‘He was my best friend’: Murray Bridge mourns beloved taxi driver and ‘family man’ Grant Dunt
A beloved Murray Bridge man has died aged 54, leaving behind a devastated family after his sudden death shocked the community.
The Murray Bridge community is mourning the sudden death of beloved local taxi driver and former cricket umpire Grant Dunt.
The 54-year-old father of three died after suffering a heart attack on Sunday, November 9.
His wife of 24 years, Belinda, 48, said life would never be the same without her husband and that she would cherish the love they shared forever.
“He was very much a family man. Our family wasn’t just the five of us, it was the Murray Bridge community,” she said.
“The one thing that we’re lucky for, apart from our three boys, is that we found a love that not everyone finds.
“He was not just my husband, he was my best friend too.”
The couple, who both hail from Victoria, had an instant connection when they first met in 1993 and began dating after crossing paths again in 1997.
The pair moved across the border in 2000 and were married at The Old Gum Tree at Glenelg the following year.
Four days before their first anniversary, the couple welcomed their eldest son, Leon, in 2002.
In 2003, the couple moved to Murray Bridge which has remained their home ever since.
Ms Dunt said Grant was a “fun dad” who enjoyed teaching his sons how to play sports and passing down his passion for the Geelong Cats.
Growing up in Victoria, Mr Dunt was heavily involved in Essendon Athletic Club, representing them at numerous state and national championships and holding club records in the hammer throw for many years.
Sports remained a passion for him throughout his adult life, playing C-Grade cricket for Monarto Cricket Club during the 2003-4 season before umpiring for six years.
He also hosted athletics lessons at his son’s primary school ahead of SAPSASA, teaching kids how to do shot put, javelin and discus.
In 2018, he started his own taxi business, BGS Taxi Service, and sponsored his former cricket club and the Rambler Football Club, where his sons played.
Mr Dunt went “above and beyond” to help his customers, providing meals to struggling families and driving people without ambulance cover to hospital.
He closed the business earlier this year after being diagnosed with diabetes to spend more time with his family.
On Saturday, the Monarto Cricket Club donned black armbands to honour the “handy cricketer” better known as Dunta.
Mr Dunt is survived by his wife Belinda and sons Leon, 23, Baylee, 22, and Tyler, 19.
His funeral will be held on Friday, 28 November at The Minge Chapel with his family planning to play the Geelong Cats club song and raise a can of VB in his memory.
A GoFundMe has been started to support Mr Dunt’s family with funeral costs.
You can support the family here.
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Originally published as ‘He was my best friend’: Murray Bridge mourns beloved taxi driver and ‘family man’ Grant Dunt
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