Mount Gambier and District Cricket Association’s (MGDCA) Shane Dycer has been named as a South Australia Cricket Association (SACA) Volunteer of the Year finalist by MGDCA president Georgia Kidman.
Dycer has been on the association for a number of years, maintaining the MyCricket website, creating the draws, organising the grounds and venues and helping with the running of the local association.
Dycer said it was nice to be recognised even though that was not the motivation behind doing what he does.
“It was a bit of a surprise to be one of the finalists, but I am grateful to have been nominated and to be a finalist was great,” he said.
“I love the cricket and I have enjoyed being involved with the association.”
Dycer said a big part of his nomination was due to his organisation of the Heath Case memorial round.
“The men’s health round is an idea I helped with which will be an annual event,” he said.
“I was involved with Heath in cricket throughout the years, both playing with and against him.
“When we lost Heath at the start of the year it was important to honour the work he did because between playing, coaching, representative coaching and interleague he spent nearly 40 years in the sport.
“Losing Heath to a battle with mental health we were unaware of opened our eyes because if we can lose someone like him to it, we can lose anyone. “
The Heath Case memorial round raised around $13,000 half of which was donated to Beyond Blue with the other half donated to the Case family.
Dycer has been involved with West Gambier Cricket Club for almost three decades, with eight years as president as well as providing sponsorship along with playing and coaching.
Dycer said there were a number of people in the South East that deserve recognition for their roles in cricket, already voicing his vote for the next Volunteer of the Year award.
“Someone I think has done a great job at the Millicent Cricket Club is Michael Gibson who was the inaugural winner of the Heath Case Award,” he said.
“I am really happy he won that award because the Millicent Cricket Club would not be what it is without him. He is their chief organiser; coaching, running the club for all the juniors and leading Milo Cricket.
“Michael does a fantastic job and it is a credit to him because he is the kind of person that needs to be nominated for Volunteer of the Year because that is what it is all about.”
“People recognise A Grade premiership players and players who win top medals but there would not be a competition without volunteers like Michael working tirelessly behind the scenes.”
