This week marks a poignant moment in Lismore's history, as it is the departure of Stan and June Gilchrist from our city.

The Gilchrist's have left an indelible mark in Lismore, through cricket and through the fantastic work of Lord's Taverners and The Gilchrist Foundation, two charities that have changed people's lives.

My wife (Donna) and I, first met Stan and June at a Lord's Taverners fundraising event at the South Lismore Bowling Club. Along with our daughter, we went along for a bit of fun and to help support a very worthy cause. My bowling partner for the night was Stan, while June, partnered Donna and Callie.

We have stayed in touch and met on many occasions to help with both charities.

You may not have read Stan's Sunday Profile, which appeared in the early days of the Lismore App (2020) written by our first journalist Will Jackson. It is a great story from one of life's real gentlemen.

Stan Gilchrist, father of Lismore’s most famous cricketing export Adam Gilchrist, lived in a tent until he was about ten years old. Stan’s father was a rabbit trapper and they used to move from place to place on the Western plains near the Queensland-NSW border around the Mungindi and Dirranbandi area.

He still clearly remembers going to his first cricket match: The family all piling into the old truck with his father dressed unusually in white shorts and shirt. Driving for what seemed like ages on to a clay pan where a little Ferguson tractor was levelling the ground. A Coir mat had been rolled out for the pitch.

"I'd never seen cricket before,” Stan said. "I saw my dad run up and do this funny bowling action, the ball hit the pitch and bounced up, hit the bloke in the nose and he was bleeding. From then on my dad used to say we had cricket in the blood.”

Stan, now 76, was hooked from the first over. Interviewed at his Goonellabah home with wife June this week, he struggled to explain exactly what he loves about the game, comparing it to loving art or music. But it’s a passion that’s remained a constant in his life and one that he passed on to his children and grandchildren.

Stan with his father who instilled a love of cricket in the young boy. PHOTO: Supplied/Stan and June Gilchrist. 

Not long after that first match, Stan’s parents moved the family to a little village north of Inverell called Bukkulla where they lived until he finished high school.

"I played cricket all the way through high school and did reasonably well,” he said. "I never had any coaching but I read a hell of a lot of books on how to play and I've still got them although I've given one or two to my grandkids because they were a bit interested.”

Stan moved to Sydney after high school to study teaching at the University of NSW. He met June, a Maroubra girl who was also studying teaching, and about 18 months later they got married.

The family moved around a lot. Stan started working as a science teacher in 1964 first in Cabramatta then Heathcote, Dorrigo and Junee. He was made an inspector at Deniliquin before finally moving to Lismore in 1984.

"Moving around was great because everywhere we went we found in each of these country towns another family that had lots of kids, so everyone became like relatives,” said June. "Everywhere we went we made some really good friends; that helps the kids to grow.”

In 1989, changes in the education system led Stan to take a redundancy. While June kept teaching, he started up a successful business called Coach Cap supplying uniforms and sports clothing and equipment primarily to schools and sports clubs.

"I did that for a few years and then got old and got out,” he said modestly.

Over the years, Stan continued to contribute and excel as a player, coach and eventually administrator, for which he was given a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2015.

These days much of his time is spent on the Northern NSW branch of Lord Taverners which he founded in 2009. The organisation primarily helps disabled and disadvantaged young people through sporting grants, all-abilities programs, camps and scholarships including the Adam Gilchrist Cricket Scholarship.

"Adam went to England on a scholarship in his Year 12 year at Kadina High School and 14 years ago he said to me: ‘Would you be able to organise a scholarship that replicates what I did?’” said Stan. "And we've sent at least one every year since then.”

Stan said he tried to bring an adventurous and even daring spirit to Lord Taverners.

"Sometimes it's good to let it go and be proactive,” he said. "Take some risks. Be adventurous. If we want a flag, we decide we're going to get it, commit to it, and then chase the money if we need to. If we want to help a kid in a wheelchair by buying a new chair, like we did a couple of years ago... we didn't necessarily have all the funds there in our pocket, but we got it, and we always will.”

Stan Gilchrist used to cut young Adam's hair. PHOTO: Supplied/Stan and June Gilchrist. 

June and Stan said that it was inevitable their children would get into sports. Stan was a cricket obsessive while June played a variety, but most enjoyed squash and played representative varsity at Sydney University.

"It was just natural for them to play around with balls and sticks and whack and throw and all that stuff,” said June. "The boys used to be competitive with each other. They loved throwing and running and kicking. They were very good soccer players as well. This is a great sporting area here and they just got involved in everything. Stan got involved in the cricket so they all played with him in the teams.”

All the Gilchrist children played cricket but Adam was the only one to play professionally. Jacki, who was the first woman to play in the Deniliquin B-grade competition, became an occupational therapist. Glenn, was perhaps the most naturally talented of the kids, but didn’t have the commitment to the game and is now the Australian manager for a surgical equipment firm. Dean played first-grade cricket in Sydney and is a coach with St George Cricket Club but also has a company that teaches sports skills to primary-age children.

Stan said Adam had the right combination of talent and determination but also the right personality.

"Adam's a free spirit,” he said. "Richie Benaud says he hits the ball cleaner than any player he's ever seen. He's a very focused person when he wants to be but he has the ability to just turn off as well. So, all of those things are really important in a top sportsman.”

Being the youngest may also have contributed, added June.

"The eldest, the first child, you're always a bit worried about trying to do things right. By the time you get to four, they're just puttering around with the others, and you are more: ‘He'll be right’. There's more freedom in attitude and less taking things seriously,” she said. "Adam does when necessary, he does take his cricket seriously, but he can see it's just a game. He says: ‘Oh I'll have a go’.

"He knew he could bat, but he really liked to be good at wicketkeeping. He knew it didn’t matter if he got out first ball if he was wicket keeper. If he got out he got out. It freed him up.”

Stan and June they said they believed having something the whole family could be involved in was helpful raising their children but it didn’t necessarily have to be cricket, or even sport – it could just as easily have been music or art. The real key was to be connected and encouraging.

"We've been really lucky to have four quite different kids who have gone in quite different directions in their lives but all doing really well and they in turn have kids who are doing well,” said Stan.

UPDATE 19 MAY 2024

Our house in Goonellabah is packed and empty as June and I look forward to the next chapter in our lives. As we get older, our health has declined and our children have moved to other parts of the country. We have two children living in Sydney, so our next stop will be the Central Coast of NSW where it will be less driving for us but closer to children and grandchildren and easier for them to visit.

I want to say thank you to Lismore for how good you have been to June and me. We have made a huge amount of friends since we moved to Lismore in 1984, many of whom we will see at our new home.

We are so proud to be part of the Lismore community. I hope we have made a positive contribution, as so many others have, to improve the lives of Lismore's talented young people who needed some help to achieve their goals whether it be through academic or sporting endeavours. We always wanted to leave having made people's lives a little better. It warms our hearts to have done that with Lord's Taverners and The Gilchrist Foundation.

Lismore is a resilient city, and we will miss it dearly, especially its people, who will remain dear to June and me.