By Brad Kingsbury
SEVERAL surnames featured more than once among Doveton’s 55 Hall of Fame nominees announced this year, but only one spanned three generations.
Matriarch Fay, her son Stephen and her grandson Ryan represent the Hendy clan on the club’s Hall of Fame list announced at a gala event marking the Doves 50th year, last month.
Fay has been heavily involved with the club for 27 years when she and her late husband Bill joined the Doves from Mount Waverley Football Club where Bill had a long playing career.
Bill became club president and also had a stint as secretary, while Fay joined the other loyal ladies in the canteen, forming a long and enduring partnership with Margaret Downe.
Bill passed away in 1992, but Fay continued her involvement with sons Steve, Darren and Brad, and now through her grandchildren led by senior star Ryan (Stephen’s son).
Brad and Stephen both played senior football with the club, while Darren played in the reserves and his older sons, Travis and Billy, are currently among the club’s more promising under-18s and younger son Kyle is on his way up through Hallam juniors.
Travis made his senior debut for the club against Hampton Park on Saturday.
Ryan’s sister Melinda plays in the netball side, while Fay’s daughter Nicole is also involved with two of her four daughters also playing junior netball with the club, making every Saturday a real family affair for the Hendy clan.
“Football has been our life really,” said Fay. “Bill played for Mount Waverley before we were married and then we came to Doveton and we’ve just never left.
“Stephen’s done everything at the club. He played and then became president, secretary, coached the under-18s and every other job you can name.
“Then Ryan started playing and I’ve followed him all the way through. The younger boys are coming up now and I’m very proud of all of them.”
Fay said the Hall of Fame nomination and the acknowledgment of the club’s history was one of the greatest highlights of her involvement.
“It was a great honour. We all felt it was a wonderful thing for the club to do and, when you look at it, there are so many good people who have been part of Doveton over the years,” she said.
Although Fay recently retired from the canteen, she is still involved with the club and said that she intended to remain so.
“I still wash the seniors and reserves jumpers – just to keep my hand in,” she laughed. “I love my footy and I’ve always worked my holidays out around the football. It’s kept me going and I wouldn’t be without it.”
