Is this a coincidence? The next publication of ‘Where are they Now’ will be the 50th in the series and guess what?
My next participant is Graham Hunt who now resides in Hervey Bay Queensland, has been involved in Umpiring for 53 years and at the age of 75 years is still umpiring as a Goal Umpire in the Wide Bay competition of the AFLQ.
Born in the Adelaide Hospital on the 16th July 1950 to Roy & June Hunt, Graham inadvertently became the victim of a traditional naming culture. He was named Albert Graham Hunt because the first name was always a generational handover, but within minutes of naming him, his parents commenced calling him Graham, which has remained his preferred name ever since.
The family lived in Goodwood in South Australia where Graham attended Goodwood Primary School before progressing to Unley High School in 1962, where he finished his schooling in 1967. Whilst at Unley High, he played football, baseball and basketball. Graham had an elder brother Rodney who sadly passed away in 1970. He gained a sister when he was sixteen and studying for his Matriculation levels.
The family always spent Christmas at Swan Hill Victoria until Graham was 18.
1968 saw Graham start employment with the Cooperative Building Society in Adelaide but he wasn’t impressed with that type of employment so in late 1968 joined the RAAF in South Australia. He played football with the RAAF and was not very good at it, so he decided to try umpiring and running the boundary with SANFL – something he thoroughly enjoyed. The following year a posting to Victoria with the RAAF saw Graham meet a lovely lady named Sandra. After dating for two years, the couple married in 1971. 54 years later and they are still as strong as ever, now overseeing a family of four children, Matthew, Michelle, Sharon and Krystal and 12 grand children.
Graham’s umpiring career began in South Australia as a boundary umpire before moving to Canberra in 1969 with the air force, where he took up field umpiring for 5 years.
By 1974, Graham’s period of service with the RAAF had come to a close, so he packed his bags and moved to Victoria, where he joined the Victorian Police Force as a motorcycle officer. He would remain in this role for 18 years.
Wanting to continue his umpiring, Graham joined the VFL Reserve grade list as a field umpire and became involved with the VFL Reserve Grade Umpires Association (VFLRGUA). Graham held a position on the Social Committee, before becoming the Social Secretary, then Vice President, and finally President in 1983.
On field, his prospects of making the senior VFL list as a field umpire looked slim, so Graham decided on a tactical discipline change, trading his whistle for the flags and white coat in 1979.
An interesting story has emerged about Graham while he was a motorcycle officer that reminds you that some people will do anything to earn a quid.
At that time, Police Officers were not permitted to have a second form of employment, which included being an umpire. In Graham’s case, he was sometimes rostered to work on a Saturday afternoon, even when he had been appointed to umpire a game of football. On one occasion, he was on patrol on his motorcycle when he drove to the footy ground, parked the bike behind the grandstand and then went to the umpire’s room, got changed and officiated the game. After the game he put his uniform back on and continued his shift. Well done Graham.
His career in the reserves included two finals, 1981 1st Semi-Final – Statewide Cup at South Melbourne. where Essendon 14.16 d. Nth Melbourne. 13.12. Then in 1982, a Statewide Cup Preliminary Final at VFL Park in Waverley – Fitzroy 18.13 d. Geelong 14.10. He was appointed Emergency Goal Umpire for the 1982 Reserves Grand Final.
Graham was promoted onto the senior list in 1983 and trained at Gosch’s Paddock. It was an interesting time in goal umpiring then, as the Goal Umpires’ Advisor Jim Mahoney had created a rotation system where the Goalies would umpire 4 senior games, then 4 Under 19, then 4 Reserves grade games before returning to the seniors for another four.
Many of the senior goalies were unhappy with this new system including one umpire who had umpired a VFL Grand Final in front of 90,000 who now found himself umpiring U.19s in front of 80 people. His demeanour was not at a high standard and an observer at the game watching Graham didn’t like his partner’s attitude. That goalie spent the next six weeks in the Under 19’s. This new rotation system was one of the reasons that Graham had umpired only 40 VFL games in 8 years, 1983 -1991, and also missed the 1984 season, as well as being promoted to Sydney with his employment.
