Pavilion tribute push for Sunbury’s beloved Jessy Carroll

Six months after losing a hard-fought cancer battle, Sunbury cricket legend and “great young man” Jessy Carroll could be honoured in town.

A new pavilion could pay tribute to Sunbury sporting giant Jessy Carroll.

A new pavilion could pay tribute to a much-loved Sunbury sporting giant.

A proposal for the Jessy Carroll Memorial Pavilion at John McMahon Reserve would honour the East Sunbury Cricket Club coach, who passed away last year after a hard-fought cancer battle.

Carroll was first diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s B-cell lymphoma in 2015.

Sunbury-based Hume councillor Leigh Johnson, who has known Carroll since he was in primary school, said it was a “privilege” to propose the motion at last week’s meeting.

“He was a great young man, and a young man I’d known since he was in Grade 5,” Cr Johnson said.

“He’d always come over and say hello, listen and be interested in what you have to say.

“I’ve known the family for a long time and have great respect for the Carroll family.”

Cr Johnson explained the family was fully supportive of efforts to name the pavilion after the local cricket legend.

Cr Ann Potter told the meeting Carroll was loved by sporting clubs across Sunbury.

Jessy Carroll with parents Kathy and Tony.

“Jessy was a close friend of my son since they’d played junior cricket together at Sunbury United,” she said.

“He was much loved by both clubs. He was a great club person at both East Sunbury and Sunbury United.”

East Sunbury Sporting Group cricket president Mark Wilkins said Carroll was the kind of person to help people out on and off the field.

“When Jessy came into the room, he didn’t go and have a beer with the same friends every week,” he said. “He’d be speaking to a different bloke every week.”

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Wilkins said he also had an incredible passion for the game.

“Winning wasn’t everything, but you had to give everything,” he said.

“You could lose, but you had to give it a red hot go.”

Carroll also spent time mentoring younger players and taking them under his wing.

The pavilion proposal will proceed to a public consultation phase in coming weeks.