31/01/2014
We wish to advise all friends of the Lower Murray Baseball that Harold McLaren died at 2pm Thursday 30th January, after battling a serious illness for the past few months.
His involvement in all sports and the preservation of history in the Murraylands is unparalleled and his enduring efforts in both fields is a credit to passion for sport. Harold was recognised just last week as a joint winner of the Murray Bridge Citizen of the Year award at the Australia Day awards.
Unable to attended the awards, his daughter Sandra accepted the honour and said Harold was grateful for the support he received from the Murray Bridge community.
Working for the Murray Valley Standard, McLaren wrote sports stories for this newspaper for more than 50 years, including more than 20 years as the Sports Scene columnist
He achieved his 1000th column milestone in November of this year
His contribution to the Lower Murray Baseball League has been outstanding.
Harold's willingness to attend almost every LMBL match, sitting in the small scorers box in often freezing cold conditions shows his passion for the game of baseball. Anyone that knew Harold would have no doubts in expressing just how passionate he is for local sport.
In a staggering sporting achievement, Harold umpired over 700 football matches.
He was also a valued member of the Murray Bridge and District Historical Society for many years holding the position of records officer with his exceptional knowledge of local history.
Harold was a life member of the Murray Towns Cricket Association, the Imperial Cricket Club, the Monarto Cricket Club, the River Murray Football League and the River Murray Umpires Panel.
He will be sorely missed..