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Speaker 1: Drop pasted the Whacker on the way to work this morning, Lesa,

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Speaker 1: I went, this is timely. We work so close to

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Speaker 1: the whacker and someone who represented Australia with great success

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Speaker 1: in twenty Tests and forty seven One Day Internationals before

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Speaker 1: an illustrious career on the other side of the boundary rope,

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Speaker 1: and after twelve years in charge of CEO of WA

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Speaker 1: Cricket and overseeing fourteen men's and women's titles, she's decided

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Speaker 1: to pull the pin and we'll go in March. Her

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Speaker 1: name is Christina Matthews and we welcome her this morning. Christina,

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Speaker 1: thank you.

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Speaker 2: Very much for having me.

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Speaker 3: Good morning, Christina, Congratulations on an amazing twelve years in charge.

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Speaker 3: Why now, what brought about the decision for this moment?

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Speaker 2: Oh? Look, twelve years is a long time and you

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Speaker 2: start to think about how long you should be around,

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Speaker 2: and we've had such success. It's important to leave a

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Speaker 2: job in good shape for the next person. And I

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Speaker 2: don't think I could leave it in better shape at

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Speaker 2: the moment where we are with our playing group off

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Speaker 2: the field, with our finances and our business and the redevelopment.

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Speaker 2: So it seemed an ideal time.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, one part of that development has been the incredible.

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Speaker 1: As I drove past the Whacker at four pot thirty

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Speaker 1: this morning, I saw the poster, the Scorches poster with

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Speaker 1: the men and women there on equal terms on that poster.

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Speaker 1: It's changed a lot for the women's game as well, hasn't.

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Speaker 4: It, Christina?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, it has changed a lot. And you know, we're

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Speaker 2: celebrating our cricketers together as cricketers, not as a genders.

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Speaker 2: And that's been one of the things I'm really proud

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Speaker 2: of is not just our male and female cricketers I

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Speaker 2: celebrated together, but we've got programs now for Aboriginal people,

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Speaker 2: people with a disability. We set up our matches so

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Speaker 2: fans of all backgrounds, all interests are comfortable in the

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Speaker 2: environment and make it truly a game for everybody, which

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Speaker 2: has been an exciting thing to be part of.

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Speaker 4: Christina.

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Speaker 3: When you came into the role twelve years a guy,

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Speaker 3: it did cross my mind I have to say, oh.

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Speaker 1: Christina's going to have to take on a bit of

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Speaker 1: an old boys.

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Speaker 3: Well did you have to? Was it as good or

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Speaker 3: bad as you expected? And how have things changed? Well,

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Speaker 3: as you've just explained, things have changed, But did you

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Speaker 3: have to look.

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Speaker 2: Well, I think when you're sort of breaking down barriers,

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Speaker 2: there's always things like that around. That's becoming more less

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Speaker 2: and less of an issue as time goes on. Generational

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Speaker 2: change takes time. People of a certain demographic don't change easily.

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Speaker 2: So but they're they're they're smaller in number, and you know,

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Speaker 2: it's exciting to talk to young people today about how

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Speaker 2: open they are, what they accept and uh, you know

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Speaker 2: what they enjoy about crickets. So nothing, nothing we're doing

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Speaker 2: is easy. So it's been really rewarding to be part

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Speaker 2: of this witch years.

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Speaker 4: I've been so successful.

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Speaker 1: Diplomatic answer too, Chris, So, what about the December announcement

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Speaker 1: for a March departure? Is that how you can enjoy

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Speaker 1: the summer of cricket ahead?

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Speaker 2: Well, there's two parts. Yes, I want to enjoy the summer,

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Speaker 2: but I am obligated in my contract to give three

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Speaker 2: months noted, so I tried to time it so it

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Speaker 2: wasn't during any of our competition, So after the WDBL

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Speaker 2: was finished and before the Test match and BBL started

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Speaker 2: and so and I can enjoy the rest of the

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Speaker 2: summer and you know, helper transition if they want.

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Speaker 3: Me to what were the biggest challenges that you think

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Speaker 3: you feel your face during your tenure, Christina, I know

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Speaker 3: COVID was a very expensive you know time.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, look, there's different sorts of challenges. So COVID was

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Speaker 2: a very big business challenge and was exhausting but also rewarding.

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Speaker 2: You know, I'm a competitive feast, so that that kind

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Speaker 2: of spills over into getting the business done, and so

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Speaker 2: the challenge of getting through that was also invigorating. Sometimes

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Speaker 2: the most unusual things are the biggest challenges, so, you know,

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Speaker 2: I laugh now. I think it was or three weeks

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Speaker 2: ago the Saka made a big announcement that they were

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Speaker 2: changing their score board from a batting batsman to batting

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Speaker 2: with great fanfare. We did this many years ago, and honestly,

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Speaker 2: you would have thought that we'd you know, invaded a country. So,

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Speaker 2: you know, such a small, inclusive thing some people get

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Speaker 2: really excited about. So, yeah, it's interesting the things that

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Speaker 2: really people should be worried about. There often going oh, yeah,

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Speaker 2: you can look after that. And then the small things

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Speaker 2: that are just you know about making people feel welcome

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Speaker 2: and acknowledging changes in the game people you know, you're

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Speaker 2: very excited about.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, Christina is a cricket tragic.

