Former Central Highlands Football League president Reg Haintz has been remembered as a man that cared deeply about the well-being of others and was always there to lend a hand.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Haintz died this week aged 80 after a short battle with melanoma. He is survived by his wife of close to 60 years Eileen and four children, Geraldine, Peter, Tanya and Danny.
Haintz's working life was in potato seed growing and his passion for sport saw him become a friend of many.
He played football at Creswick in 1954 and 1955 in the under-16 competition and senior football for Newlyn between 1956 and 1961.
His later involvement at club level was at Springbank when the family moved to the town. He served on the committee from 1979 to 1984 and was club president from 1985 to 1988. He would eventually be awarded life membership of the Tigers in 1990, the same year that sons Danny and Peter helped take the club to a breakthrough senior premiership.
Haintz was a delegate for the CHFL from 1985 to 2000 and later served as league president from 2001 to 2008.
He received life membership of the CHFL on September 14, 2010.
Danny said his father loved playing cricket - winning a premiership as captain with Dean-Mollongghip - as well as golf and bowls.
"He played (cricket) right up until his early 40s and then he went playing golf. He would play Saturday morning competition out at Creswick and then around 60 years of age, probably even a little bit earlier, he went playing bowls at Smeaton Bowling Club up until this year," Danny said.
"I play at Bungaree and he came across to play with me. But he only got to play six games before he got ill."
Haintz was on many potato seed committees and was secretary and treasurer of a Ballarat group.
Danny said his father was fondly remembered for the time he gave to others.
"His care for his family and for people in the industry that he is in," Danny reflected. "If anyone would ask for help, he would help them. Whether that was a job or anything."
CHFL president Doug Hobson said he and Haintz spent a lot of time together as delegates and described him as a "gentleman".
"He had a large input as far as how the Central Highlands conducted itself while he was president," Hobson said.
"He will be sadly missed."
CHFL manager Diane Ryan said Haintz had an "amazing" knowledge of the league's history.
"From a personal perspective, Reg was a very generous and caring person to work alongside," Ryan said.
"Reg was highly respected as a league president among his fellow committee members and member clubs of the CHFL."
Danny said a large memorial gathering would be planned once COVID-19 restrictions were lifted.
