Haydn William Bunton (5 July 1911 – 5 September 1955) was an
Australian rules footballer who represented in the
Victorian Football League
The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...
(VFL), in the
West Australian Football League
The West Australian Football League (WAFL) is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The league currently consists of ten teams, which play each other in a 20-round season usually lasting from March to September ...
(WAFL), and in the
South Australian National Football League
The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL ( or ''S-A-N-F-L''), is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the state's governing body for the sport.
Originally formed as t ...
(SANFL) during the 1930s and 1940s.
Bunton is the only footballer to have won the
Brownlow Medal
The Charles Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal (and informally as "Charlie"), is awarded to the "best and fairest" player in the Australian Football League (AFL) during the home-and-away season, as determined by votes cast by t ...
and the
Sandover Medal
The Sandover Medal is an Australian rules football award, given annually since 1921 to the fairest and best player in the West Australian Football League. The award was donated by Alfred Sandover M.B.E., a prominent Perth hardware merchant and b ...
three times each. He is one of only four footballers to have won the Brownlow three times (the others being
Ian Stewart,
Dick Reynolds
Richard Sylvannus Reynolds (20 June 1915 – 2 September 2002) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
Reynolds is one of four footballers to have won three Brownlow ...
and
Bob Skilton
Robert John "Bob" Skilton (born 8 November 1938) is a former Australian rules footballer who represented in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
Playing as a rover, Skilton is one of only four players to have won the Brownlow Medal three tim ...
), and one of only five footballers to have won the Sandover at least three times (the others being
Bill Walker Bill Walker may refer to:
Australian rules football
* Bill A. Walker (1886–1934), Australian rules footballer for Essendon
* Bill Walker (Australian footballer, born 1883) (1883–1971), Australian rules footballer for Fitzroy
* Bill J. V. Wal ...
, who won it four times; and
Barry Cable
Barry Thomas Cable MBE (born 22 September 1943) is a former Australian rules footballer and coach. Considered one of the greatest rovers in the sport's history, he played in 379 premiership games in the Western Australian Football League (WAFL ...
,
Graham Farmer
Graham Vivian "Polly" Farmer (10 March 1935 14 August 2019) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Geelong Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and the East Perth Football Club and West Perth Football Club in th ...
and
Merv McIntosh
Mervyn Frederick "Merv" McIntosh (25 November 1922 – 3 May 2010) was an Australian rules footballer in the (then) West Australian National Football League (WANFL). A brilliant ruckman, he was awarded the Sandover Medal as the fairest and b ...
, who each won it three times). Bunton is also the only player to have averaged one Brownlow vote per game over his career, averaging 1.04 votes per game.
Like cricketer
Don Bradman and the racehorse
Phar Lap
Phar Lap (4 October 1926 – 5 April 1932) was a champion New Zealand–bred Thoroughbred racehorse who is widely regarded as New Zealand's greatest racehorse ever. Achieving incredible success during his distinguished career, his initial u ...
, Bunton was a sporting champion who made life bearable for the Australian public during the dark days of the
Great Depression. A brilliant runner and ball-winner, he was regarded by some historians and observers of Australian rules as its greatest-ever player.
Early life
The son of Victorians Ernest Edward Bunton, a brickmaker, and Matilda Caroline, née Luhrs, Bunton was born and raised in
Albury, New South Wales
Albury () is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the Hume Highway and the northern side of the Murray River. Albury is the seat of local government for the council area which also bears the city's name – the ...
.
As a young teenager, Bunton excelled in
Australian rules football,
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...
,
swimming
Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...
, and
athletics
Athletics may refer to:
Sports
* Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking
** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport
* Athletics (physical culture), competi ...
, creating many records in a number of different sports.
Playing career
Albury Rovers/Albury/West Albury Football Clubs (1923–1930)
Bunton began playing for the Albury Rovers Football Club as a 12-year-old in 1923 and twice won the league's best-and-fairest award. After winning premierships with Albury Rovers in 1926 & 1927, he moved across to the
Albury Football Club
The Albury Football Club, nicknamed the ''Tigers'', is an Australian rules football and netball club based in Albury, a major regional city in New South Wales. Albury football and netball squads compete in the Ovens & Murray Football League.
