Revealed: The greatest athletes to come from Colac

Colac is well known for its gun AFL exports of the modern era but the western Victorian town has a rich history of producing sporting greats. Here’s our list of the greatest ever.

Colac has produced quality sports stars for the past few decades. Picture: Supplied.

Colac might be small in size but it has made a considerable impact on the sporting landscape for the past few decades.

From pioneering cricket players to generational stars the town has produced it all.

Here are the best sporting stars to come from the region.

Don Bauer

Played 81 games in the VFL from 1943 to 1949 for two clubs, Footscray and Geelong. A defender, Bauer fought in World War 2, before he went into the VFL. After his playing career, Bauer coached in Tasmania, Ballarat and Geelong at three clubs.

Amon Buchanan

The small forward played 134 games for Sydney and Brisbane during his career and won the 2005 AFL premiership with the Swans. Buchanan also played for Australia twice. After his career he became a coach.

Aaron Finch

The best cricketer to ever come from Colac. He might have played only five tests but it was in the one day and T20 arena where he shined. Finch captained both Australian teams and made 19 centuries in both formats, opening the batting predominantly. He was known to destroy opposition attacks with his ruthless power. He won two World Cups, in 2015 with the one day cup and 2022 in T20, which he led as captain. His 172 against Zimbabwe in 2018 is the highest score by an Aussie in T20 cricket. Finch retired from international cricket in 2022 and played with the Melbourne Renegades until 2024.

Peter Foster

A best-and-fairest winner at the Western Bulldogs who played more than 160 games. Foster played 170 games in the VFL for two clubs and was a defender who excelled in the position after being put there by Mick Malthouse in the early stages of his career.

Ken Hanson

A Commonwealth Games lawn bowler on the Gold Coast in 2018. Hanson was part of the Australian B6-B8 team which won gold.

Luke Hodge

Hodge is a four-time AFL premiership winner with Hawthorn and Brisbane and played 346 games. A tough midfielder/defender who was a natural born leader during his career. Hodge won the Norm Smith Medal twice and was in the All-Australian team three times. He is one of the most famous names to come from the region.

John Devine 

Nicknamed Colac, Devine would go on to be a star for Geelong and North Hobart in the VFL and Tasmanian Football League respectively. For Geelong, he played 188 games and played in their 1963 VFL premiership win. He would later coach the Cats from 1986 to 1988 and set the platform for the team to make the grand final the following year in 1989. For North Hobart he would guide the team as captain-coach to three premierships in 1967, 1969 and 1974 and also guide the team to the state championship in 1969. Devine was a defender for most of his playing career but did play up forward. He is part of Geelong and Tasmanian Football League’s hall of fame.

Nathan Foley

The former Tiger played 154 games for Richmond from 2004 to 2015 and also represented Victoria in 2008 in the All-Stars match. In 2007, he made the extended squad for the All Australian team.

Darcy Lang 

A former first round AFL Draft pick who played 64 matches in his career for Geelong and Carlton. In 2015 he earned a rising star nomination. Since retiring he’s coached and played for Colac in the Geelong Football Netball League. He is now the head of football and a performance mentor at Geelong Grammar.

Pat Leahy

The only player in VFL history to switch between two clubs three times. The ruckman played 32 games from 1939 to 1945 and would have played more games had he not been involved in World War 2. He died in 2009 and was the last Geelong player alive to play at Corio Oval.

Wayne McCarney

The cyclist won gold in the men’s team pursuit at the 1986 Commonwealth Games before winning an Olympic medal two years later. In 1988, at the Seoul Games, he won bronze in the same event.

Paul McKenzie 

A sailor with more than 20 years of experience in national and international competition. In 1996, he represented Australia in the Olympics and finished sixth in the Finn class.

Finn class sailor Paul McKenzie (foreground) gets out of way of Darren Bundock & John Forbes in a race in the 1990s.

Tim Pekin

A two-club player in the VFL-AFL during a career which spanned 219 games. He started his career with Fitzroy but was delisted at the end of the 1989 season before going onto finish it with St Kilda.

Shelley Scott

A current member of Geelong’s AFLW team. Scott has played over 60 games in the AFLW competition in a career which started at Melbourne.

Clyde Sefton

Clyde Sefton runs with the Queen's Baton.

The only Australian male to win an Olympic medal in a road race. In 1972 he won silver at the Munich games. A talented cyclist, Sefton in 1981 won the Herald Sun Tour and also won the national road race the same year.

Jonathan Simpkin

Played 43 games in the AFL for three clubs and won the 2013 premiership with Hawthorn. The midfielder also had a successful VFL career, winning two premierships and the best on ground in the final in 2013, which saw him play in the AFL decider a week later. Extended his career by four games in 2016 when he joined Essendon as a top up player.

Craig Spence

A former top-100 golfer who has won on the PGA Tour in Australia, beating Greg Norman in the process. Spence won the Australian Masters in 1999 and also won two Victorian Amateur titles before going professional. He is still playing to this day.

Don Wagstaff

Victorian diver Don Wagstaff in 1972. He is one of Australia’s best divers.

Won four diving gold medals at the Commonwealth Games in 1970 and 1974. In 1980, he received an MBE for his services to the sport. He would later become a commentator of the sport.

Norma Wilson 

The 52nd Australian woman to play cricket for her country. Wilson played three tests in the 1960s as a wicketkeeper and took six catches. She also made 19 runs during those tests. The Colac-born player also played 15 times for Victoria and was described by Cricket Australia as a pioneer for the women’s game with resources so poor back then. She died in 2022 at the age of 92.

Originally published as Revealed: The greatest athletes to come from Colac