Harry Hunter was man for all seasons.
He was an accomplished player, a player’s advocate, a stop-gap coach, long term committeeman, inaugural president of the past players and officials association, vice president, shrewd treasurer and founding member of the Essendonians.
His service was both varied and enduring spanning 50 eventful years.
Harry Hunter was 19 years old when he arrived at Essendon in 1921, the year before the club moved to Windy Hill, and began an association with the club that that would last a lifetime until his death in office in 1971.
Hunter had played with Footscray in the VFA and Newmarket before arriving at Essendon. In 109 games over eight seasons he established himself as a tough and determined fullback who was at his best in the big games.
In his second season and after fewer than 15 games Hunter caught the eye of state selectors and was chosen for Victoria for the first time. He played for the state four times between 1922 and 1927.
After a stellar 1923 season, Hunter missed the grand final through injury after being among Essendon’s best in the semi final against South Melbourne. But he was back to his best in 1924 and played every game and all three finals games that year, winning a premiership medal.
Although described as a determined and vigorous player in the press, Hunter was lauded in a number of newspaper reports when in the 1926 finals game against Melbourne he chose to avoid contact with Melbourne’s Robert Corbett who had just come back onto the ground after breaking his jaw earlier in the game. According to The Argus newspaper “it was the action of a sportsman and a gentleman”.
Hunter was appointed vice captain in 1927, missed the 1928 season owing to a job transfer and returned for his final season in 1929.
After retiring Hunter had coaching stints in the VFA with Yarraville and then Preston, before he returned to Windy Hill in 1937 as a committeeman and two years later in 1939, while still serving on committee he joined a young Dick Reynolds as joint coach of the team for one season upon the sudden resignation of Jack Baggott.
That same year, 1939, Hunter became chairman of selectors, a position he held initially for three years and again between 1962 and 1970 a period during which Essendon won two premierships, in 1962 and 1965.
In 1953 Hunter became inaugural president of the Essendon Ex-Players and Officials Association, a group which has gone from strength to strength and today has 344 members.
He was vice president between 1956 and 1960 and the following year, 1961, Hunter took on the role of club treasurer a position he held until his death.
Perhaps his best legacy was convincing a newly arrived 17-year-old called Barry Davis to try out for the senior rather than the under 19s.
From all accounts he was an Essendon man through and through, dedicated, scrupulous, steady and level headed.
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