The Long Room Portraits

Benjamin Johnson Wardill was Secretary of the Club from 1878 to 1911. During his time, membership grew from 572 to 5,353.  As a cricketer, Wardill was a capable round-arm bowler who represented Victoria on two occasions. As a cricket administrator, Wardill organised and managed the 1886, 1989 and 1902 Australian Tours of England.

Wardills's portrait was painted by Alice Chapman. A member of the Victorian Artists Society, Chapman was well known for painting portraits of local identities.

Henry Colden Antill Harrison became Vice President of the MCC in 1892 and served in the role until his death in 1929. He was a foundational figure in Australian football and the Melbourne Football Club. 

Harrison's portrait was painted by Sir John Cambell Longstaff, a renowned artist who won the Archibald Prize for portraiture five times between 1925 and 1935.

Longstaff painted two portraits in the MCC collection, those of HCA Harrison and Sir Leo Cussen.

Sir Leo Cussen was President of the MCC from 1907 until his death in 1933. His twenty-six year tenure is the longest-serving as Club President. He oversaw a period of extensive growth and the construction of a new Members’ Pavilion in 1928. Cussen was also a lawyer, jurist and Judge and in 1921, he was knighted for his services as a Judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria. 

Cussen's portrait is the second by artist Sir John Cambell Longstaff in the Club's collection.

Hugh Trumble was Secretary of the MCC from 1911 until 1938, having served on the MCC Committee from 1900. A popular Secretary, he helped reconcile tensions between the Club and the Victorian Cricket Association. Trumble oversaw the erection of two new stands at the MCG, increasing the ground’s capacity to 70,000. Trumble played 32 Test matches for Australia between 1890 and 1904, captaining the team to victory in two Tests in 1901-02. He set many records, including being the first bowler to take a hat-trick in Test cricket on two occasions. 

Trumble's portrait was painted by artist Albert Ernest Newbury. He studied at the National Gallery School under Frederick McCubbin and Bernard Hall, and in 1913, won the Ramsay Prize for portrait painting.

Dr Ramsay Mailer was President of the MCC from 1941 to 1943 and a member of the MCC Committee from 1906. Despite his short tenure as President he was a key figure in the redevelopment of the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) during the 1920s and 30s, which helped transformed it into one of the finest cricket stadiums in the world. Mailer was one of the few Australians to play both for and against English cricket legend, W G Grace - appearing for a Victorian side against Grace at the MCG and, while a medical student in Edinburgh, playing for England under Grace against a Scottish XI.

Mailer's portrait was painted by New Zealand artist, Charles Wheeler. A highly acclaimed painter, Wheeler won the New South Wales Art Quest prize in 1929, the George Crouch prize in 1932 and 1934, and the Archibald Prize in 1933.

Vernon Ransford was Secretary of the MCC from 1936 to 1957.  He was Secretary during World War II, when the MCG was a military base, housing thousands of servicemen from 1942-45. The MCG was given the official designation RAAF Ransford while occupied by members of the Royal Australian Air Force. After the War, Ransford helped the Club prepare for the 1956 Olympic Games. This included the construction of the Northern or Olympic Stand in 1955, with a capacity of 43,000 people. Ransford played 20 Tests for Australia from 1907-1912.

Ransfords portrait was painted by artist Rex Bramleigh. Bramleigh was a finalist in the Archibald Prize in 1959, 1960 and 1965.

Bramleigh also painted two other Club portraits, those of Charles Simmonds and Dr W C McClelland.

Dr William McClelland was President of the MCC from 1944 to 1957. During his tenure, he oversaw the withdrawl of troops from the MCG at the conclusion of World War II, and the preparations and staging for the 1956 Olympic Games. McClelland played for the Melbourne Football Club (MFC), was a part of the Club’s 1900 premiership-winning side, and was captain from 1901 until his retirement in 1904. McClelland also served terms as President of the Melbourne Football Club, and President of the Victorian Football Association. 

McClelland's portrait is the second of three artworks in the Club's collection painted by Rex Bramleigh.

Charles Simmonds was President of the MCC from 1957 to 1965. During his tenure, Simmonds oversaw the early development of the Western Stand, later known as the Ponsford Stand. He joined the MCC Committee in 1920 and served the Club in various roles throughout his life. In 1940, he was made an Honorary Life Member in recognition of his extraordinary service.  Simmonds represented Australia in baseball against teams from the United States in 1900 and 1908, and captained Victoria. He joined the MCC Baseball Section in 1914 and captained the Club from 1915-16. 