C ...
, although Bunton had earlier made his debut for the
Albury Football Club
The Albury Football Club, nicknamed the ''Tigers'', is an Australian rules football and netball club based in Albury, a major regional city in New South Wales. Albury football and netball squads compete in the Ovens & Murray Football League.
C ...
in 1924 in the
Ovens and Murray Football League
The Ovens and Murray Football Netball League (O&MFNL) is an Australian rules football and netball competition containing ten clubs based in north-eastern Victoria, the southern Riverina region of New South Wales and the Ovens and Murray are ...
as a 13-year-old boy.
He played for the
Albury Rovers Football Club in 1926 and 1927 in the
Albury and Border Football Association and kicked 4 goals in their 1926 grand final win as a 15-year-old and also played in their 1927 premiership win. He also won the club's best-and-fairest award in both 1926 and 1927.
In June 1928, the
Victorian Football League
The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...
played a match against the
Ovens and Murray Football League
The Ovens and Murray Football Netball League (O&MFNL) is an Australian rules football and netball competition containing ten clubs based in north-eastern Victoria, the southern Riverina region of New South Wales and the Ovens and Murray are ...
in
Wangaratta
Wangaratta ( ) is a city in the northeast of Victoria, Australia, from Melbourne along the Hume Highway. The city had an estimated urban population of 19,318 at June 2018. Wangaratta has recorded a population growth rate of almost 1% annually ...
, and 16-year-old Hayden Bunton was praised after the game by VFL captain Frank Maher as "being able to hold his own in any league team".
In 1928, Bunton was best on ground for the
Albury Football Club
The Albury Football Club, nicknamed the ''Tigers'', is an Australian rules football and netball club based in Albury, a major regional city in New South Wales. Albury football and netball squads compete in the Ovens & Murray Football League.
C ...
in their
Ovens and Murray Football League
The Ovens and Murray Football Netball League (O&MFNL) is an Australian rules football and netball competition containing ten clubs based in north-eastern Victoria, the southern Riverina region of New South Wales and the Ovens and Murray are ...
grand final win against St. Patrick's FC. Bunton won the club's best and fairest award in 1928 too.
In 1929, there were two Albury based teams in the
Ovens and Murray Football League
The Ovens and Murray Football Netball League (O&MFNL) is an Australian rules football and netball competition containing ten clubs based in north-eastern Victoria, the southern Riverina region of New South Wales and the Ovens and Murray are ...
(East Albury & West Albury) and Bunton played for the
West Albury Football Club
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some R ...
in their 1929
Ovens and Murray Football League
The Ovens and Murray Football Netball League (O&MFNL) is an Australian rules football and netball competition containing ten clubs based in north-eastern Victoria, the southern Riverina region of New South Wales and the Ovens and Murray are ...
premiership side against East Albury and once again he was best on ground in the grand final.
It was at this point after starring in four consecutive senior football premierships, that his natural Australian football ability attracted the attention of all twelve VFL clubs.
In early 1930, Bunton was treated to a farewell dinner in the Albury Town Hall, after signing with the Fitzroy Cricket Club and Fitzroy Football Club.
Shortly after Fitzroy had won the race to secure his services, it was revealed that they had paid him £222 (A$18,750 in 2020 terms) to join, which was illegal under VFL rules. He was subsequently disqualified for 12 months by the
Victorian Football League
The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...
's Permit Committee and unable to play during the
1930 VFL season
The 1930 VFL season was the 34th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 3 May until 11 October, and comprised an 18- ...
for the
Fitzroy Football Club
The Fitzroy Football Club is an Australian rules football club currently competing in the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA). Formed in 1883 to represent the inner-Melbourne municipality of Fitzroy, the club was a member of the V ...
despite several appeals. Bunton later claimed in a 1950 newspaper article that he had received the money for a knee operation after he tore his cartilage in the 1930
Ovens and Murray Football League
The Ovens and Murray Football Netball League (O&MFNL) is an Australian rules football and netball competition containing ten clubs based in north-eastern Victoria, the southern Riverina region of New South Wales and the Ovens and Murray are ...
grand final. His initial legal match payments were the modest sum of £2 (A$168 in 2020 terms) per week.
