General News
8 February, 2023
Bushy honoured
MORTLAKE’S Kevin ‘Bushy’ Robertson has been recognised by Cricket Australia for his 50+ year contribution to the sport.
MORTLAKE’S Kevin ‘Bushy’ Robertson has been recognised by Cricket Australia for his 50+ year contribution to the sport.
A familiar face behind the stumps on grounds right across the south west and beyond, Bushy was recently presented with a certificate of appreciation at a special awards ceremony at the MCG.
“I was invited down to the third test at the G, on December 28, which was pretty good in itself, and during the day we had a beautiful lunch in the function room and during the afternoon I was presented with my award,” Bushy said.
“There was quite a few of us who were recognised for 50-plus years’ service to cricket which is quite an achievement I guess. But it’s not something any of us (umpires) do for recognition, we do it for the love of the game; it gives us all the chance to stay involved with the sport long after our playing days are over.”
Bushy’s involvement with cricket stems just over 58 years, having first started his playing days as a junior with the Mortlake club.
“When I first started playing I was with the under 16s and not long after joined the seniors,” Bushy said.
“I’ve always loved the game and when I was 40-odd I probably got too slow to play so thought it was time to hang up the bat.
“That’s about the time when I started umpiring, initially just with South West and then I started travelling further afield and did stints with Western District and Grassmere before returning to South West.
“I’ve also umpired the Hudson shields in Ballarat and Colac.”
One of many career highlights for Bushy has been umpiring the Victorian under 21 grand final back in 2008.
“That (final) was pretty special,” he said.
While he has seen a “few tweaks of some rules” over the last five decades, the fundamentals of the game have remained.
“When I first started we played eight ball overs (now it’s six) and a few little things like that. But for the majority, the game is very much the same,” Bushy said.
“For many of us, one of the beauties of the game is the friendships made over the years and the opportunity to travel to different grounds and meet new people.”
Bushy has no immediate plans to step away from the stumps - and in the off-season keeps his mind active “from the other side of the boundary” watching the local footy; with the occasional game spent waving the white flags between the sticks as a goal umpire.