Award Speech
(This award speech is to be presented amongst family, friends, colleagues and selected sports illustrators)
Award given: Australian of the year award
Name of the presenter: Dale McGrath (brother to Glenn McGrath)
Where event is held: Sydney opera house
Glenn McGrath
Good evening everybody, my name is Dale McGrath. I am filled with immense happiness and joy to be standing here in today to present this prestigious award to my older brother Glenn. Glenn is a man who has achieved so much throughout his career and I would like to remind you of his kind generosity by establishing the McGrath foundation in honor of his wife and for those who suffer from breast and bone cancer.
At a very young age, Glenn was passionate about cricket. Growing up on a farm in rural New South Wales we were often pushed by our parents to our limits. It was truly hard times. We were boys doing men’s work to help our parents with the scarce income and crippling bills. After a hard days work Glenn continued thumping that red leather ball into the steel drum. I remember our parents Beverly and Kevin talking of Glenn’s love of cricket and having to literally drag Glenn by the shirt into the house for dinner. They never thought that the well-respected cricket commentator Richie Benaurd would be yelling the name Glenn McGrath in the years to come.
Beverly was her son’s greatest supporter but wanted him to follow the path of basketball. This was because he was surely built for it being tall and thin. Glenn’s peers always doubted his dreams and who would’ve thought that Glenn would turn out to be one of the greatest bowlers ever. Through Glenn’s perseverance and self-belief he accomplished his childhood dream of becoming a professional cricketer.
Growing up with Glenn I got to witness the highs and lows, which we both endured. Our parent’s eventual divorce only made us all stronger, which means we all had to defend and take care of each other during these times....