He resisted offers from clubs in the Victorian Football Association (VFA) to play for them during the 1930 season, one club even offering him a brand-new car.
After finally receiving a permit to play back in the
Ovens and Murray Football League
The Ovens and Murray Football Netball League (O&MFNL) is an Australian rules football and netball competition containing ten clubs based in north-eastern Victoria, the southern Riverina region of New South Wales and the Ovens and Murray are ...
for
West Albury Football Club
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some R ...
in June 1930, Bunton was appointed captain/coach and later played in his fifth consecutive grand final. The match was against the
Hume Weir Football Club who proved too good and defeated West Albury for the premiership. Bunton once again played a starring role up until just before half time when he injured his knee and took no further part in the match.
Fitzroy (1931–1937)
In April, 1931 Bunton was cleared to the
Fitzroy Football Club
The Fitzroy Football Club is an Australian rules football club currently competing in the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA). Formed in 1883 to represent the inner-Melbourne municipality of Fitzroy, the club was a member of the V ...
from the
West Albury Football Club
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some R ...
and his clearance was finally approved by the
Victorian Football League
The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...
's Permit Committee.
Bunton finally made his much anticipated VFL debut in round one of the
1931 VFL season against
Melbourne Football Club at the
Melbourne Cricket Ground, kicking one goal in a losing team.
Bunton played as a
rover/follower and achieved instant success, winning
Brownlow Medal
The Charles Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal (and informally as "Charlie"), is awarded to the "best and fairest" player in the Australian Football League (AFL) during the home-and-away season, as determined by votes cast by t ...
s in his first two seasons (1931 and
1932
Events January
* January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel.
* January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort to assassinate Emperor Hiro ...
) in the VFL. He worked in a department store during the day, and practised baulking by weaving his way through crowds of shoppers. One of his opponents,
Dick Reynolds
Richard Sylvannus Reynolds (20 June 1915 – 2 September 2002) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
Reynolds is one of four footballers to have won three Brownlow ...
, spied on him during this activity in order to learn how to defeat his technique.
During his career at Fitzroy, Bunton won five
club best-and-fairest awards, in addition to his Brownlows. He was appointed captain of Fitzroy in 1932. He was runner-up for the Brownlow Medal in
1934
Events
January–February
* January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established.
* January 15 – The 8.0 Nepal–Bihar earthquake strikes Nepal and Bihar with a maxi ...
before winning the award for a third and final time in
1935. While playing, Bunton also spent the
1936 VFL season as senior coach at Fitzroy, but could only manage two wins. He was also Fitzroy's leading goalkicker in 1936 and
1937.
Subiaco (1938–1941)
In 1938, Bunton moved to Western Australia, taking the position of captain/coach of , while very competitive, they failed to play finals during his coaching stints of 1938, 1939 and 1941.
Bunton captained the Western Australian team to a victory against
St.Kilda Football Club in July, 1938.
He won the
Sandover Medal
The Sandover Medal is an Australian rules football award, given annually since 1921 to the fairest and best player in the West Australian Football League. The award was donated by Alfred Sandover M.B.E., a prominent Perth hardware merchant and b ...
three times,
in 1938, 1939 and 1941, Bunton polled 17 votes in the 1940 Sandover Medal, finishing in 6th position.
Altogether, Bunton had won six league best and fairest awards in only eleven seasons between the two states in which he had played.
Return to Fitzroy (1942)
Corporal Haydn Bunton returned to Melbourne from Perth to enter the Army's Physical Training School at Frankston and was accompanied by four Fitzroy Football Club recruits from Western Australian in April, 1942.
Bunton returned to his Army unit in Perth in late May, 1942.
He managed to play only two games for
Fitzroy Football Club
The Fitzroy Football Club is an Australian rules football club currently competing in the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA). Formed in 1883 to represent the inner-Melbourne municipality of Fitzroy, the club was a member of the V ...
in rounds one and three of
1942 VFL season
The 1942 VFL season was the 46th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria.
Played during the peak of World War II, only eleven of the league's twelve clubs compet ...
, due to his Army commitments.
Army/Services Football (1943 & 44)
Bunton played in the 18-team Services Football competition in Perth, which was divided into a 10-team A-grade competition and 8-team B-Grade competition.
