By Olivia Condous
The Melton Cricket Club and wider community are mourning after the death of local sporting legend and former club president Kevin Vernon.
Kevin served as club president for 34 years and was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in June last year.
Despite his declining health, he remained a pillar of the Melton cricket community and played his 600th game last month.
The Lions president Anthony Gale said Kevin was the one constant during his many years at the club.
“You could count on one hand the number of Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays that Kev hasn’t been at the club,” Mr Gale said.
“He was the one man that was always there with a joke, a laugh or just as someone to talk to, it’s going to be a massive adjustment and the hardest part for many of us,” he said.
Mr Gale said Kevin’s time as club president saw him as a pioneer of many achievements, such as the development of women’s cricket and the all-abilities program.
“I don’t think we’ll ever come across a man that was prepared to give so many years of his life to volunteering at a local sporting community club, not everyone does that and we were really blessed,” he said.
Vernon spoke with Star Weekly last month after playing his 600th game and said he was proud to serve the Melton Cricket club for over 40 years.
“I’ve been able to contribute to something bigger than myself,” he said at the time.
Mr Gale said the club will remember Kevin’s enormous passion for cricket and the love he had for his fellow club members.
“He made the club somewhere you could go to have people help you through a hard time or celebrate a great time with you, somewhere you knew there would always be someone there,” he said.
