Rex Hunt was born on the shores of Port Phillip Bay on the 7th of March 1949. He quickly developed a love of the sea and everything in it and was actively fishing from the age of seven from the Mentone, and then Mordialloc Pier.
Current work
Rex is a dedicated conservationist and was instrumental in removing 87 Scallop dredge boats from Port Phillip Bay. Fishing in the Bay since then has improved dramatically.
He also founded the Rex Hunt Futurefish Foundation in 1999 and is a tireless worker for the betterment of fishing. He single-handedly changed the public views on releasing unwanted fish with his 'fish kissing' and promotion of 'fish for the future'. Rex has made a return to his beloved 3AW where he hosts his own show ‘Footy Nightline’. His current projects include working with the Government to encourage children to participate in fishing and to assist in the ‘Target One Million’ anglers initiative.
Previous experience
Rex was a slow starter when it came to football and cricket. He recalls often being the last picked for the side. After very swift development in football through his teens, he amassed 208 senior VFL games with Richmond, Geelong and St Kilda, and played in two Premierships with Richmond. He twice headed the goal-kicking list at Richmond and was the VFA leading goal-kicker in 1982 and kicked 271 goals over 11 seasons at the top level.
When Rex retired from football, he pursued a career in both fishing and football broadcasting. He started his football broadcasting career in 1979 and rose to the top of the tree.
For many years he held the title of the ‘Number 1’ radio broadcaster for AFL Football on 3AW with his often colourful and very entertaining style. He is unique in the way he calls and provides clever nicknames for many players and original football terms.
Awards:
Rex has won many prestigious awards over his career and these are to name a few:
• Induction into the MCG Media Hall of Fame.
• Life membership of the Australia Football Media Association.
• Awarded the Australian Football Media Association Alf Brown Trophy for outstanding broadcasting over a long career.
• Awarded the outstanding Australian sports broadcaster award for Commercial radio on 7 occasions.
• Awarded the Centenary medal in 2000 by then P.M. John Howard for services to Australian Football and Fishing.
Rex was a pioneer for fishing in the media. The Rex Hunt Fishing radio show started on 3DB in 1982 and continued on 3AW and through AFL live to December 2016. In 1992, Rex started up a fishing television show called Rex Hunt's Fishing World, screened on Channel Seven in Melbourne. The following grew and Rex enjoyed 17 years of fishing with Australian and international audiences in over 160 countries worldwide through Rex Hunt Fishing Adventures. The Show is especially popular throughout Europe where it continues to be screened on the Discovery network. Rex Hunt Fishing Adventures can currently be seen through the new streaming app ‘FishFlicks’.
