The Hill is an elemental part of Sydney cricketing culture and The Hill is therefore an elemental part of Australian cricketing culture.
It's probably remembered most vividly by visiting fast bowlers who happened to be innocently recovering at third man as they experiences an initiation to frank, fearless, forthright but always fair commentary from the crowd here seated, on their latest achievements with the ball.
Renowned for delivering the most colourful of these initiation rites was of course, was Yabba.
Yabba's most memorable advice was saved for one of Australia's greatest adversaries on the cricketing field, England captain during the Bodyline series Douglas Jardine.
Noticing Jardine swishing away a fly, Yabba cautioned: “Leave our flies alone, Jardine. They're the only friends you've got out here”.
I'm please to hear that Yabba is appropriately immortalised in the new stand by a bronze statue in the front row. That's a good thing.
In 1985, the Hill was interred for the first time, physically but not necessary in spirit, as it was replaced by the Doug Walters Stand.
Douggie was a legend of my childhood; a bit of a hero of mine for all kids growing with a bit of an interest of cricket at the time.
I remember the first book on cricket I was ever given by my dear Mum, was a book on batting technique featuring the young Doug Walters, providing advice to up and coming cricketing aspirants on how to master the off-drive.
I remember the book well. I read it diligently. Almost as diligently as any political wannabe would read the Hansard records in those days.
But there was always this eternal chasm between aspiration and achievement when it came to cricket, at least in my case.
I remember reading Doug's chapters as he meticulously followed through the technique of the ball leaving the bowler's hand at one end and dispatching the ball comfortably to the long off boundary on the other.
Bat up early, wait for it, wait for it, front foot forward to the pitch of the ball, then allow the bat to descend in a perfect arc. And then watch the ball disappear swiftly to that boundary at long off.
That as they say was the theory. And for me it was never entirely executed, in the sense that there was always a problem in terms of what they would describe as eye-hand coordination in my case.
But I always managed to translate Douggie's advice into how to be the recipient of the perfect yorker on every occasion, almost every occasion.
I never made it past the Yandina C team in rural Queensland cricket. And that I think was a fair estimation of my skills at the time. But I digress.
It's appropriate that in this magnificent new stand that the bar will be named after Doug, recognising the contribution he also made off the field, as one of the game's great characters.
I am also advised that card tables are being installed as we speak. Another one of Douggie's great past times.
But the man we are here to recognise today is the great Victor Trumper.
Over several generations and across many continents, much has been written about this glorious game.
And over a century since his passing, well about a century since his passing, more words of regard have been devoted to this man than almost any other.
Wisden, the great cricketing authority, described him as a “genius”, “the best and the most brilliant” of his generation, and possessing “remarkable powers”.
For a game so dominated by stats and figures, Trumper is actually not done justice by his record, which alone does not place him too far apart from his peers.
His test career spanned 48 matches, resulting in 3,163 runs at an average of 39. At first class level, he amassed 42 centuries at just under 44.6 runs per innings.
On Trumper's first trip to England in 1902, the Australian side arrived at the Old Trafford Test leading the hard-fought series 1-nil.
Trumper and the team in 1902, bore with the hopes and aspirations of the newly founded Australian nation.
Batting at the top of the innings, Trumper achieved something never seen in cricket before - an even-time century, and notching three figures before lunch.
During this rain-drenched tour he scored 2,570 runs at an average of 48, including 11 centuries.
But he never scored more than 128 on the tour. Mind you, I wouldn't mind scoring 128 on any occasion. 28 on any occasion would have done me just fine.
It is written that Trumper would throw away his wicket on favourable pitches to give his less accomplished team mates a go.
One team mate, Vernon Ransford, said that had he been greedy, he - Trumper -would have scored 4,000 runs on the tour, not 2,500.
This did not mean that Trumper was any less of a competitor when the going got tough.
Jack Fingleton, the Australian opening batsman (and later Press Gallery legend) wrote of Trumper that he and I quote, “rose to heights on wet wickets where others tumbled to earth and to death”.
Such as his gutsy 74 out of a total of 122 on a dangerous Melbourne strip in 1904 - the stuff of legend.
This was the Trumper style - and he remains a great exemplar of a time when cricket's work was measured more on how you contributed to the team's overall performance, rather than the individual statistics that could be read on paper.
It's the mark of the man's popularity that in his home state of NSW, the Registry of Births records a sharp rise in the number of boys called Victor in the early 1900s.
In 1900 there were 167 boys named Victor. A decade later, this figure had risen to 195 - ranking the 35th most popular name. All of you wanted to know that.
Meanwhile, even in 2007, the name Kevin is only ranked at 132nd here in NSW, with only 73 recordings.
Mind you, I'm Kevin and I'm from Queensland. I doubt I'd be doing much better there either.
Trumper was also renowned for his generosity. He ran a prominent sports store, but never cared much for making a quid.
One yarn told again by Jack Fingleton, revolves around his most revered knock at this ground.
At his shop and running late for a Test at the SCG, Vic quickly grabbed a new bat off the rack and came down to the ground to strike an effortless 185 not out. The days of great amateurs.
On returning to the shop, Trumper was met by an adoring fan who asked if he could buy one of his used bats. Vic typically agreed, and amazingly offered the bat he'd just used.
When settling on a price he said to the excited boy: “well, it was a forty five shilling bat but now it is second hand. You can have it for a pound.”
That's a great story about Vic Trumper.
While the Trumper legend for later generations is grounded in that great black and white photograph of him launching that powerful Trumper drive - you know that photograph, it just sits in your mind and your memory - what is often overlooked is that Victor Trumper was more than just a great cricketer.
He was the truly great all rounder of his day.
He played representative rugby union and Australian Rules football on this ground.
And not content with being a part of just the one code, Trumper was a founder of the initial ‘breakaway' rugby code that we now know as the NRL. Trumper the revolutionary.
In fact, he also played the new code, rugby league, here at the SCG. And I'm sure he would be pleased to know that the game lives on just next door.
I suppose for Queenslanders like myself, Trumper could therefore be best described as a combination of Wally Lewis, John Eales, Michael Voss and Matthew Hayden.
This great stand built to honour this great legend of this great game - in his home town and his home ground - will add to the rich history of the game here in Sydney.
A ground that is an icon not just for Sydney, but for those of us who come from beyond this great city's shores. This is an icon for Australian cricket and throughout the world.
I'm told that shortly before Trumper's time, the man who would go on to become Australia's first Prime Minister, Sir Edmund Barton, once umpired a match between NSW and a touring England side on this very ground.
It is written that such was the enthusiasm of the crowd, for the game, not for the umpire - for he was a politician, at least an aspirant - that the match was abandoned for a day following several pitch invasions.
This Prime Minister will content himself not with umpiring games, not playing games, but simply humbly taking the advice of others who suggest to me who should be members of the Prime Minister's XI.
At this ground that has been central to our cricketing history and to our national identity, it is fitting that Trumper will long be remembered directly opposite a stand named after Monty Noble.
Monty was one of the first to back the young Victor Trumper's ability and called his team mate a genius without compare.
Victor Trumper was a great cricketer who inspired a young nation.
Victor Trumper was not just a great cricketer. Victor Trumper was a good man, and the good, as they often say, died young.
He died from Bright's disease at just 37 years of age, a tragedy.
As it has been now about a century, and through what we are here to mark today, I am certain the spirit of Victor Trumper will remain alive for many generations to come.
A celebration of Australian cricket. A celebration of cricket here in Sydney. A celebration and an honour to a great Australian.
It's an honour therefore as Prime Minister of Australia to officially open the Victor Trumper Stand.