A Story To Tell
A Story To Tell – Balmoral Speakers Group
With over 250 residents happily calling Balmoral home, together with staff, management, owners and support, the unique blend of life experience and individual journeys that now weave together to form our happy, vibrant and inclusive Balmoral community is something we cherish.
From decorated ex-police commissioners involved in some of Melbourne’s most high-profile cases to members of the team who first designed and installed the light towers at the MCG. Proud ex-service people. Nurses. Teachers. Professionals. Those that forged careers as technicians and trades people. Residents who emigrated to Australia from UK, Europe and Asia. Sisters, living in neighboring courts. Mother and daughter, both with beautiful homes within the village. Musicians. Sportspeople. Entertainers. The list goes on.
Drawing from this wealth of interest, residents have run the “Balmoral Speaker’s Group” since 2005. Meeting twice a month and led by resident Ann Fraser, residents are entertained by personal accounts, life stories, incredible experiences and in-depth reflections from those within the community and interesting guests from outside the village.
In November, residents heard from Murray Chessell, one of the directors and owners of Balmoral. Born 1 June 1944, Murray is a retired lawyer and gymnast, having competed in 7 events at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico. Murray regaled stories of being a young 22-year old, newly married and the only gymnastics representative from Australia to travel to the games.
Going onto become the Chairman of the organising committee for the World Gymnastics Championships in Melbourne in 2005, Murray was awarded the Australian Sports Medal in recognition of his services to gymnastics and, in 2002, received the Medal of the Order of Australia for "service to the administration of gymnastics, particularly through the Australian Gymnastic Federation, and to the community".
After an entertaining session, residents shared afternoon tea and a few more stories with Murray in the new Balmoral café.
