Buninyong life member and historian Stan Hunter is pumped for this weekends CHFL grand final against Daylesford. PICTURE: ADAM TRAFFORD
IF BUNINYONG can overcome Daylesford and claim the Central Highlands Football League senior premiership this afternoon, there will be few more thrilled than club stalwart Stan Hunter.
The Bomber fanatic has an overwhelming passion for the club and is a proud member of its 1970 flag-winning side.
The 62-year-old is a long-term sufferer of multiple sclerosis, but doesn’t let the debilitating illness dampen his love of the game.
Mr Hunter rarely misses a Buninyong fixture.
“It’s a passion, and I make the effort. The kids and everybody know that Saturday you can’t get dad because you know where he will be,” Mr Hunter says.
“Somebody will say to you, he’s different come Friday because he know knows tomorrow is footy.”
Mr Hunter has spent years carefully detailing the club’s history.
He has a room dedicated to his collection, which includes books of past newspaper clippings and memorabilia from seasons gone by. Mr Hunter also has a complete record of games played by reserves and senior footballers, which he updates weekly.
“It’s just an immense enjoyment for me and I love the history side of things,” Mr Hunter said. “I loved history at school so I guess this was just a natural progression.”
Mr Hunter had stints with several clubs over the years, including Golden Point, Sebastopol, Wickliffe, Maryborough Rovers and Gordon, but says a 30-year association with Buninyong, where he is a dual senior best and fairest, means that’s where his heart lies.
And the relationship isn’t just one-way. The Bombers showed their respect following the death of Mr Hunter’s mother last week when both the reserves and senior teams wore black armbands in respective preliminary final wins.
Buninyong is chasing its first senior premiership since 2002 today, while Daylesford plays off in its sixth-straight grand final.
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