2006-07 Archives

Feature

PETER HALL “An Intelligent Approach”

On a Saturday in mid February 1966, Peter Hall scored a cultured 41 playing for Sydney University Veterans at St Paul’s Oval. During the next week, Davis Hughes, The Minister for Public Work in the Askin NSW Liberal Government, appointed Peter Hall to the task of completing the interior design of the Sydney Opera House following the sensational resignation of Jørn Utzon.

The two events produced this memorably understated paragraph in the Veterans’ Section of the Club Report for 1965-66:

“……one player, after a series of enterprising innings late in the season, was approached by the Minister of [sic] Public Works to complete the design of the Sydney Opera House. The Vets’ eternal problem of indoor winter practice facilities seems at last to be nearing a solution.”

It was a conclusion worthy of a Goon Show script and would have appealed to Peter’s sense of the ridiculous. David Walker, a contemporary, a colleague in the University Cricket sides, and a long time companion (“a friendship between the tallest and the shortest”) recalled:

“He had a marvellous sense of humour. Completely consistent with our shared (also with David de Carvalho) love of the Goon Show, even going to the extent of speaking to each other as their characters, even on the field.”

Peter Hall had completed his secondary schooling at Cranbrook School in Sydney and matriculated to Sydney University on a scholarship. In his Bachelor of Arts he majored in Latin and then studied Architecture, which accounts for his relatively lengthy career with the Club. He played for nine seasons as an Undergraduate, although in his first two seasons in 1949-50 and 1950-51, he made only a half a dozen appearances in 4th Grade for modest achievement-90 runs in 6 innings.

But from 1951, his career flourished, even though it was to be another two seasons before he made his debut in 1st Grade. In the meantime, he set about establishing himself as an elegant stroke player, not always consistent in performance but pleasing to watch.

 In 1951-52, he scored a stylish 101 against Northern District in 4th Grade; won promotion to 3rd Grade (where his captain observed in what was to a common refrain, he “seemed to suffer from lapses in concentration”) and totalled 575 runs in all Grades for the season. Quite remarkably, this 101 was to be his only century for the Club.

He continued to prosper. He immersed himself in the Club, variously holding the positions of Honorary Treasurer, Honorary Secretary and Delegate to the Sports Union, and earned his elevation to 1st Grade. His selection in Doug Emery’s 1953-54 side was a popular one. The anonymous writer in the 1953-54 Annual Report drew lessons from Hall’s perseverance:

“The secret of his success lies in his intelligent approach to frequent practice. All three factors are necessary-intelligence, frequency, practice.”

For the next five seasons, he was a stalwart in 1st Grade. At 22 years of age he was a little older than the other undergraduates and his maturity shone. Under Don Scott-Orr’s often eccentric style of captaincy which was, nevertheless, effective, 1st Grade rose from thirteenth to seventh in the Competition, while Peter scored runs consistently and attractively. He was the most gifted stroke player of all his contemporaries, “a keen and knowledgeable player” as one of them wrote in the 1955-56 Annual Report.

Only rarely did more experienced opponents get the better of him. Ross Richards recalls one such occasion when Peter was 1st Grade Captain against Manly, captained by the legendary Keith Miller. Miller usually didn’t bother too much about inspecting the wicket before play so he came into the University dressing room at Manly Oval to toss. “Peter called a head. Miller looked at it, said it was tails and then said ‘You bat’. He didn’t show Peter the coin but who would doubt the great man! We batted miserably on a fiery wicket…and were dismissed for a small score….Miller…didn’t even bowl but spent most of his time off the field, drinking beer!”

Meanwhile University’s 1st Grade continued to improve and, in 1956-57, under Keith Sheffield, the Club made the 1st Grade semi-finals –the best result for over 25 years. They were heady days.

Hall was a fine fieldsman who took only four catches in the season, but one of them was crucial. In the game before the semi-finals, North Sydney chased University’s modest 156. “When Scott Orr delivered a very slow long hop to Ken Spring, (his) savage pull shot was brilliantly intercepted by Peter Hall to put University in the semi-finals…”
The semi, against Glebe, was a disappointment as University was routed by Frank Misson, but that season’s achievements remained memorable and inspirational for 1st Grade sides that followed. The Club had found renewed purpose.

Hall was at the centre of things: He was Honorary Secretary of the Club and he scored 411 runs in 1st Grade, (at a time when 500 runs in a season was a mighty achievement), often batting at first drop. All the while, he worked at his studies and earned an Honours Degree in Architecture.

The 1st Grade side was largely inexperienced. Not one would play 1st Class cricket and after 5 games, they hadn’t recorded a win. But Don Scott Orr and Saxon White opened the batting with confidence. Sheffield, David de Carvalho and Hall provided solidity in the middle order. Dick Woodfield ,David Walker, and Scott Orr took wickets regularly and de Carvalho kept wickets with his customary stylishness.

Far away from the cricket fields but close to Hall’s studies came the momentous announcement in September 1955 by J.J. Cahill, the Premier of NSW. A competition was launched to design an opera house for Sydney. This was to draw 233 entries from 32 countries and was to be won by the Danish architect, Jørn Utzon, whose design, an ambitious and controversial enterprise, was announced in 1957.

 

There was one more moment of glory before he travelled to London as the winner of the Hazlet Bequest Travelling Scholarship. On a golden summer’s day in early 1958, he and Denis Kevans (later a renowned Australian poet) added 139 for the third wicket in 114 minutes of majestic stroke play against Bankstown. Peter came as close as he ever did to that elusive 1st Grade Century, caught behind for 95.

By the time he sailed for England in August 1958, preparations to turn the tram depot at Bennelong Point into an Australian icon were proceeding and formal construction commenced in March 1959. Then followed a continuing series of disputes between NSW governments, Labor and Coalition and Utzon, mainly over timing and costs.

Hall returned to Australia, made one more appearance with the Club in the Summer vacation of 1961-62 when he stood in as 4th Grade Captain, and thereafter played for the Sydney University Veterans.            His colleagues enjoyed his good humour, his delightful stroke play, his companionship. He was already well known as an architect, having designed the library of Macquarie University and having received the Sulman Award in 1964.

When he accepted the Herculean task of completing the Opera House, he needed courage, organisational ability, vision, perseverance. He saw it through and continued to earn wide recognition even after establishing a private practice.

In August 2006, eleven years after his premature death from a stroke, Peter Hall’s work on the interiors of the Sydney Opera House was rewarded with the Royal Australian Institute of Architect 25 Year Award.

Peter Hall is remembered fondly by those who shared the cricket fields at University with him and his name will forever be associated with one of the most recognisable features of Australian architecture.

 

 

 

 

 

Peter Hall was born at Narrabri in 1931 and died 19 May 1995 aged 64.

In all grades for Sydney University, his record was.

Seasons	Inns	No	HS	Runs	Ave	Whts	Runs	Ave
1949-58 and 1961-62	114	7	101	2362	22.07	4	48	12.00

 

In 1st Grade for Sydney University,

Seasons	Inns	No	HS	Runs	Ave	Whts	Runs	Ave
1953-58	74	4	95	1527	21.81	2	30	15.00

 

James Rodgers