One of football's famous 3 "P's" - Burnie Payne was the smallest of the Powell-Pascoe-Payne football trio who dominated TFL ranks for almost a decade. As a youngster he was a natural at most sports and represented his school at life saving, cricket and football.
Born Burnet Thomas Payne on 8th May 1939, Burnie Payne was fresh out of Hobart High in 1956 when he commenced his TFL career. As a sixteen year old he started a love affair with the Hobart Football Club that not only produced a phenomenal record but also saw him meet his wife of over 35 years, Keitha.
Payne was a star rover who first tasted premiership success in 1959 against New Norfolk under the guidance of former Essendon player Mal Pascoe. He and his team mates repeated the dose in 1960 this time against North Hobart. They didn't have to wait long, for again in 1963 as lowly underdogs, they came from the first semi-final to overwhelm the favourites, Sandy Bay, to take their 3rd flag in 5 years. Life couldn't be better! Who would have thought history would repeat itself ten years later.
Fresh from that success Burnie Payne was recruited to St. Kilda where he played the 1964 season with the Saints for a total of 15 games and 27 goals, before family reasons saw him return to the Tigers in the Apple Isle. Payne quickly fitted back into the groove by winning the first of back to back William Leitch medals in 1965. His win in this prestigious award was even more significant the following year when the club again took the premiership.
Burnie Payne stands second from right with the 1966 TANFL premiership flag won by Hobart.
In 1969 Payne won the Weller Arnold Medal and wasn't surprised, considering his individual efforts, that he won only one club Best & Fairest. " There were that many good players at Hobart then, any one could have won it " he quipped. Dennis Powell
was the greatest club player he ever saw and Mal Pascoe's strength and kicking were unbelievable. Then there was David Sullivan, Alan Appleton, Max Byers and Trevor Leo to name just a few.
Payne played countless TFL games and represented the state regularly, including the historic victory against Victoria in 1960. His 16 state appearances is a club record. Also on his list of achievements is the record for the most goals kicked by a Hobart player - a record that still stands today - not a bad effort for a rover!
Burnie Payne played 238 games for the Tigers before coaching Kingston for three years from 1971-1973. He finally called it quits in 1974 and has had little involvement in any official capacity since. In all, his career produced 4 premierships, two William Leitch medals, numerous representative games and a season in the big league.
Payne and his wife Keitha, have four sons Stephen, Ross, Bruce and Paul all of whom have had a run with the Tigers. Since his footy days Burnie has managed the Brisbane Hotel, a Tiger stronghold for years, had a dabble at bookmaking and also operated the Bellerive TAB agency.
Great players of his era obviously include team mates Dennis Powell
and Mal Pascoe; with Clarence's Stuart Spencer
a stand out from opposition sides.
He didn't go to a TFL or state wide game in years and said " I might sound old fashioned but the lack of genuine rivalry and the reluctance of supporters to travel was to the detriment of the local league. The three old regional competitions seemed to cater for all; and personally I favoured it more. " The demise of Hobart from the TFL while sad, was inevitable according to Payne; they simply bought the 1990 premiership and then paid the ultimate price.
These days Burnie Payne enjoys a game of golf, keeps fit running and spends plenty of time with his ever growing list of grand children. As he reflected " Life couldn't be better. "
Burnie Payne, a Tiger through and through - your record says it all!
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Burnie Payne - A Tasmanian Football Legend
