Ex-Hong Kong cricket chief on life-changing Vanuatu mission after deadly earthquake
Australian Tim Cutler trying to grow cricket in tiny Pacific nation, as its association’s CEO – and as a player
A former Hong Kong cricket boss wants to harness the power of the sport to transform people’s lives in Vanuatu.
Tim Cutler, who previously led the local governing body in the city, was appointed to the same role in the Pacific archipelago four years ago.
A handy player, his left-arm bowling persuaded the country’s selectors to hand him an international debut, aged 41, in February last year.
In December, he had a “life-changing experience”, when a deadly earthquake struck Porta Vila, the Vanuatuan capital.
After leaving his Hong Kong post in 2017, the Australian had returned home and was combining insurance work with the Emerging Cricket website he established in 2018. When the post in Vanuatu was flagged, Cutler was inspired by the impact the game was having there.
There were considerable challenges, many of which remain. Cricket had been removed from public schools, there was no culture of volunteering, and children are raised by communities, rather than parents, who would typically introduce them to sport.