BASEBALL Victoria is saddened this morning by the news of the passing of Life Member Graeme Ainscough.
Graeme was awarded Life Membership of the Prahran Baseball Club in 1970 and then the Victorian Baseball Association (now Baseball Victoria) in 1988, after 17 years as Vice President and more than 34 consecutive years of service to the sport of baseball.
Graeme’s journey in the sport began when a lunchtime hit around at Melbourne High School prompted a classmate to invite him down to Prahran Baseball Club practice after which Graeme said he was instantly hooked.
His playing career spanned 28 years and more than 600 games with both Prahran and Cheltenham Baseball Clubs.
Throughout his playing career and post his years as a player, Graeme remained active off the field volunteering his time in various capacities with his achievements including:
- Prahran Baseball Club Secretary between 1967 – 1971
- Elected Club Representative on VBA Council in 1969
- Elected VBA Vice President in 1970
- Assistant Secretary of Prahran/Cheltenham Baseball Clubs between 1973 - 1975
- Organised and conducted 17 consecutive Awards Nights between 1970 and 1987
- Cheltenham Baseball Club President (Winter) in 1975 and Vice President from 1976 – 1982
- Cheltenham Baseball Club Board Member for 28 years
- Assisted in the development of Melbourne Ballpark
- Introduced T-Ball to Cheltenham Baseball Club in 1982
Graham was awarded an Australian Sports Medal in 2000 for services to baseball and was again acknowledged for his services to baseball in 2013, a year which marked 60 years of continuous service to the sport.
The thoughts and prayers of Baseball Victoria and the wider baseball community are this morning with the Ainscough family.
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