A statue of Fitzroy champion Haydn Bunton was unveiled at the MCG on April 16. It is the seventh work completed by eminent sculptor Louis Laumen in a series of 10 commissioned for the Tattersall’s Parade of the Champions project that will grace the big stadium in time for the Commonwealth Games in March 2006.
Few footballers of any era have been so admired and respected as Haydn Bunton, the Fitzroy dynamo with skill to burn and movie-star looks who thrilled fans (and the ladies) from the moment he first turned out for the Maroons in 1931.
Bunton won the Brownlow Medal in his first two seasons of football and again in 1935, becoming the first player to win the VFL’s highest award three times. He also won WA’s Sandover Medal three times after transferring to Subiaco in 1938. When war intervened he returned to Victoria and played a few games with his old club in 1942.
Noted for both his brilliance and endurance, Bunton was beautifully balanced, roving all day and dominating matches with magnificent judgment and constructive handball. He represented Victoria on 12 occasions and Western Australia three times.
Bunton is in rare company as a member of the Tattersall’s Parade of the Champions. Only three other footballers are honoured – Dick Reynolds, Ron Barassi and Leigh Matthews. The latter’s statue will be unveiled before the Hawthorn-Carlton match on July 23. The Bunton statue joins those of Don Bradman, Betty Cuthbert, Ron Barassi, Keith Miller, Dick Reynolds and Shirley Strickland unveiled since 2002.
Tattersall's Managing Director, Mr Duncan Fischer, said the company was proud to sponsor the Parade of Champions at the MCG in the lead up to the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
“As the redevelopment project moves into its final stages, we are very pleased to see the statues of MCG champions waiting in the wings to enhance the overall appeal of the stadium precinct,” he said.
“We believe these statues help set the scene as people arrive at the ground and they’ve already proven to be of great interest to tourists visiting the MCG. We’ll be very proud when all the statues are in place around the ground for the Commonwealth Games next year.”
"For the generations who knew Haydn Bunton, and for those who have followed his remarkable career, this statue is a fitting tribute to one of Australia's great sporting heroes and a role model for all," Mr Fischer said.
