Part of the tradition of football and football clubs is the carrying on of a famous name across the generations through fathers and sons.  All clubs have their own instances, with the Heals and Marinko’s(West Perth) , Kettlewells and Burtons(Subiaco), Doigs, Sumich’s,  and Regans(South and East Fremantle), Spencers and Sparrows(East Perth) among them, but the most decorated, in careers spanning the continent,  would be the Buntons.The Bunton story is not only one of high achievement but also tragedy and drama befitting a Hollywood movie.  Indeed, in 1973 a tribute song to Haydn Bunton snr was released, penned by Ken Mansell.Haydn Bunton snr was born at Albury, New South Wales, and played with Albury before switching to West Albury.  News of the young  rover spread like wildfire and it wasn’t long before talent scouts from all VFL clubs were beating at his door. Bunton signed with Fitzroy, but allegations that his signature had been assisted by the offer of illegal  inducements were later proved, and the VFL would not allow him to play for the whole 1930 season.  Finally cleared to play the following season, Bunton hit the VFL stage like a whirlwind.  He won three Brownlows , in 1931-32-35, and collected  five Fitzroy Fairest and Best  awards.In 1938, he travelled West and joined Subiaco as playing coach, where he continued his domination of the game, winning three Sandovers, but  World War Two was to bring the curtain down on his WANFL career.  He returned to Fitzroy in 1942.After a season with Port Adelaide in the SANFL, Bunton took to umpiring, before becoming non playing coach of North Adelaide.  During his career he was a matinee idol, having radio shows in Melbourne, Perth, and Adelaide. In an era of depression when Australians were looking for  heroes and inspiration which were exemplified by Sir Donald Bradman and Phar Lap,  Haydn Bunton was held in the same vein.Haydn Bunton was killed in a car accident in 1955.The Haydn Bunton jnr  story is surely a  story of man’s struggle to overcome adversity to achieve his dream.  He spent six years of his childhood in leg irons with polio, which had a lifetime effect on his legspeed, but it was the adversity  and struggle that was to make the young Bunton one of the toughest and fearless footballers to grace the WANFL or SANFL.   He debuted with North Adelaide in 1954, and immediately made an impact, winning All Australian selection at the 1956 carnival.  His coaching career started at the age of nineteen, when he was appointed to the helm at Norwood, although the first year was on a non playing basis, having been denied a clearance from North. After  a grand final appearance by Norwood in 1958, he took on the reins at Launceston. However, the fates were to ground Bunton once again.  He was seriously injured in a car smash soon after moving to Tasmania, and there were fears that he wouldn’t walk again, let alone play football.  Not to be denied, Haydn Bunton returned to play in the finals that season. After another year with Norwood in 1960, Bunton’s career took on a new and inspirational phase when he took on the captain coaching role at  cellar dwellers Swan Districts.  He was to mould that club into one of the great success stories of WA football, winning a hat trick of premierships in his first three years.  In 1962 he was awarded the Sandover Medal to add to his three Swans Fairest and Bests. He was also a part of the 1961 WA  triumph in Brisbane.  Bunton returned to Norwood in 1965, but three years later he returned to the West, where he took on another battling club, Subiaco, coaching them for four years.  This was followed by stints at South Adelaide and Sturt.  Bunton retired to live by the sea at Mandurah, where he continued to be involved with the fledgling Peel club.  Haydn Bunton ,the player, exemplified the word “tough”, and one of the most memorable photos of a WANFL grand final is the one of him being chaired off  Subiaco Oval by his team mates with blood pouring down his cheek.  There is also the story of Bunton  receiving a torn scrotum during a league match against East Fremantle and having it sewn up at a break, playing out the match with his customary thirty plus possessions.