Welcome to March's Onside: Lauren Ebsary and Neil Maxwell honoured with 2021 Kerry Packer Award

The ACA is proud to award its highest honour, the Kerry Packer Award, to two outstanding servants of the game - Lauren Ebsary and Neil Maxwell

Judged by the ACA Board of Directors and endorsed by a relative of the late Kerry Packer, the award provides honorary life membership to the ACA, and is presented to members and non-members who are deemed to have served the ACA in an outstanding capacity.

This award has a rich history of former winners, including the most recent winners Lisa Sthalekar and the 2017 Australia A squad.

Lauren represented Australia between 2009 & 2012 and played her domestic cricket with WA, Perth, SA and Adelaide, featuring a first-ever title-winning season for the Scorpions in 2015 when she was captain.

Lauren was a member of the ACA’s female advisory group in 2015-16 and currently serves as Manager – South Central at the SACA where she plays an important role beyond implementing the ACA game development program in South Australia.

Lauren continues to be a great ambassador for the ACA in supporting and promoting ACA programs which have included playing an active role in multiple ACA member forums and assisting in the delivery of the ACA’s South Australian health fair day.

Neil’s service to the ACA and cricket more broadly is outstanding. He served as an ACA Executive and Board member from 2011 to 2020, provided valuable input into the strategic direction of the ACA, including playing a critical role during the challenging 2017 MOU negotiation.

‘Maxi’ has a huge passion for the game and is one of the leading advocates for the ongoing strength and importance of our State competitions. He has also provided the ACA with incredible commercial acumen, helping the ACA imagine what it may look like in the future.