By Tony Shepherd
Listen carefully and you can hear the polite applause to herald another Don Bradman century. Listen a little bit closer and you might hear Yabba telling Douglas Jardine to "leave our bloody flies alone" or the roar that greeted Stephen Waugh's last-ball century against England a lifetime later.
Moore Park has been a repository of sporting memories for more than 160 years. The green oasis on the doorstep of the CBD echoes with the legends of Trumper, Bradman, Walters and Waugh, rugby league immortals Clive Churchill, Johnny Raper, Reg Gasnier and Graeme Langlands and modern-day AFL stars Tony Lockett, Paul Kelly and Lance Franklin.
However, our sporting champions only tell part of the story of the Sydney Cricket Ground, a Sydney icon that pre-dates the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House.
The stories of the SCG aren't just written in the yellowing pages of newspapers or black-and-white videos, they are etched in the memories of the generations of Sydneysiders who have made pilgrimages to the ground as a rite of passage.
The iconic SCG pre-dates even Harbour Bridge.Credit: Mark Kolbe
For members and fans, the SCG experience is an heirloom passed from father to son, mother to daughter. It is an experience that unites families and the city. That passion crosses sports and continents, uniting people where other methods fail.
It means that for each of the SCG Trust's 19,000 members, there is another person waiting in line for their spot. That wait is currently 13 years.
Trust members come from all over Sydney, every corner of NSW and the nation. Their contribution to Australian sport cannot be overstated.
As well as their membership dues funding the preservation of the SCG, in the mid-1980s, when the trust determined that Sydney's rectangular codes (rugby league, rugby union and football) deserved their own purpose-built venue to replace the Sydney Sports Ground, it was those same members who put their hands in their pockets to fund the venture.
Spectators enjoy a cup of tea at an Australia v England Test match at the SCG in 1936.Credit: Frederick Halmarick
Not a single cent of taxpayer funds has been spent on Allianz Stadium in the 28 years that have followed while Sydneysiders have watched more than 1000 sporting events and concerts.
Since sport was first played and watched there in 1848, Moore Park – the SCG, Allianz Stadium, Sydney Boys and Girls High Schools and the parkland in which they sit – has been the beating heart of the city.
The SCG celebrates 120 years of the Ladies Pavilion this year.
The walk from Central Station, past the cafes, restaurants and pubs of Surry Hills, is an experience unrivalled in Sydney sport. It is the magic and beauty of having a major sporting and recreation precinct on the doorstep of the CBD.
Two famous grounds, and one of the world's greatest public parks, within easy reach of millions of Sydneysiders. The new light rail service will make access even easier.
The walk from Central Station, past the cafes, restaurants and pubs of Surry Hills, is an experience unrivalled in Sydney sport.
As the SCG celebrates 120 years of the Ladies Pavilion this year it is timely to reflect on the changes to the grand old lady and the tradition and history that sustains it.
Cricket has been the lifeblood, with Bradman scoring 452 in a Sheffield Shield match against Queensland in 1930, the ground's first day-night 50-over international in 1979, Michael Clarke blasting 329 in a Test against India in 2012 and Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath taking their final bows in 2007.
Mighty St George built world sport's most remarkable dynasty by winning 11 straight rugby league premierships at the SCG, John Sattler defied a broken jaw to lead the Rabbitohs to glory in 1970, and in 1985 the NSW Blues defied the might of Queensland to win their first State of Origin series.
In more recent years, the Sydney Swans have become a loved and important part of the SCG family, packing the ground on winter weekends as fans have roared along to the magic of Buddy Franklin, the youthful exuberance of Isaac Heeney and the class of Kieren Jack, Dan Hanneberry and Josh Kennedy.
The revolution continues with the rise of women's sport and the likes of Ellyse Perry, as good a role model as she is a sportswoman. Perry and her peers now play on the SCG.
I am proud to say that it is now the same for the elite female athletes who choose AFL, rugby union, rugby league or football as their sport. The SCG and Allianz Stadium are the ultimate stages for any athlete, regardless of gender. This preserves a tradition that began in 1886 and has seen the likes of Marjorie Jackson, Betty Cuthbert, Decima Norman and Marlene Mathews compete at the SCG.
Sport is constantly changing; new heroes rise as old ones fall. Today's fans can look into the eyes of the sculptures that dot the precinct and remember the past and reflect on those who blazed the trails.
For just like those who first made the pilgrimage in the 1800s, the thread that binds us is the same. It is the shared experience, sense of community and the chance to follow in the footsteps of our ancestors in the name of sport.
Built on swamp land and sand hills, the precinct that rose from a rubbish dump is the gift that keeps on giving.
It is Sydney's sporting oasis, our heritage, our story.
Tony Shepherd is a businessman and the chairman of the Sydney Cricket Ground Trust.