By Tony Becca - On The Boundary 
GUEST SPEAKERS some times speak too long and some times they leave nothing behind - nothing of substance that is.
That, however, was not the case on Saturday night at the Melbourne Cricket Club's dinner. Dr. Omar Davies, Minister of Finance and Planning, was good - so good that he left behind a good suggestion.
In his second appearance as guest speaker at the club's annual awards function, Minister Davies praised the club not only for its success in winning titles and producing great players but also for its success in producing good citizens.
Using ace fast bowlers Michael Holding and Ambassador, the Honourable Courtney Walsh as examples, Minister Davies said the club had obviously been doing a good job in guiding and mentoring its players and expressed the hope that it will continue to do so.
He did not stop there, however.
In an impassioned plea for the club to continue and for others to follow, the Minister said that clubs with the history, the stature and the reputation of a Melbourne have a responsibility to society to develop their young members not only as cricketers but as people who can contribute to the society.
According to the Minister, that is particularly important for players from the inner city.
Again according to the Member of Parliament for St. Andrew South, inner-city youngsters lack role models, among their members, the clubs have successful people who are role models and in the interest of the sport and the country, but moreso in the interest of the overall development of the players, they should mentor those who need mentoring.
At the end of his speech, Dr. Davies was ushered back to his seat with a ringing round of applause.
The speech was a gem, it was not long, and although there are other clubs that are guiding and mentoring their players, it left behind something for the clubs, their members and those who love cricket but are not members of a club to think about.
It was something for the clubs to think about because there are some who show little interest in the general development of their young players.
It was something for the members to think about because there are many who are so selfish, so blinkered that the future of the young players outside of cricket is not important to them; and in these days when there are not as many successful people and therefore not as many role models in the clubs as the Minister believes, it was something for the successful people in the society who are not members of clubs to think about.
Dr. Davies is right. Although the clubs, as far as their members are concerned, are not what they used to be, they are still in a position to help those who need help - to produce not only good cricketers but also good citizens.
