the great West Indies side of the late 60’s. This team included the likes of Wes Hall, Charlie Griffith and Sir Garfield Sobers. Just days before the match he made a trip to the countryside on business. Arranging with his family before he left, ‘If Bob Ingermell’s calls tell him I’ll be back Friday evening and ready to play the following day‘. As anticipated ‘Bob’ called on Thursday eve only for a member of the family forget the previous conversation; claiming ‘Oh, I’m terribly sorry Pete’s away in the country’. Come Saturday when he arrived to the game as a spectator, he bumped into Vice Captain Neil Hawke who stared daggers at him ‘WHY ARE YOU NOT PLAYING TODAY?’ With disappointment sprawled across his face Pete explained the situation.

His proudest innings came for Northern Tasmania against a quality seam bowling attack, where he grafted 47 on a sticky pitch, he and Barry Harman putting on 65 for the first wicket guiding his team through a difficult morning session, where he banked on all his concentration and reserves. Not a score that would have people reaching for the record books, but a contribution that he said ‘helped his team to victory’ a common theme during his career of putting the team before himself.

He played with and against many fine cricketers during those developmental days on the Apple Isle: John Hampshire, Len Maddocks, Neil Hawke, Dougie Walters and idiosyncratic English keeper Allan Knott. The latter left the greatest impression with his attention to detail and professionalism, particularly when after suffering an Achilles tendon strain, he refused to drive a stick shift vehicle preferring instead to be driven around town to avoid further damage.

Being part of the winning premiership team in 1981 while playing for the Malvern Sub-District cricket side in Melbourne was a highlight. Here his team was the best of 28 sides and took out both the two day and one day competitions. It wasn’t until the following pre-season he became aware his team mates where being paid to play, Pete simply played for the love of the game… and the following year top the averages for the side.
That season he played against former Adelaide Crows coach Malcolm Blight who was representing Doncaster, Malcolm got wind of Pete’s occupation. Coming up against a raging turner and a mouthy Blight who whenever Pete was beaten past the outside edge would exclaim ’HALLELUJAH!!’ from 1st slip. In the Rev’s words ‘there were more Hallelujah’s than runs that day’.

1st row, 2nd from the left; with the ACT over 60's national premieres.

This year at the Over 60’s National Masters Tournament, representing the ACT, the old boys took out the trophy. Pete had taken part in the past seven tournaments and was overjoyed to finally bring home the Silverware from this year’s tournament.

From an early age Pete had to make a choice between faith and cricket; when in the 1970 pre-season he was selected in the Tasmanian squad but because training clashed with his religious commitments, Pete had to make a tough decision for any young man, he chose faith.
He claims it to be central point in his life and has always taken priority over his sport. Often required at funerals and weddings, he has always given others priority. One day during a match, he was called away by an emergency phone call from a member of his Parish who was suicidal; he left immediately to support them.

These days there are three things he enjoys most about the game: the exercise it provides in his 70th year, ‘some people go to gyms, some run kilometres along the roadside, I go to cricket practice.’ he professed. Secondly he enjoys learning more about the game, ‘You never know all there is to know about the game, there are always ways you can learn and improve in this game’. Finally he loves the challenge of adapting the skills of the game to his waning reflexes and eye sight. More recently and reluctantly he has put away the pull and hook shots he was famous for in his younger days.

He sees the role in community sport pivotal in promoting understanding between cultures and playing part in the lives of young people who participate. This is especially true for those who may come from difficult families or circumstances or with no father figure around. It highlights the role club mates and mentors can play in supporting these youngsters.

During his time in Mildura, he coached an Aboriginal team at a time when there was racial tension in Australia, he saw the value sport played in creating respect and understanding between cultures. Aboriginal’s who played against white teams in the area, were recognized and greeted at the markets or the grocery store, an unusual occurrence in that day. ’Sport was the one medium, especially in that area, that was able to break down barriers’. He saw the structure it was able to provide Indigenous people in their day to day lives. In modern day cricket he sees the value it has in starting a dialogue between cultures.

Retired from official Pastoral duties, the Rev now plays the role of a spiritual advisor at the Australian Institute of Sport for athletes who have moved away from home. Providing counsel when they suffer injuries, the loss of a loved one or generally feel they have hit a road block.
Off the field, the Rev has recently received awards for volunteering his services for his beloved NCGCC, he has also been awarded for 50 years’ service to the game an award he claims ‘you only need to stick around for’, both of which he greatly appreciates.

Asked if there is anything he would have done differently ‘Oh yes‘ he proclaims, I would have listened more, practiced harder, believed myself more and not been intimidated by the opposition from the mainland in my younger days’. ‘It wasn’t really until David Boon and Ricky Ponting came along that people in Tassie started to believe they could be good enough to go to the next level’.

Receiving one of many award

Rev though, is not of the numbers and figures he has accumulated or the achievements he has collected along the way.....His is the story of a man who puts everyone before himself. His team mates, his family and God.

In many ways he is like the thousands of volunteers who turn up, unpaid, to co-ordinate, organise and score at sporting grounds across the country every weekend. But for the Rev, it is his humility, selflessness and uncanny ability to make others feel better by his mere presence that makes this man someone special.

My enduring memories of him, is as a 70 year at a local College oval for preseason fitness training, running shuttle runs with clubs mates a quarter his age and co-ordinating net sessions making sure each player has the chance to bat and bowl and then, time permitting, he straps on the pads in the fading light of the Nation’s Capital sky, ready to take on the new ball, once again, putting everyone before himself.

 Thank God for the Rev!!