Volunteer of the Year | Far North Queensland

As the end of the 2022-23 season draws to a close, it’s time to celebrate the volunteers and everyone who dedicates their time, energy and resources to making our game Queensland’s favorite sport.

Queensland Cricket is very proud of the outstanding contribution these volunteers make to the success of cricket in Queensland, and the work of these grassroots individuals, clubs and associations represents a major contribution to the overall strength of the game.

Twelve incredible volunteers will be recognized across the state at the upcoming Queensland Cricket Awards Gala. In the run-up to the awards, their contributions to the game will be shared across Queensland Cricket’s digital channels.

The first volunteer to be recognized is Andrew Guest, Far North Queensland Volunteer of the Year.

Andrew Guest is the club manager of PCYC Yarrabah, a small Aboriginal community on the coast east of Cairns, with a population of around 4000 people, including some very passionate young cricketers.

Thanks to the efforts of Andrew and in collaboration with the team at Mulgrave Combined Cricket, a new mixed indigenous team was created to play in the Cairns Phase 1 competition. This was after Andrew noticed that many children attending the PCYC’s after school program were exceptionally talented with both bat and ball.

Although the team didn’t win a game in their first season, it’s a credit to Andrew that he always kept the interest and fun levels high, ensuring the kids stayed engaged and keen to keep learning . The children trusted that the skills they were learning would soon take them to new heights and that victories would follow. With the second season now in full swing, the momentum has grown significantly. Recently three players were selected in the Under-13 female representative team which played in a development carnival in Ingham during December. The players performed very well at the carnival, with one finishing the carnival with the most catches and another with the most wickets, a fantastic result for the team.

Andrew’s goal moving forward is to keep the team going and continue to build momentum. He intends to field another team next year and has two or three sons who are eligible to represent the representative teams as well.

They say every success requires a manager, and Andrew is certainly that for the Yarrabah team. His tireless contribution to ensuring the team gets to the game every week, and the genuine pride that can be seen in his eyes when the children do well, is obviously the motivation he uses to invest the hours it takes to manage team.