Our People
23 March, 2025
A lifetime of giving back
FOR Avoca’s Bill Drummond, sport is more than just a game, it’s a community lifeline.
FOR Avoca’s Bill Drummond, sport is more than just a game, it’s a community lifeline.
Born in Maryborough and raised in Avoca, Bill credits his passion for sport to the town that helped shape him.
“My family has always been here in Avoca. I was born in Maryborough but haven’t moved too far. This is where I’ve spent my whole life. I married a local in 1991, and we had four kids, all grown up now and doing their own thing,” he said.
Bill’s deep involvement in local sport was influenced by the kindness of the Avoca community during his childhood.
“My mother died when I was relatively young, I was in primary school, and my father didn’t drive. So it was realistically the community that brought me up. So whether it was going to football, basketball, cricket it took local families to get me there.”
That generosity left a lasting impact.
“I always had in the back of my mind that I was always going to try and give back to the community. It was just a natural transition I guess to make sure to give back because realistically if there was no football or basketball or cricket when I was young, I worry about what would have happened, and for those people that are in small communities that don’t have those supports it must be difficult,” he said.
From an early age, Bill was drawn to cricket, footy, and basketball.
“I loved cricket because it’s a smaller environment, you get to socialise more, even with the opposition,” he said.
His involvement in community sport quickly grew, joining the Avoca Cricket Committee at 16, became Avoca Cricket Club President at 19 and got involved with the Recreation Reserve Committee, which manages the park.
“I never imagined I’d take on those roles. It's good to give back, but also it gives you life skills, and depending on what roles you actually do, whether it be standing up and talking as a president or learning the financials or writing as a secretary it's been a real positive thing.”
Bill has also served on the school council, race club, and football club over the years, always looking for ways to strengthen community connections.
“What I’ve come to respect what it takes to actually pull together and get out there. It takes a lot of volunteers. It’s a lot harder now, more volunteers are needed, and there’s so much to manage, from child safety policies to liquor licenses. It takes a lot to put teams on the field,” he said.
Currently, Avoca has a junior cricket team but no senior team, a cycle Bill has seen before.
“I’ve seen it ebb and flow. Early on we had a junior team and we had a relatively strong group and we lost our juniors and we struggled with our seniors’ group. Then we got our juniors back up and going and then we were ridiculously successful in the early 2000’s. Yet here we are, we've done the circle again where we are struggling to find a senior team,” said Bill, recalling the thirteen premierships the Avoca club won during a 15-year period in the early 2000's.
For Bill, the key to success isn’t just winning, its keeping kids engaged and making sport fun.
“It’s not all about winning and being successful, out on the ground. Some of our best periods of time we weren’t successful. But we had fun and we took little wins and that’s why I keep encouraging people. Your team or your club or you personally shouldn't get measured on where you are on the ladder or how you’re performing. You can still be extremely successful and enjoy your time without being successful on the scoreboard,” he said.
Bill has now stepped down as Cricket Club President, passing the torch to his son, Matt, while he continues as secretary-treasurer.
With a lifelong commitment to giving back, Bill Drummond is a testament to how community spirit and sport can shape lives.
Read More: Avoca