Gerald Lynch
Paul McCann was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to cricket, but he said the joy and memories he has gotten out of his time within the sport was reward enough.
A legend and hall of fame member of the Pascoe Vale Central Cricket Club, where he has been president since 1996, McCann has been around his beloved club for as long as he can remember.
“I’ve been involved with the club since I was a toddler,” he said.
“My dad played, my uncles played, it’s been a big part of my life since I was a little kid.
“My dad has passed now, and I have great memories of watching him play, he was an extremely good cricketer, watching him is one of my fondest memories.”
“Over the years we’ve had some incredible success and I’ve loved every bit of it.
The Attwood resident described the club as a home away from home, and it’s kept him coming back year after year.
“It’s basically my second family,” he said. ‘You know, you walk in the rooms and you feel like you’re home.”
He said he has stayed around the club to see the future crop of players come through, and takes great joy out of it.
“It’s a place where they share your highs with you, and they’re there for you when there are lows as well,” he said.
“To be awarded for this, I feel a bit fraudulent really, because it has given me so much over my life… you already are rewarded by having that for all these years.”
“When I got the notice a couple of months ago that I’d be nominated, I thought it was a prank, I was absolutely surprised.”
McCann now works as a physiotherapist, and continues to be involved with his cricket club, as well as being a delegate for the North West Metropolitan Cricket Association.
