For those of you who haven't been to Manuka Oval before, I'm sure you are loved being here today. It's a lovely place. I've grown fond of this ground, coming and watching the Western Bulldogs play here during football season, but as a cricket ground I'd have to say it's even better.
This is a wonderful, wonderful place - a Cathedral end, a caretaker's cottage I think the envy of many Canberra residents, that caretaker's cottage, a canopy of trees. It really is a very lovely place.
We're here in the Bradman Stand. As we watch the game we've got the Hawke Stand to our left and the Menzies to our right. That's telling you something about Canberra, that they managed to get that touch done so well.
And as we watch the game, we are of course looking out at the Jack Fingleton scoreboard.
And Fingleton had two careers: he was one of our toughest cricketers; and second he became one of our most respected Canberra journalists, and so it's a fitting symbol that the scores of this game are put on a scoreboard that bears his name.
Now, I want to tell you just a brief story about Fingleton, because I think he's a man who generated many stories, but one of them that he met the great fast bowler Harold Larwood in 1948 in England and they became great friends - such great friends that Larwood viewed it as 'well, OK.'
That on Saturday in 1950 he would send to Fingleton a which read:
"LEAVING TOMORROW WITH WIFE, FIVE DAUGHTERS AND ELDEST DAUGHTER'S FIANCE STOP CAN YOU FIND JOBS AND ACCOMMODATION STOP"
Now, whether you got that by text in the modern age or whether you got it by telegram back then, that would be a bit of a stressing request, wouldn't it?
And so it was a stressing request for Fingleton, who later said that he was asked to meet this very tall order during a time of housing shortage, so he thought that he better enlist the help of the Prime Minister, Ben Chifley, to get this job done.
And so the job was done, appropriate accommodation found and Larwood was simply delighted when he arrived here and saw what had been done on his behalf.
Apparently, Fingleton then thought it appropriate that there be an opportunity for Larwood to thank Chif in person, and so he took Larwood to Chifley.
Chifley said some words. Larwood looked at Fingleton for a translation. Fingleton helped out.
Chifley said a few more words, and translation was once again sought.
So I tell you this story to prove that I'm not the first Australian Prime Minister with the kind of Australian accent that I bear.
Fortunately, though, my Australian accent is not so bad that any of our English cricketers asked me to be translated last night - or perhaps they were simply being polite. We just don't know.
But it's truly a great experience to be here for this match.
I also wanted to take this opportunity to thank cricket for everything it is doing to assist our flood victims right around the country, and particularly in Queensland.
I've had to stop watching this very successful bout of cricket, our cricketers still out there, I've had to stop watching that and go back to Parliament House for a press conference to announce further disaster relief for flood victims.
But, of course, cricket is playing its part and it's particularly going to play its part later this month at the 'Gabba, and I take this opportunity to thank you.
Now, we've got Tim Paine and his team out there today, and they are the future of Australian cricket. I think I'm pretty well known for saying as a general motto that the best days of this country lie in front of it, not behind it, and that's true of the best days of Australian cricket as well.
And what I can certainly guarantee you is if today Tim Paine and his team are successful, then I am certainly going to have some great boasting rights. Most particularly, I will be boasting to Bob Hawke that at my first PM's XI the Australians succeeded.
Thank you very much.