John “Jumbo” Cunningham still enjoys the footy and is looking forward to this weekend’s Cunningham Cup match between Cora Lynn and Nar Nar Goon.
By Engelbert Schmidl
A MAN standing a shade beneath 6ft 2in, fighting weight 14 stone, starts to run and then launches himself into the air.
Jumbo! Some nicknames just make sense.
John “Jumbo” Cunningham played ruck for footy clubs all over Gippsland. He used the centre squares of Gippsland’s footy ovals as his runways and landing strips in more than 300 games.
“The nickname goes back to my teenage years playing footy for Nar Nar Goon,” said John.
It was Nar Nar Goon supporter, Charlie Abrehart, who originally bestowed “Jumbo” on a young John Cunningham.
“Charlie gave me the nickname because I used to soar through the air like a jumbo jet,” recalls John.
John started playing footy as a youngster at Nar Nar Goon and went on to play and coach at clubs, including Catani, Bairnsdale, Lindenow and Cora Lynn, across Gippsland in various leagues.
John estimated that he had graced at least 57 different footy grounds in his career. Now that’s what you call frequent flyer miles.
The nickname also had something to do with John and his four good mates, known collectively around Nar Nar Goon in their heyday as “the jet set”.
“We used to knock around a fair bit together,” says John, recalling his jet set mates.
Now in his mid50s, happily married with six children and four grandkids, John still enjoys the footy.
He’s been involved with Cora Lynn footy club for 20 years and was made a life member three years ago.
John’s especially looking forward to this weekend’s Cunningham Cup, an annual match between Cora Lynn and Nar Nar Goon, the club where John Cunningham first earned his flying stripes and became known as Jumbo.