Port Adelaide (1945)
After being discharged from army service at the end of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
at the age of 33, he joined
Port Adelaide in the
SANFL
The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL ( or ''S-A-N-F-L''), is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the state's governing body for the sport.
Originally formed as the ...
league and played 17 games during the
1945 SANFL season. Bunton would form a formidable duo with
Bob Quinn, helping Port Adelaide attract record crowds for the season. At the end of the minor round, Port Adelaide had lost only two games, finishing up with a percentage of 133. Bunton would play in the first final of his career with Port Adelaide in their Second Semi-Final win against
Norwood in front of 36,383 spectators at
Adelaide Oval
Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the city centre and North Adelaide. The venue is predominantly used for cricket and Australian rules football, but has also played host to rugby le ...
. Bunton would kick two goals during the match. The win against Norwood qualified Port Adelaide for the
1945 SANFL Grand Final against
West Torrens. During the first quarter of the 1945 SANFL Grand Final, Port Adelaide kicked a record quarter-time score for a SANFL Grand Final of 8.1 (51), which still stands today. However, this was not enough for Bunton to win his first premiership as a player with Port Adelaide, falling short by 13 points to West Torrens. The 1945 SANFL Grand Final would be Haydn Bunton Sr's last match in senior football. Bunton would be awarded two
Magarey Medal
The Magarey Medal is an Australian rules football honour awarded annually since 1898 to the fairest and most brilliant player in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL), as judged by field umpires. The award was created by Will ...
votes during his 17 games for Port Adelaide in 1945, thus achieving the rare feat of garnering votes in the VFL, WAFL, and SANFL.
North Adelaide (1947 & 1948)
On Monday, 3 March 1947, the
North Adelaide Football Club
North Adelaide Football Club, nicknamed The Roosters, is an Australian rules football club affiliated with the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) and SANFL Women's League (SANFLW). The club plays its home games at Prospect Oval, ...
appointed Haydn Bunton as senior non-playing coach. North Adelaide finished in 6th position in 1947 and in 5th position in 1948. Bunton resigned as coach after the last home-and-away game in September 1948. Interestingly,
North Adelaide Football Club
North Adelaide Football Club, nicknamed The Roosters, is an Australian rules football club affiliated with the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) and SANFL Women's League (SANFLW). The club plays its home games at Prospect Oval, ...
went onto win the
1949 SANFL premiership, coached by
Ken Farmer
Kenneth William George Farmer (25 July 1910 – 5 March 1982) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the North Adelaide Football Club in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL).
Dubbed the 'Bradman of football' in So ...
.
Cricket career
Haydn Bunton was the most outstanding batsman in the Albury and Border Cricket Association, with an average of 149 in the 1927/28 season and averaged 127 in 1928/29, and his services were sought by many Melbourne District Cricket Clubs.
In December 1928, Bunton (144), was involved in a 280-run, second-wicket partnership with
William "Cassie" Andrews (146) from
Maitland
Maitland is an English and Scottish surname. It arrived in Britain after the Norman conquest of 1066. There are two theories about its source. It is either a nickname reference to "bad temper/disposition" (Old French, ''Maltalent''; Anglo Norm ...
in a Sydney Country Week Cricket Carnival match on the
Sydney Cricket Ground between a combined country week team and a combined Sydney first-grade team.
Bunton commenced playing Melbourne district cricket for the
Fitzroy Cricket Club
The Fitzroy Doncaster Cricket Club, nicknamed the Lions, play cricket in the elite club competition of Melbourne, Australia, known as Victorian Premier Cricket. The club was formed by a 1986 amalgamation of Fitzroy Cricket Club, a foundation mem ...
during the 1930/31 season and scored 104 against Prahran on Saturday, 9 January 1932. Bunton played for Fitzroy CC in their losing 1931/32 Melbourne District Cricket grand final against
St. Kilda Cricket Club.
All up, he played 25
First XI
The First XI (or, less commonly, First 11) are the eleven primary players in an organisation's leading team, particularly a football or cricket team. A player who is considered a core part of the starting line-up in a First XI team is often the ...
games for Fitzroy CC between 1930/31 and 1933/34.
