P7657c-7658A Mr Alan Carpenter

Extract from Hansard [ASSEMBLY - Wednesday, 14 May 2003] p7657c-7658a Mr Alan Carpenter DEATH OF JOE MENEGOLA Statement by Minister for Sport and Recreation MR A.J. CARPENTER (Willagee - Minister for Sport and Recreation) [12.19 pm]: I take this opportunity to mark the passing of one of Western Australia’s greatest country sportsmen. It may be seen as unusual for a minister to make a statement of this kind, but in this case it is fitting. Joe Menegola died in Albany on Monday aged 74. His name was known the length and breadth of WA for his outstanding skill as a cricketer and as a master of that most difficult art of all - leg-spin bowling. It was not only his peerless ability, but also his longevity as a successful spin bowler that was remarkable. His achievements became the stuff of legend among country cricketers, and he was recognised in the recently published book Bradmans of the Bush, an honour shared by the member for Wagin, who can testify to Joe Menegola’s ability. To give those who never saw him bowl an idea, imagine a small, neat player with the olive skin of his Italian heritage, who could land the ball impeccably on a spot and spin it prodigiously just like Shane Warne, and the picture begins to form. Add to that the mental image of batsmen, from those of the highest international standard to country sloggers, being completely bamboozled, and the picture is more complete. Even if those batsmen could figure out which way the ball was likely to spin - to off as a leg spinner or to leg as a wrong ’un - the amount of turn, and then the dip in the air and the leap and fizz off the wicket from the infusion of top spin would startle them. Many people have asked, if Joe Menegola was so good, why did he never play for Western Australia or Australia? The answer is not lack of ability, but rather the dynamics of the time in which he lived and played, and the responsibilities of family life. Like Bruce Yardley, Joe Menegola did not take to spin bowling until his twenties, and did not mature in his craft until he was nearly 30. Picked in a Western Australian country XI in 1960 against Sir Frank Worrell’s visiting West Indies team, he took four wickets for 19 runs. Imagine the impact of a similar performance today. By then, Joe was married with a young family of daughters and was working in the family sawmilling business in Albany. Packing up and moving was just not done as readily or as lightly as it is today. Joe said that the arrival of the great English off-spinner Tony Locke into the Western Australian state team as captain in the early 1960s put paid to any idea he might have had of moving to Perth. He was in his thirties. People would have expected his ability to soon fade, and other younger spin bowlers like Ashley Mallet and Terry Jenner had to move to other States to get opportunities. Joe’s ability did not fade. He had repeated success against visiting international and domestic all-star teams and, along with other outstanding players, made Albany a powerhouse in country cricket for decades. His total number of wickets at country week was well in excess of 600, and in 1974, aged 45, he took 47 wickets in five games. He played successfully well into his fifties. Incidentally, cricket was not his first love; it was football. He was an outstanding goal-kicking rover and helped to found the Albany Royals football club in 1945. He was awarded an MBE for community service, and his wife Fran also contributed thousands of hours to the football and cricket communities of the great southern. It is a great privilege to have known Joe Menegola, to have watched him play, to have been coached by him and to have played with him, and thousands enjoyed that privilege. Joe was a unique character, and we are poorer for his passing. [1] .

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