Former Western Australian Sport Minister Terry Waldron takes on new role as WACA Chair

Terry ‘Tuck’ Waldron, the former Western Australian Minister for Sport and Recreation, has taken on the role of Chair of the Western Australian Cricket Association (WACA) Board.

Taking over from the Dr Ken Michael following his retirement at the WACA AGM at the end of last month, the appointment followed a thorough process by the WACA Nominations Committee that called for expressions of interest from within the WACA Board, interviews and finally a recommendation to the WACA Board.

Western Australia’s Minister for Sport and Recreation and Minister for Racing and Gaming from 2008 to 2014, Waldron was one of the proponents of the development of Perth’s new and highly successful Optus Stadium, which now host the Test and major cricket fixtures that used to be held at the WACA.

With the WACA ground needing to be redeveloped, but facing challenges in mounting a case for more public money as it no longer hosts elite international men's cricket, Waldron's experience of the workings of government are seen as being highly valuable in navigating a future for the historic venue.

Speaking about this heritage, Waldron told the ABC this week "so many people love the history and the heritage of the WACA and I am one of those.

"When I was in England recently I was lucky enough to go to a couple of Test matches and everyone knows the WACA. Everyone knows about the famous Fremantle Doctor and the heat that we get here and some of the great things that happened here.

"That heritage is really important to me and really important to the WACA."

Prior to the last Federal election, the Labor Party pledged funds for the redevelopment of the WACA, bout this was not matched by the winning Coalition.

Now, looking to a future for the WACA, Waldron sees the East Perth ground as a secondary cricket venue to serve high-performance, the women's game and state competitions, as is the case in other states.

He advised "the advent of the (new Optus) Stadium puts the WACA in a unique position.

"We are located well with the Stadium (and) we have already supported major events at the Stadium with the major soccer teams coming and training here as a lead up to their games.

"But for cricket this will be the headquarters. We will have other events here - I like to think we will have football back here at some stage - but first we need to get that funding.

"There has been a hell of a lot of work done. I do want to make sure we can progress."

The Western Australia Government has already given a $100,000 grant to the WACA to help install all-gender changerooms ahead of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup next year.

Waldron was appointed to the WACA Board in mid-2017, having been involved in cricket all his life as a player, coach, administrator and development officer.

Hailing from the Great Southern region, Waldron was a batsman-wicketkeeper, captained the WA Country Cricket XI for 12 years and the Australian Country XI for three.

He played Premier Cricket for Claremont-Cottesloe, Willetton and Kensington (South Australia), and was involved in 21 matches against International Touring sides.

His passion for sport also saw him play 47 games for Claremont in the Western Australian National Football League (WANFL) and later 17 games for the South Adelaide Football Club in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL).

During the early 1990s, Waldron worked as a Cricket and Football Development Officer for the Great Southern Region, before being appointed the General Manager of the Western Australian Country Football League in 1992 and continued until entering politics.

In a statement, the Western Australian Cricket Association advised “the WACA wishes to thank Dr Ken Michael for his dedication and service over the past four years. Under Dr Michael’s guidance cricket in WA has seen great change; the transition of cricket to the new Optus Stadium, the development of the concept plans for the WACA Ground, the rise of the WA High Performance program to number one in the country and the growth of diversity within community cricket.”

The WACA has also been suggested as a possible base for the WA Football Commission.

Images: Terry Waldron [right] with his predecessor as WACA Chair Dr Ken Michael AC (top, courtesy of the WACA), the $75 million proposal to redevelop the WACA Ground from earlier this year (middle, courtesy of the WACA) and the famous ground from the air (below).