In 1944, Bunton was stationed with the
First Australian Imperial Force
The First Australian Imperial Force (1st AIF) was the main expeditionary force of the Australian Army during the First World War. It was formed as the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) following Britain's declaration of war on Germany on 15 Au ...
in
Wallgrove, Sydney, and played cricket with the Petersham Cricket Club.
Life outside football
Bunton enlisted in the
Australian Army
The Australian Army is the principal land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (CA), wh ...
in 1942 and rose to the rank of
corporal
Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non- ...
.
He spent the
1946 SANFL season as an SANFL football
field umpire and earned a very good reputation in a very short time, umpiring the 1946 SANFL Preliminary Final, with many believing he was very stiff not to umpire the grand final the following week.
In 1949, 1950 and 1951, Bunton was the feature football writer for the Adelaide newspaper ''The Mail''.
Death and tributes
On Thursday 1 September 1955, Bunton was critically injured when his car crashed into three
gum trees
''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of over seven hundred species of Flowering plant, flowering trees, shrubs or Mallee (habit), mallees in the Myrtaceae, myrtle Family (biology), family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the Tribe (biology) ...
eleven miles north of
Gawler, South Australia
Gawler is the oldest country town on the Australian mainland in the state of South Australia. It was named after the second Governor (British Vice-Regal representative) of the colony of South Australia, George Gawler. It is about north of the ...
. He was alone in the car, and he was treated at the scene for severe head injuries, a punctured lung, a fractured collarbone, fractured ribs, and
shock
Shock may refer to:
Common uses Collective noun
*Shock, a historic commercial term for a group of 60, see English numerals#Special names
* Stook, or shock of grain, stacked sheaves
Healthcare
* Shock (circulatory), circulatory medical emergen ...
.
On Saturday morning, two days later, he rallied slightly to encourage his son Haydn Jr. in an important match for that day. "Go out and do your best, son." Bunton was declared dead on the night of Monday 5 September at the
Royal Adelaide Hospital
The Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH), colloquially known by its initials or pronounced as "the Rah", is South Australia's largest hospital, owned by the state government as part of Australia's public health care system. The RAH provides tertiary hea ...
.
He was buried at
North Road Cemetery
North Road Cemetery is located in the Adelaide suburb of Nailsworth, approximately 5 km north of the central business district. It is 7.3 hectares (18 acres) in size and there have been over 26,000 burials since its foundation in 1853. Th ...
in
Nailsworth, South Australia
Nailsworth is a suburb four km north of Adelaide, South Australia. The suburb borders Sefton Park, Prospect, Broadview, Medindie Gardens and Collinswood
Collinswood is a suburb of Adelaide spanning the boundary of the Prospect and t ...
.
In 1996, Bunton was named at left
forward pocket
In the sport of Australian rules football, each of the eighteen players in a team is assigned to a particular named position on the field of play. These positions describe both the player's main role and by implication their location on the gro ...
in the
AFL Team of the Century
The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional sports, professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling ...
, and he was made an inaugural legend in the
Australian Football Hall of Fame.
Bunton was inducted into the
Ovens & Murray Football League
The Ovens and Murray Football Netball League (O&MFNL) is an Australian rules football and netball competition containing ten clubs based in north-eastern Victoria, the southern Riverina region of New South Wales and the Ovens and Murray ar ...
br>
Hall of Fame in 2018
Reputation
![Haydn Bunton Snr leap](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/Haydn_Bunton_Snr_leap.jpg)
During his playing career, Bunton was considered by fans of the sport as a player of integrity, who rarely if ever engaged in unduly rough play.
[Mansell, ''Ibid''.] His fame was enhanced by him having his own radio show on
3DB, and he had a Melbourne newspaper column when he played with Fitzroy.
He later had radio programs in Perth and Adelaide. He was regarded as a
sex symbol in the 1930s, and his looks were compared to those of film star
Rudolf Valentino
Rodolfo Pietro Filiberto Raffaello Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguolla (May 6, 1895 – August 23, 1926), known professionally as Rudolph Valentino and nicknamed The Latin Lover, was an Italian actor based in the United States who starred ...
.
