Central Highlands: Buninyong celebrates 150th season in existence
Buninyong is one of the Central Highlands league’s oldest clubs. See what it has in store to mark a major anniversary.
Buninyong’s oldest living flag coach and its most recent premiership-winning coach will be among the many special guests at an event marking its 150th anniversary next month.
John Abraham was a playing coach of Buninyong from 1969 to 1971 with the club winning the premiership in 1970.
He also won two club best and fairest awards.
Chris Maple coached Buninyong to the 2002 Central Highlands league flag before spending more than a decade at the Western Bulldogs that included being an assistant coach of the 2016 drought-breaking AFL premiership team and also coaching a VFL flag.
The centrepiece of the club’s 150-year anniversary on April 12 will be Buninyong’s second round match against Beaufort with an informal get-together to take place at the club’s home ground the previous night.
“It certainly is a big achievement for a club to be around for 150 years,” event co-organiser Tania Innes said.
“We definitely wanted to commemorate it because it doesn’t happen very often.”
Research has revealed the club was formed on May 26, 1875 at a meeting at the town’s Crown Hotel and a challenge to play a match against Ballarat was accepted soon after with the game taking place on June 12.
The match finished in a draw, 1.0 (6) apiece.
Buninyong won its first flag in 1935 with former Richmond player Jack McCormack the coach.
The Central Highlands league has two clubs which predate Buninyong’s formation, Clunes and Creswick, which both started in 1869.
Buninyong joined the Central Highlands league in 1979.
Netball was formed in 1987 and it's A grade netball team went on an undefeated march to the premiership in 2022 when it beat Learmonth in the grand final.
Buninyong moved grounds in 2007 with the switch ushering in a change of nickname from the Bunnies to the Bombers.
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