Sample radio interview on cricket

Radio Announcer: Welcome to the Sports Factor. Our guest today is the son of former prime minister and war time leader John Curtin. Thank you for joining us today, John. I believe your father had a great interest in cricket. Did he actually play cricket himself?

John Curtin (junior): Well, yes he did. He absolutely loved to play the game. Of course, you know he was born in Victoria. He started out there as a wicket keeper for a local junior team called Primrose XI and then went on to play grade cricket with Brunswick.

Radio Announcer: What sort of player do you think he was?

John Curtin (junior): From what people tell me about his early days he was considered to be a ‘useful bat’ at Brunswick.

Radio announcer: What about when he moved to the West? Did he get involved in cricket in WA?

John Curtin (junior): He joined the Cottesloe Cricket Club once he moved to WA. He played middle order batsman there. Fred Mann, who was a young lad at the time told me this story about the first time he prepared to bowl to dad. As you know dad had a distinct cast in his left eye. Well, Fred couldn’t work out how dad could possibly see the ball to hit so he took things gently to begin with. Once he saw that dad was a determined batsman, however, he gave him the lot.

Radio announcer: Was he involved in cricket in any other way, apart from playing himself?

John Curtin (junior): We were both members of the Cottesloe Cricket Club and sometimes he umpired junior cricket for my team. That was before he became a Member of Parliament, of course. He was also vice president of the club and a member of the Western Australian Cricket Association (WACA).

Radio Announcer: I have heard it said that your father was a Wisden addict? Is that true?

John Curtin (junior): He loved to read about cricket and it certainly inspired some of his speeches. And yes I do think he was a Wisden addict. His knowledge of cricket history was amazing.

Radio Announcer: Just in closing, can you think of any times he used cricket imagery in his speeches.

John Curtin (junior): There was one speech he gave that was particularly moving. Mind you, I only got this second hand. It was during the war. Governor General Lord Gowrie had just lost his son in action and dad was speaking at Albert Hall. He said: 'We cannot measure the cost of this terrible war in money and material things. I doubt if there can be any spiritual assessment of the loss. I am certain that just as many a Bradman of the future has lost the chance of development, … .' He was very conscious of the high human cost of young lives in war and very sad for the Governor General and his wife.

Radio Announcer: Well I’m afraid that’s all that we have time for today. Thanks John for joining us today. It’s been a pleasure to talk to you about your father, Prime Minister and war time leader John Curtin.

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