Graham’s senior VFL game was at Kardinia Park on Anzac Day 1983, where Melbourne 18.13 d. Geelong 16.14. His partner that day was Brian Pratt who was officiating at his 200th game. His last VFL game as Goal Umpire was at Windy Hill in 1991 where Essendon 23.29 d. Brisbane 17.10.
Graham asserts that the highlights of his career came umpiring in front of 80,000 spectators on several occasions. The intensity of the atmosphere was unforgettable.
On the other end of the spectrum, one of his lowlights came when moment came when he arrived at the iconic MCG for a game, only to realise he’d forgotten to pack his goal umpiring flags.
Enter wife Sandra, who after a panicked call from Graham drove to the MCG, managed to get into the ground after explaining the situation to the gatekeeper, and made it to the umpire’s room before the umpires walked onto the ground. An embarrassing moment had been averted.
A short while after Graham and his family moved to Sydney in 1994, he received a phone call from Bill Deller who was the Umpire’s Director at the time. Bill somehow found out about Graham’s move to Sydney and convinced him to take on the role of Goal Umpire Fitness Advisor and Umpire Assistant Advisor and Observer for 5 years, helping Director of Umpiring Keith Ogston in the Sydney League. This role also included every second Sunday being at the SCG observing the senior Umpires officiating in the VFL games.
I asked Graham what he thought of the way the game is played now. He stated it’s disappointing when players are so skilled and paid so well that they are unable to kick goals at set shots.
When asked about his greatest disappointment whilst umpiring, Graham gave a wry smile and spoke of the annual end¬ of-season international football games where umpires were chosen to officiate. Graham was appointed as the emergency goal umpire for the exhibition games in USA and the U.K. one year in case umpires Leigh Keen and the late Greg MacDonald couldn’t go. He thought he was a big chance to get promoted to the games as Leigh Keen hated flying, but Leigh undertook therapy and went on the trip. Graham was so close to going on a trip of a lifetime.
From 1991 Graham worked at Spotless, Secom Security, Phillips Electronics, Fletcher Insulation, Bargara Lifestyle Resort, Rainforestation Nature Park in far North Queensland, Chubb Security, and Employment Solutions before retiring in 2015. Retirement allowed Graham and Sandra to enjoy caravanning, house sitting and travelling on cruise ships where they visited Bali, Thailand, U.S.A. Mexico, P.N.G., Caribbean, Fiji, Singapore, Vietnam, South Pacific Isles and New Zealand.
In 2017 Graham had settled temporarily in Lakes Entrance in Victoria and he was asked to take on the position of Director of Umpiring/Advisor with the East Gippsland FL as well as the Omeo & District FL working out of Bairnsdale. After this role, they once again moved to Queensland for warmer weather and in 2019 Graham was appointed Wide Bay AFL Umpire Advisor during Covid and led a group of dedicated umpires for the region umpiring senior AFLQ football. Graham carried out this role for two years however, during the second year he was desperately short of a goal umpire, so he decided to don the green shirt and do it himself, after many years away from the goals.
Since finishing his role as Umpire Advisor in 2021, Graham and Sandra moved to Hervey Bay and never too far away from umpiring, he decided to return to goal umpiring. He achieved in four years, three senior Grand Finals as a goal umpire and is still the goal umpire line coach for Wide Bay region. He also spends time at Lawn Bowls on Mondays and Thursdays and swims most mornings. Graham has spent more than 50 years involved in AFL Umpiring in many formats. To be still a regular goal umpire and often, officiating in three games a Saturday, is a fantastic achievement.
Is it over yet? He has a Grand Final trophy for 2021, 2022 and 2024. There’s still a chance for 2025. And 2026? Now that’s a career.
-Graeme ‘Wizzer’ Fellows