State recognition for Illawarra women’s cricket stalwart

When an eight-year-old Maryann Head offered to collect and dispose of the dead flowers from her church in Mudgee, little did she know that would be the beginning of a lifetime of volunteering.

To mark this National Volunteering Week, we recognise Maryann’s remarkable story which has seen her contributing selflessly for nearly 60 years. That has culminated in her receiving many awards, the most recent being Cricket NSW’s prestigious Community Distinguished Service Award presented earlier this year.

Earlier in her volunteering journey, Maryann, from Berkeley, won the NSW Volunteer of the Year Award, presented by former Premier Bob Carr.

In Maryann’s latest nomination from Wollongong Cricket Club, they said “Maryann has dedicated more than 50 years to cricket in Illawarra, shaping the game and creating opportunities for women and girls across the region.”

Maryann is credited with founding the Illawarra Girls Cricket League, now in its 12th season, which gives teenage girls the chance to play with and against their peers. She also set up the Cricket Illawarra Women’s T20 competition, now in its ninth season, creating a welcoming space for women to play and thrive.

Maryann was also instrumental in Illawarra’s inclusion in the Brewer’s competition, with the Southern Swans now a permanent fixture in the Sydney Women’s Premier League. For a decade, she was Cricket Illawarra’s Female Cricket Administrator.

“Maryann’s commitment extends beyond programs,” her state cricket award nomination said. “Each season, she trains new parents in scoring, both paper and electronic, ensuring every team has skilled scorers.

"Her values of honesty, integrity, and dedication underpin decades of service, including organising the 2023 National Women’s Veterans Championships across schools and community groups.”

Like the millions of Australians who volunteer, Maryann does it for all the right reasons, seeking no recognition but happy to make a big contribution to the community she lives in.

Starting young, Maryann moved on quickly from five years of removing those dead flowers from her church to putting out and collecting the boundary cones for the local cricket club.

In her teenage years, Maryann was a keen fundraiser for flood-affected communities, the Salvos Red Shield Appeal and Legacy.

As a mum, for 22 years she volunteered on the P&C or P&F at Edmund Rice College, Woonona Public and Woonona High.

She organised big fundraising “Walks Against Drugs” in Wollongong and Liverpool and for her efforts Maryann received an Illawarra Healthy Cities Award.

But sport – cricket, soccer and rugby league – has always been Maryann’s volunteering first love.

She was front and centre when the Steelers entered the competition in the early 1980s and Maryann helped establish the Illawarra Steelers’ supporters club.

Supporting her boys' sporting adventures, as secretary of Corrimal Junior Rugby Club, Maryann organised a run from the Sydney Opera House to Wollongong, raising $37,000 in the process.

At Corrimal Cricket Club, where she was secretary, team manager and scorer, Maryann was the first woman to win the Clubman of the Year Award.

In recognition of her outstanding contribution, Wollongong Cricket Club’s Female Cricket of the Year Award bears her name, the Maryann Head Trophy.