NORTH MACKAY SAINTS PLAYER CHRIS DUNBAR RACKS UP GAME NUMBER 400
Chris Dunbar, or as he is affectionately known to his team mates CD, loves Aussie rules, which is just as well because on Saturday May 26th he marks his 400th match with his beloved North Mackay Saints.
Chris, 41 this year, started playing in 1989 at the age of 18 when a mate convinced him to have a go at this Aussie rules football and come to training and perhaps play a game or two.
“I played one game and I loved it and I’ve been playing it ever since,” he said.
In the 23 years since Chris has clocked up 345 senior matches and in recent years has been running around in reserves, which he will play on Saturday May 26th for North Mackay Saints when they take on arch-rivals Mackay City Hawks at Harrup Park.
Chris says that in more than two decades of playing with the Saints he has some wonderful memories and some fantastic achievements. CD has played in eight grand finals, four (4) of which were premierships in 2001 – 2003 and 2008, 5 reserve grade grand finals two (2) of which were premierships, represented Mackay on a couple of occasions in rep football, is a North Mackay Saints life member and a life member of AFL Mackay.
“I played in the ruck in my first game in Mackay, and I’ve played there ever since,” he said.
“I like the freedom, it’s a free-flowing game. In the ruck you can go anywhere.
“It’s an outlet to get out there and run around and just enjoy yourself.”
Chris grew up on a Carmilla cane farm, where tennis, cricket and basketball were the sports on offer.
“They’d never heard of AFL in a country town like that,” he said.
Whilst all this footy has been going on Chris has found time to also have a family and these days the weekend is all about sport for the Dunbar family, with wife Katrina and youngest son Cody, 10, playing hockey and Bailey, 13, into soccer.
“We’re on the go from 7am to 5pm on a Saturday,” Dunbar said.
“For the kids it’s sport in the morning and for us it’s football and hockey in the afternoon.
“Sport is good for the kids; it’s hard to wear them out these days.”
The future? “I’ll get through this year and see how I go. I’m too old to play seniors.”
This is indeed a wonderful achievement for Chris and who knows maybe there is a few more games in those old legs just yet. Well done Chris form AFL Mackay and AFL Q
Last Modified on 31/05/2012 09:51