Coomera Hope Island cricket mourns the passing of a longstanding backer Jean Bignell

An “integral part of the folklore of cricket” has died, leaving behind a legacy that will forever be remembered at the club.

“She didn’t give up easy”.

With that, Peter Bignell perhaps best summed up the character of his mum and the way she approached life on and off the pitch.

Whether it was the way she fought her own battles, or helped inspire a new era at Coomera Hope Island Cricket Club, Jeanette Bignell was up for the challenge.

The long-time scorer and volunteer, a woman deeply embeded in the Crocs fabric, tragically lost her fight with heart and kidney failure, having already bettered a breast cancer diagnosis in the past.

Coming from such a cricket driven family, Peter said his mother did not have much of a choice when it came to how they spent their summer weekends. The sport was always going to be front and centre.

However he said from the moment he began senior cricket upon the return of the Coomera outfit in 1963, Jeanette embraced the community.

So much so, she was a pivotal figure within a small group of fellow volunteers to fundraise for the first Crocs clubhouse.

Peter recalls that first team he took part in fondly, with his father John captaining a side full of teenagers who would go on to win the third-grade premiership.

With each game Jean was there marking every run scored along the way, all for one exception however.

“She wasn’t allowed to score when I went out or I’d go for a duck,” Peter laughed.

“Mum really enjoyed being there with us, every game she was happy to be there and sat there all day. Dad and I were cricket mad so she had no option.

“The year we won the premiership she was always there scoring every game. And all the kids loved her a lot, a lot of us are still mates now and they all miss mum.

“When they started doing fundraising we didn’t have a club house at the time and we had a lot of barbecues at home for the club, so mum did a lot of the organising with all that.

“Dad was the captain, it was all teenagers playing in the senior comp … (and) mum was like the old mother hen.”

August 23 would have been John and Jean’s 64th wedding anniversary, with a celebration of her life to take place on August 11.

When the Crocs broke the news on social media of Jean’s passing, supporters were quick to share their tributes for the fallen club stalwart.

“The Bignell Family are an integral part of the folklore of cricket in Coomera,” one commenter wrote.

“When the wicket was first laid at Hope Island in the 1960s John and Peter were there every workday and Jean always came with tea and sandwiches for breaks.

“When the Club relocated they kept playing in the grades and Jean was always part of the support team.

“Thoughts and prayers are with the family.”

Jean’s legacy will continue to live on through husband John and son Peter, with the pair both Coomera Hope Island Cricket life members.

However for Peter it was what she epitomised away from the clubhouse that will leave behind a touching legacy.

“She didn’t give up easy,” he said.

“Mum was such a family orientated person, she was always there for us kids and dad, the grandkids and the great grandkids.

“She was always there to help out pick up the pieces, she was just the rock of the family.”