Simmonds' portrait is artist Rex Bramleigh's third work to form part of the Club's collection.

Sir Albert Chadwick was President of the MCC from 1965 to 1979, serving on the MCC Committee for 40 years in total, and taking on the important role of MCC construction coordinator for the 1956 Olympics Games. He also oversaw the completion of the Western Stand in 1968, and the opening of the first MCC Museum in 1969. Chadwick captained Melbourne Football Club from 1924, and captain-coached the side to a Premiership in 1926. He was also Chairman of Melbourne Football Club from 1950 to 1962, during which time the club won five Premierships. 

Chadwick's portrait was painted by Paul Fitzgerald, an acclaimed portraitist and finalist in the Archibald Prize on many occasions.

He painted three portraits for the MCC, those of Sir Albert Chadwick, Hans Ebeling, and John Mitchell.

Hans Ebeling was President of the MCC from 1979 to 1980, his tenure following a lifetime of service to the Club, including 45 years as a Committee-man. He was instrumental in the conception and staging of the Centenary Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, held in March 1977. As a cricketer, Ebeling captained Victoria to two Sheffield Shield championships, in 1934 and 1938, and captained the MCC to five Victorian Cricket Association premierships. Ebeling played one Test for Australia, during the 1934 Ashes-winning tour to England. He was named in the MCC Team of the Century in 1999.

Ebeling's portrait was the second artwork in the Club's collection to be painted by Paul Fitzgerald.

Ian Johnson was Secretary of the MCC from 1957 to 1983. He was an important figure in the organisation of the Centenary Test in 1977, one of the key events of his tenure. The match brought together 218 former English and Australian players to celebrate 100 years of Test cricket, which was first played on the MCG in 1877. Johnson played 45 Test matches for Australia, and was captain from 1954 until 1957. As captain of the tour to the West Indies in 1955, his leadership was credited with strengthening Australia’s relations with the Caribbean. 

Johnson's portrait was painted by Sir William Dargie, one of Australia’s most accomplished and awarded portrait artists.

Between 1941 and 1956 Dargie won the Archibald Prize eight times. He learned of his first Archibald Prize whilst serving in Tobruk as a war artist.

Sir Bernard Callinan was MCC President from 1980 to 1985. During his tenture, he fought to retain the VFL Grand Final at the MCG, and oversaw the admission of female members in 1984. Callinan was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Australian Army and commanded the 26th Battalion in Bougainville during World War II. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order and Military Cross for outstanding leadership and gallantry for his wartime service.

Callinan's portrait is painted by artist Bryan Westwood, an Australian realist painter who won the Archibald Prize on two occasions.

Dr John Lill was Secretary of the MCC from 1983 to 2000. In this time, light towers were constructed at the MCG in 1984, enabling games of cricket and Australian football to be played at night. The Club also undertook the $150 million construction of the Great Southern Stand, completed in 1992. Following this redevelpoment, the Ground hosted the final of the 1992 Cricket World Cup.  Lill represented South Australia in Sheffield Shield cricket and was a member of the championship team of 1963/64. He played two matches for Australia against New Zealand, during the 1959/60 tour. He played Australian football with Norwood in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL).

Lill's portrait was painted by artist Wes Walters. He studied art at the Ballarat School of Mines and won the Archibald Prize in 1979.

Dr Donald Cordner was MCC President from 1985 to 1992 and was President when the Club celebrated its 150th Anniversary in 1988. He helped secure the agreement with the Victorian Football League that enabled construction of the Great Southern Stand in 1992. As a Committee member, he had long advocated for the admission of women as MCC members, achieved via a 1984 rule change. Cordner played for the Melbourne Football Club from 1941 to 1950, and in only his second game was part of the 1941 Premiership team. He won the Brownlow Medal for the league's best and fairest player in 1946, becoming the first MCC Member to win the award. 

Cordner's portrait was painted by Brian Dunlop, an Australian figurative, realist, and still-life painter and portraitist.

Dunlop was awarded the Le Gay Brereton Prize for drawing in 1958, the Sulman Prize in 1981, and was a finalist in the Archibald Prize in 2004.

John Mitchell was President of the MCC from 1992 to 1997, having served on the MCC Committee from 1972. Mitchell served as Vice President while the Great Southern Stand was under construction, and was President when a second colour scoreboard was added to the ground in 1994. These new facilities saw an expansion of events at the MCG in the 1990s,
including the first ever rugby league State of Origin match held at the ground,
in 1994, and a rugby union Bledisloe Cup match in 1997. He was made an Honorary Life Member of the MCC in 1998.  Mitchell also served as President of the Melbourne Football Club from 1974 to 1978.

