Finding Belonging at Wyong District Cricket Club

“That changed when I started watching my son play,” she explained. “Seeing how much he enjoyed it made me appreciate the game.” 

Now in her second season as both a player and committee member at Wyong District Cricket Club, Bronwyn has quickly become an integral part of the club’s leadership group. After winning a third-grade premiership in her first season, she stepped into the role of Secretary, joining a 29-person committee focused on growing the club and strengthening its role in the community. 

“It’s a genuine community club, very family-oriented, welcoming, and inclusive," she said. "It really feels like a big family, with a massive social side. After Saturday games, everyone heads down to the Wyong Bowling Club, goes through all the scores and celebrates the day.” 

Bronwyn stepped into the role of secretary following the passing of life member, and Cricket NSW Community Distinguished Service Award recipient, Gary Kavanagh. Gary joined the WDCC committee in 1987, devoting almost 40 years to shaping both the operations of the club and the people within it. 

“I did it purely because I wanted to help out, and I’m really glad I got to spend that time with Gary,” Bronwyn said. 

“He was a life member who served the club for 38 consecutive seasons, the heart and soul of Wyong. It’s going to be very different without him. He absolutely loved the club. He was always focused on the members and doing the right thing, and he operated with integrity. That’s what I’ll take away, to always do this role with integrity.” 

As Club President Matt Day reflected, some people are part of a club, while others become part of its DNA. Gary Kavanagh’s legacy lives on in the way the club operates, connects with its community and looks after its people. 

In tribute to Gary’s lifelong commitment to giving back, the club has introduced the Kavanagh Family Foundation with the support of his family. The foundation will assist those facing hardship, support junior players who may not otherwise have access to the game and continue Gary’s legacy of supporting the community. 

That legacy is also reflected in the club’s culture today, where his values of generosity, connection and service continue to shape the way people come together and support one another. This year saw a highly involved committee with 29 members, each with defined roles and objectives. From Director of Women’s and Girls cricket to Director of Technology, Data and Digital, the breadth of responsibility reflects both strong planning and a shared commitment to the club’s future. For Bronwyn, the level of engagement speaks directly to the culture that has been built over time. 

“A lot of people have simply put their hand up because they genuinely love the club and want to see it succeed,” she said. “I’m really proud that we were able to fill those positions. It shows how strong the culture is and how much people care.” 

That culture has not been built overnight. Over recent years, the committee has steadily grown in both size and structure, developing from a small group of volunteers into a large, engaged team. When Bronwyn first became involved, she was one of only two women on the committee. Now, there are seven, a shift that reflects both opportunity and intent. 

“When we created these roles, it was about giving people ownership,” Matt said. “We’ve moved away from everything sitting with a small executive group and instead empowered people to make decisions, to lead and to learn.” 

For Bronwyn, stepping into that environment without prior experience could have been daunting, but the support around her made the transition easier. 

“Everyone in the club made it easy to step up. I can’t praise the community enough. I’ve just taken it on and am learning as I go,” she said. 

For the second consecutive year, Wyong District Cricket Club is offering free registration for junior girls, helping to increase accessibility and create stronger pathways into the sport. This approach is already delivering tangible outcomes, with four senior women’s teams and, for the first time in the club’s history, two junior girls’ teams.   

Behind the scenes, the expanded committee has also allowed the club to work more collaboratively. By distributing responsibilities across a larger group and breaking down key roles into manageable components, individuals are better supported in their roles. 

“Having a large committee means we can spread the workload and not stretch people too thin. It allows us to better support players across juniors, seniors and women’s cricket,” Bronwyn said. 

Looking ahead, Wyong District Cricket Club is focused on building something that lasts. Guided by five key pillars, Enjoy and Belong, Growing the Game, Building Pathways, Compete Hard and Running the Club Well, the emphasis is not just on performance, but on maintaining the sense of connection that sits at the heart of the club. 

As Matt Day describes it, success starts with belonging. 

“We want people who join our club to immediately feel like they belong, like they’ve come home or found a place they can now call home,” he said. "We have plenty of members who live for cricket in our community and we are their family.” 

For Bronwyn, that feeling of belonging has come full circle. From someone who once had no connection to the game, she now finds herself helping shape its future at Wyong, guided by the example left behind by someone who gave so much. 

“We all want to keep the club going and thriving and keep Gary’s legacy alive,” she said.
“He loved Wyong Cricket Club, and we want to honour that.”