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Speaker 1: I understand people around the world love the ground, the

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Speaker 1: Whacker Ground itself, and obviously that it becomes a challenge

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Speaker 1: because Opta Stadium comes into the pictures and cricket goes there.

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Speaker 1: So that would have been one of the challenges as well,

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Speaker 1: wouldn't it.

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Speaker 2: Look I always saw it as an opportunity. The challenge

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Speaker 2: was in convincing people the two grounds can coexist and

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Speaker 2: not lose, which I think we've done quite well now.

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Speaker 2: But the game needed to have somewhere to grow. We

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Speaker 2: were at capacity at the Whack of Ground. The government

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Speaker 2: was building this stadium. Our challenge was to make sure

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Speaker 2: that we didn't miss out on the opportunity to be

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Speaker 2: at at the table when it was being designed and

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Speaker 2: ensure that the cricket facilities were in place for cricket

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Speaker 2: in the future. So we're now at a stage where

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Speaker 2: we've got a really nice relationship with Opta Stadium. We

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Speaker 2: share things. So the most recent one was top the Hotspurs.

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Speaker 2: They came here to play, they trained at our ground

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Speaker 2: for ten days. That was their base and we work

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Speaker 2: really well together and the close proximity means we can

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Speaker 2: have events and teams have easy training and playing facilities

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Speaker 2: without having to travel all over the city. So it's

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Speaker 2: been really good. And when the redevelopment is finished, we'll

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Speaker 2: have a ground that people can come to every day

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Speaker 2: of the year with the swimming pool, the cafe and

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Speaker 2: all sorts of other activities not connected to a match

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Speaker 2: going on.

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Speaker 4: That's very cool.

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Speaker 3: Bring people back to sort of this end of you know,

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Speaker 3: Hay Street as well.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, that's right. And with the primary school being built

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Speaker 2: in the region of Gloston Park, there's a lot of

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Speaker 2: it at this end of town.

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Speaker 3: It would be nice to see this end of town

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Speaker 3: get a bit of a you know, because it used

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Speaker 3: to be a very happening Roster park and a bit

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Speaker 3: of vibrancy. Again, as you say, is there any talk

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Speaker 3: about replacement and this is your momentably shouldnt askist right now,

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Speaker 3: but any.

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Speaker 4: They'll be scrappy.

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Speaker 2: Now your watch your hurry up.

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Speaker 4: I said that to you, Clary. Yeah, that's funny. He's

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Speaker 4: still warm.

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Speaker 2: Look, my job as a CEO is to ensure that

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Speaker 2: I've got staff who could step up if that's what

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Speaker 2: the boards want. So I'm comfortable that we've got staff

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Speaker 2: internally who could step up into the role. But it's

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Speaker 2: not my job.

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Speaker 4: You know.

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Speaker 2: We identify people externally that we know, but the board

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Speaker 2: will go on a search and make that decision.

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Speaker 1: I'm looking into a crystal ball for next week, Christine.

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Speaker 1: I'm looking at the WA's Lance Morris, the wild thing

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Speaker 1: terrorizing the upper order of the Pakistani Test team in

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Speaker 1: the first Test. Wouldn't it be great if another west

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Speaker 1: he got his got his cap.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, it would be terrific. We're certainly running out of

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Speaker 2: room on our Hall of Walker Fame for Test players,

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Speaker 2: so it'd be nice to fill that up a little

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Speaker 2: bit more. But yeah, we're hopeful that he has a debut,

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Speaker 2: and you know, we thought it was going to happen

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Speaker 2: last summer and he just kept missing out. So with

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Speaker 2: the ball was coming off a World Cup and we

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Speaker 2: know there's a few niggles with them, so we'll see

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Speaker 2: what happens.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, lovely to se him get a baggy green.

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Speaker 3: Well, based on everything you're saying, it sounds like the

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Speaker 3: future of Way cricket is looking very good.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, it's I mean, as a cricketer, what you

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Speaker 2: want to do is see depth in your playing squads,

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Speaker 2: and we've certainly got that. So we've just got to

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Speaker 2: keep working on it and keep following the same pattern

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Speaker 2: and we'll be strong for years to come.

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Speaker 4: Congratulations, keep it what an inning is well done?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, thank you.

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Speaker 3: Very wonderful inspiration in sport and corporate, not just for

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Speaker 3: young girls but for all young every things.

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Speaker 2: Yeah that's right, Thank you very much. O.