After playing more than 40 years of sport for clubs throughout the local community, Ron Milnes thought the last place his body would strike trouble was during a leisurely morning stroll.
But last September his world was turned upside down when the active 60yearold from Pakenham, suffered a heart attack while walking his dog and was forced to undergo a quadruple heart bypass.
For most people a serious operation would signal the end of any competitive sport but Ron was back at the crease for his beloved Pakenham UpperToomuc Cricket Club (PUT) within four months.
Ron’s comeback game returned a modest 10 runs and one wicket but just being on the field was an amazing effort in itself.
Ron made it back by slowly building up his strength and fitness with regular walks once the doctor had given his approval to resume exercise.
“Just doing my walking exercises by myself and even trying to jog a little bit every now and then helped me in my recovery,” he said.
Ron is able to recall the events of the morning he suffered a heart attack in great detail and remained somewhat calm throughout the whole incident.
“I just felt a bit crook in the chest and a bit short of breath, so I sat on a fence for a bit, then tried to get going again, but then I knew something wasn’t right,”
Fortunately Ron had embraced modern technology and was carrying his mobile phone which he used to call home for help.
“It was about 5.45am in the morning and I rang home and no one answered so I had to ring again to get them out of bed.”
After spending four days in hospital the delicate operation went ahead and was a complete success, enabling Ron to continue his active lifestyle and only make some minor adjustments.
“I don’t eat a lot of rubbish so I haven’t had to alter my diet that much but I do keep an eye on the amount of food I eat now.”
The heart attack Ron suffered was not due to a lack of exercise as the majority of his life has involved physical activity with either cricket or football.
Ron started his long sporting career as a 13yearold playing both sports for Garfield and his love for both cricket and football continues on some 47 years later.
Throughout the years Ron has played football and cricket at Garfield and Nar Nar Goon while playing just cricket for the last 17 years at PUT.
While Ron was more than a andy all rounder, his commitment to firstly Nar Nar Goon and then PUT cricket clubs was not just confined to the playing field.
“I was on the committee at Nar Nar Goon for 10 years and also served as president and coached the juniors for a few years as well.”
Ron managed to do all this while donning the whites each week and recalls many highlights throughout his time there, including captaining a premiership side.
When quizzed about singling out one major highlight throughout his long career, Ron struggles to separate the five premierships he played in as a cricketer.
“I played in one of their first cricket premierships up in Nar Nar Goon back in the 1962/63 season and then played in the next premiership in the 72/73 season.”
Ron was awarded life membership of the Nar Nar Goon Cricket Club for his loyal service to the club throughout the ‘60s and ‘70s and still has many lasting memories from his time spent there.
While the physical nature of football only allowed him to play until his early 30s, the summer sport of cricket is a passion that Ron still continues to play past his 60th birthday.
The officials at PUT Cricket Club rewarded that passion when Ron was inducted as a life member two weeks ago.
“I have played at Pakenham UpperToomuc for the last 17 years and also coached junior teams and was delighted with my life membership,” said Ron.
Ron endeavours to play another three years of cricket and complete 20 years of continued service with the club.
While Ron no longer sits on any cricket committee he has not been able to withdraw himself fully from the administration side of local sport and has been helping out the Pakenham Football Club for the past 10 years.
“I am currently vicepresident of the football club and also sit on the social committee,” said Ron.
Ron’s youngest daughter, Hannah, plays netball for Pakenham and this ensures he divides his time equally between the football oval and the netball court on match day.
“I watch most of Hannah’s netball game and then go over and watch the footy.”
It is evident that Ron loves the environment of a sporting club and the challenges and excitement that comes with being involved.
“We have had some success over the years at Pakenham and I would have to say the major highlights would have been our last premiership in the West Gippsland League and then our first premiership when we crossed over to the Mornington Peninsula Football League,” he said.
Whether it’s attending meetings during the week, organising sponsorship for the club or just cooking egg and bacon rolls on a Saturday morning, Ron is always helping the club in any way he can.
Away from the sporting arena Ron and wife Loretta have raised a family in Pakenham, with Ben the oldest at 27, Kate, 24, Tim, 21 and Hannah, 17.
Ron continues to own and run a successful weighing and scales business that he has been operating for more than 30 years and he also drives a school bus around the area.
“Mondays and Fridays are always good ‘cause the kids love chatting about sport and what has been happening over the weekend.”
Life has also thrown up another challenge to Ron and his family after they adopted their young niece when her mother passed away three years ago.
“We went back through the kinder and primary school stage again with young Gracie and it has been very interesting,” said Ron, who also adds that having the sevenyearold around keeps him feeling young at heart.
As Ron prepares to enter another year of contributing to the local sporting community, not even a heart attack looks like it can slow him down.
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