During his period with Fitzroy, he was naturally a marked man, but almost perfect balance enabled him to keep out of trouble. He had uncanny ball sense and great speed, was a fine mark, and an accurate, if not outstanding, kick.
The Secretary of Fitzroy, J. Buckley, said of Bunton: "Haydn was the greatest player ever to wear the Fitzroy jersey. He had unlimited stamina, courage, and was the quickest thinker I have ever seen."
Bunton once played with
Don Bradman in a
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
country cricket team, and in the early 1930s, Bunton was regarded as a possible
Test cricket
Test cricket is a form of first-class cricket played at international level between teams representing full member countries of the International Cricket Council (ICC). A match consists of four innings (two per team) and is scheduled to last f ...
er.
In 1999, historian and teacher
Ken Mansell
Ken or KEN may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Ken'' (album), a 2017 album by Canadian indie rock band Destroyer.
* ''Ken'' (film), 1964 Japanese film.
* ''Ken'' (magazine), a large-format political magazine.
* Ken Masters, a main character in ...
wrote "The Ballad of Haydn Bunton", a song that highlighted Bunton's great achievements.
Family
Bunton married Lylia Frances Austin at
Scots' Church, Melbourne
The Scots' Church is a Presbyterian church in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It was the first Presbyterian church to be built in the Port Phillip District (now the state of Victoria) and is located on Collins Street. It is a congregation of the ...
, on 22 February 1936.
Bunton had two sons:
Haydn Bunton Jr., born in 1937, who would become a prominent footballer in his own right, and David.
In July 1945, Mrs. Bunton sued for divorce on the grounds of her husband's misconduct with a certain Doreen May Scott, a member of the
Australian Women's Army Service
The Australian Women's Army Service (AWAS) was a non-medical women's service established in Australia during the Second World War. Raised on 13 August 1941 to "release men from certain military duties for employment in fighting units" the servi ...
(AWAS).
Bunton remarried Lylia Bunton at the Adelaide Registry Office on Saturday, 7 September 1946, in a closed secret ceremony.
Lylia died suddenly at home on 25 December 1954 at the age of 42, less than a year before her husband.
Bunton's brother,
Cleaver Bunton
Cleaver Ernest Bunton (5 May 190220 January 1999) was a long-serving Mayor of Albury, New South Wales, Australia, who came to national prominence in 1975 when he was controversially appointed to the Senate by New South Wales Liberal Party Premi ...
, was a long-serving mayor of
Albury
Albury () is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the Hume Highway and the northern side of the Murray River. Albury is the seat of local government for the council area which also bears the city's name – the ...
and also a
senator for a short time in 1975. Cleaver was the first
Ovens & Murray Football League
The Ovens and Murray Football Netball League (O&MFNL) is an Australian rules football and netball competition containing ten clubs based in north-eastern Victoria, the southern Riverina region of New South Wales and the Ovens and Murray ar ...
life member. 1980, Cleaver played in West Albury's 1929 premiership team, was the O&MFL treasurer 1953 to 1993, O&MFL secretary 1930 to 1969 and again in 1976, founder and editor of ''The Critic'' from 1924 to 1990, the longest-serving administrator in Australian Rules Football history, founder of Albury Umpires Association, establisher of sporting broadcasts on radio, and was the first to broadcast Ovens & Murray football; the O&MFL club championship award is named after him.
References
External links
*
*
*
Information about Haydn Bunton at TroveAFL Hall of Fame – Legends*
Haydn Bunton's WW2 Service RecordProfile at Australian FootballThe Ballad of Haydn Bunton (Song and Article)– by Original Author and Artist
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bunton, Haydn Sr.
1911 births
1955 deaths
Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees
Brownlow Medal winners
Fitzroy Football Club players
Fitzroy Football Club coaches
Port Adelaide Football Club (SANFL) players
Port Adelaide Football Club players (all competitions)
Subiaco Football Club players
Subiaco Football Club coaches
North Adelaide Football Club coaches
Albury Football Club players
Sandover Medal winners
Mitchell Medal winners
South Australian National Football League umpires
West Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees
Australian rules footballers from Albury
Road incident deaths in South Australia
Burials at North Road Cemetery
Australian Army personnel of World War II
Australian Army soldiers
Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductees