It has been great to see recent articles about the updating of facilities at Gerry Emery Oval, a wonderful sporting complex used by many groups of people around the Gerringong district.

But who exactly was this Gerry Emery?

Well, he was actually Edgar Emery and “Gerry” was a nickname he picked up in primary school.

Edgar was born on the North Coast on the 7 January, 1911. He moved with his family to the Riverleigh dairy farm at Gerroa when he was seven.

He farmed there for many years with his brother Ivor until Ivor went to Sydney.

He sold the property in the 1950s and moved to Werri Beach. He worked in various jobs such as sawmilling, bridge building and earth moving. He worked on the Talawa Dam in Kangaroo Valley.

Edgar and the Gerringong team 1935. He is the wicketkeeper and his future wife is just behind him. Photo: The Emery Collection

As well as Ivor, his other siblings were Olive, Clifford, Clive, Godfrey and Aubury.

He married Phyllis Chatto, who just happened to be the scorer for the Gerringong Cricket Club, a job she shared with Olive.

Edgar and Phyliss had two children Diana and John.

He had a passion for cricket. Most of his brothers played cricket as did his father and son.

Every summer, most of the young men and women picked up the bat and ball and played on various grounds around the district. In fact, for a time Gerringong had its own competition consisting of five teams.

And he was very good at it too. He was tagged the “Bradman of the South Coast”.

He was an outstanding opening batter who hit the ball tremendously hard, playing first grade at 12 and representative cricket at 15.

In a career that spanned 48 years he compiled 61 centuries, including a memorable 314 against Shellharbour.

In another game Gerringong scored 166 and Edgar contributed 141 to the total.

He did get a chance to try grade cricket in Sydney in 1941 with Balmain. However, travel difficulties and dairy farm commitments conspired to squash that dream, a common problem for great country sportspeople in those days.

In the field he was a competent wicketkeeper and stood up close to the stumps, even to fast bowlers. Later he learnt to spin the ball effectively and became a great spin bowler. In the 1946-47 season he captured no less than 54 wickets.

He was a selector for the South Coast and Illawarra districts for 25 years and was made a life member of the South Coast District Cricket Association and the Gerringong Cricket Club.

Edgar at bat in the very first match at the ground. Photo: The Emery Collection

Edgar was a keen tennis player and later a bowls player, winning competitions at the Berry Bowling Club.

In recognition of Edgar’s cricket feats, Kiama Council named the reserve after him.

But if Edgar was here now, he would not want this article to be just about him. Cricket is a team sport and Gerringong Cricket Club has produced so many outstanding players over its history since 1863, and many of them were his teammates and opponents.

In the 1937-38 season in the Gerringong and District Cricket Association, a final was played between Foxground and Gerringong at what is now Michael Cronin Oval.

Foxground won despite a fine innings from Edgar of 169.

Sixty years later the surviving members of that game gathered to remember those wonderful times. They were all 80-plus years old and tall tales were told about that season as if it was the summer just gone.

Edgar was just one of a group that included Alf Bonser, Jack and Tom Thompson, Clive Emery, Bede Devery and Val and Athol Noble, as well as the official scorer Olive McGill.

Jack said he could not believe that 60 years had passed since that day.

Gerry Emery Oval is not just, in my opinion, honouring one man but all the great Gerringong cricketers who played with or against him.

In 1977 his brother Ivor was asked by the Kiama Independent to name the players he particularly remembered from those times. It is in no way meant to be a complete list. Many of these names are lost to time. All gave sterling service to Gerringong on the cricket field and life in general. None should be forgotten.

Mervyn Walker, Vic Martin, Joe, Cecil and Eric Langton, Jack Deitz, Harold Ross, Jack Fields, Clyde and Aub Cant, ‘Tinyo” Miller, S.G. Miller, Keith Boxsell, Lin Miller, Val and Athol Noble, Jack, Herb and Tom Thompson, Bede Devery, Bruce Sharpe, Bede English, Ray Kennedy, Neville Nelson, Lloyd Sharpe, Alex Trevallion, Alan Crapp and Edgar, Clive and Ivor Emery.

What a team you could make from these names.