For some, the crack of leather on willow signals the start of summer, but for Lieutenant Colonel Jim Johnston it’s the soundtrack to a lifelong passion that’s earned him a green-and-gold blazer.

Lieutenant Colonel Johnston was recently selected for the Australian over-55s cricket squad, a newer age category created to bridge the gap between over-50s and over-60s. 

“There’s a big difference in competition between a 51-year-old and a 58-year-old,” he said.

“Up until a couple of months ago, I was still playing grade cricket in Brisbane, but now I’ve started to act my age.”

Lieutenant Colonel Johnston played for Queensland in this year’s over-55s Quad series in Brisbane, where his performance as the leading run scorer earned him a spot in the Australian side.

“It was pretty special to get a blazer and cap again, 20-odd years on from my Defence cap,” he said.

Lieutenant Colonel Johnston's first hit-out with the Australian side came at the Spirit of Cricket festival in Mildura, with games against Australia A, New Zealand and an International XI drawn from other cricketing nations. 

“I managed to have a pretty good carnival there. I made a couple of half-centuries and most importantly, won the title,” he said.

Lieutenant Colonel Johnston grew up in central Victoria, playing footy in winter and cricket in summer. 

He wanted to join Defence as a lad and was happy to leave Bendigo for a far-off posting. 

Lieutenant Colonel Johnston spent the next four-and-a-half years in Townsville and, as a pay clerk, “was a pretty popular guy every second Thursday”.

'It's a de-stress and getting away from everything that goes on in the office or going on through our lives.'

There was a lot of cricket to be played in Townsville, both inter-unit and inter-state, before “doing something right and getting nominated for the Army team”.

Though Lieutenant Colonel Johnston was selected for Army in 1998, he had been capped for the ADF side in ‘97 at the Arafura Games.

Highlights from his cricketing career include captaining the Army team for three years, winning the 2002 ADF national championships, and touring Singapore and Malaysia.

Lieutenant Colonel Johnston said his wicket-keeping role kept him in the game. 

“You’re not a bowler who bowls four overs then stands on the boundary line, or a batsman who might only face 10 balls,” he said.

Now vice-president of ADF Cricket, Lieutenant Colonel Johnston is passionate about growing the game, especially for women.

“I would love to continue to grow the women’s game, most importantly. I want them to enjoy being here and I want them all to come back,” he said.

“And I'd like to, where we can, provide the men and women more opportunities to go on overseas tours if at all possible.” 

For Lieutenant Colonel Johnston, nothing beats standing behind the wickets in the blazing sun, forgetting everything around him and focusing on the next delivery.

“It's a de-stress and getting away from everything that goes on in the office or going on through our lives,” he said.

“I think if I was 17 and I had the opportunity to, I would do it all again and hopefully be here playing cricket 38  years later.”