Mitchell's portrait is the third artwork in the Club's collection to be painted by Paul Fitzgerald.

Bruce Church was MCC President from 1997 to 2003. He served as a Committee member from 1978, fulfilling the roles of Treasurer, from 1989 to 1991, and Vice President, from 1991 to 1997. Church was President when the MCG embarked on a major redevelopment program. In late 2002, work commenced on the demolition of the Ponsford and Olympic Stands, and the Members Pavilion, to make way for the construction of the Northern Stand, in preparation for the 2006 Commonwealth Games. In 2011 Church was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia, for services to cricket.

Church's portrait was painted by artist Robert Hannaford. Hannaford has been a finalist 25 times in the Archibald Prize, wininng the People's Choice Award three times.

David Jones was President of the MCC from 2003 to 2007. He presided over the Melbourne Cricket Ground 150th Anniversary Celebrations, which included the unveiling of the MCG Tapestry outside the Long Room, depicting key moments from the history of the Ground. While he was President, the Club undertook the large-scale redevelopment of the northern side of the MCG, rebuilding the Ponsford, Olympic and Members Stands. Jones was President during the 2006 Commonwealth Games, which saw the MCG host the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, and many of the athletic events. 

Jones' portrait was created by Brian Clinton, an illustrator, artist and graphic designer whose works depict their subjects in a “hyper-realist” style, which seeks to reveal inner qualities of the subject to the viewer.

David Meiklejohn was MCC President from 2007 to 2011, having served as a member of the Committee from 1987. While President of the Club, he secured an agreement with the Victorian Government to refurbish the Great Southern Stand. An
arrangement made in 2009 with Cricket Victoria ensured the MCG would host every international match played in Victoria until 2019. He was made an Honorary Life Member of the MCC in 2012.

Meiklejohn's portrait was also painted by the highly acclaimed Australian artist, Robert Hannaford.

Stephen Gough was Secretary/CEO of the MCC from 2000 to 2017. The MCG underwent significant changes
during his tenure, including the redevelopment of the entire northern
side of the MCG, the
refurbishment of the Great Southern Stand, and installation of new scoreboards and WiFi technology around the ground. Gough oversaw large events during this period, including the 150th MCG Anniversary, 2006 Commonwealth Games, opening of the National Sports Museum, hosting of the Sound
Relief concert, and the 2015 Cricket World Cup. The MCC
also took over the management of Yarra Park adjoining the MCG in this time, and
Gough instituted an environmental management and water recycling plan, to
reduce the Ground’s environmental impact.

Gough's portrait is the third artwork in the Club's collection by artist Robert Hannaford.

Paul Sheahan was President of the MCC from 2011 until 2015, having served on the MCC Committee for 28 years, from 1987. He was President for the Club's 175th Anniversary, and when the MCG hosted the 2015 Cricket World Cup final. Sheahan played 31 Tests and three One Day Internationals (ODIs) for Australia. He was named in the MCC Team of the Century, and the Paul Sheahan Trophy is presented annually to the Most Valuable Player in the MCC Men’s First XI. 

Sheahan's portrait was painted by Angus McDonald, who has been an Archibald finalist four times.

Steven Smith joined the MCC Committee in 1998 and became President of the Club in 2017. Prior to this he played 203 games with Melbourne Football Club between 1974 and 1985, winning the Club's best and fairest award in 1981. Smith follows Albert Chadwick and Donald Cordner as the third elite-level Australian footballer to become MCC President. 

The portrait of Smith was painted by acclaimed artist, Vincent Fantauzzo. Fantuazzo's works have won numerous awards, including the Archibald People's Choice Award four times.

Frank Grey Smith was President of the MCC from 1886 to 1900, and is credited with revitalising the Club at a time when it was struggling financially. This painting is the only one of the portraits that was painted posthumously, and was based on a photograph. Grey Smith was chief manager of the National Bank of Australasia at the end of the 19th century, and his banking and business acumen was credited with helping secure the Club financially during the economically turbulent 1890s. His portrait hangs in the Melbourne Cricket Ground's Frank Grey Smith Bar, named in his honour. 

Evert Ploeg painted Grey Smith's portrait. Ploeg's works have won the Archibald Packing Room Prize and the Archibald People's Choice Award.