21 February 2002
ATSIC TV SERVES UP AN ABC DOUBLE The Prime Minister, Mr Howard and ATSIC Chairman, Geoff Clark, described it as a great day for the nation. The Canberra Times and a host of other domestic and overseas print and electronic media declared it "an extraordinary day of cricket." ABC viewers will get a chance to see what they were all talking about when the ATSIC TV-produced, It's Just Not Cricket, screens across the nation on February 23. The half hour documentary showcases last year's inaugural Prime Minister's XI versus ATSIC Chairman's XI cricket match, featuring a relaxed and comfortable Mr Howard and an ATSIC Chairman, a larger-than-life lookalike of W.G.Grace. The match at Canberra's scenic Manuka Oval commemorated the first Australian team to tour England in 1868 - an all Indigenous team -- and saw the ATSIC Chairman's XI beat the odds to win by seven wickets during the final three balls of the game. The documentary also features a host of celebrities and unique footage. Highlights include Sydney Swans superstar Tony Lockett dismissing batsman Anthony Mundine, and interviews with Australian captain Steve Waugh, who led the Prime Minister's side. Australian team speedster, Jason Gillespie, who was the non-playing captain of the ATSIC Chairman's XI due to injury, Senator Aden Ridgeway and Olympic gold medallist, Nova Peris, also feature in the video. The match has prompted a resurgence in official support for the involvement of young Indigenous cricketers at elite levels. The ABC's screening of the documentary is timely as it occurs on the eve of a rematch between the two teams at Manuka Oval on 8 March. The ABC broadcast of the cricket documentary will be followed immediately by another ATSIC TV-produced documentary. "The ATSIC Sports Awards 2001" celebrates Indigenous peoples' recent achievements in sport and give an insight into the long and proud history behind those achievements. It features Indigenous leaders, performers and athletes from a wide range of sports honour their best and brighest. The program features a relaxed Cathy Freeman, Adelaide Crows star Andrew McLeod and boxer Anthony Mundine and his father, Tony. The highlight is AFL legend Ron Barrassi reuniting WAFL football legend Bill Dempsey with his 1969 Grand Final best-and-fairest Simpson Medal. The medal was lost nearly 30 years ago in Cyclone Tracy and Bill had absolutely no idea he would be reunited with it on the night. This remarkable story has been headline news in Western Australia, Victoria and the Northern Territory and was recently featured nationally on Channel 9's Nightline program. *It's Just Not Cricket goes to air at 3.30 p.m.AEDT on Saturday 23 February and "ATSIC Sports Awards" follows at 4.00 p.m. AEDT --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] --------------------------------------------------------------------- RecOzNet2 has a page @ http://www.green.net.au/recoznet2 and is archived at http://www.mail-archive.com/recoznet2%40paradigm4.com.au/ until 11 March, 2001 and Recoznettwo is archived at http://www.mail-archive.com/recoznettwo%40green.net.au/ from that date. This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner, except for "fair use."
