When the 2016 premiership flag is unfurled at Etihad Stadium on Friday, 31 March, some iconic Bulldogs will be on hand to mark the occasion.
Today’s ICON profile: Alan Johnstone
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When it comes to recognising those who have made a significant long-term contribution to the success of the Western Bulldogs, the name Alan Johnstone would not be 'front and centre' in the minds of many.
But the fact that Johnstone's name might mot readily spring to mind in such discussions does not in any way diminish the importance of what he has given to the club in many and varied ways.
A lifelong Bulldogs fan and member over many decades, Johnstone extended his support of the club he loves to a professional capacity in the early 1980s when his business, Penfold Motors, became an official sponsor of the club.
At around the same time Bulldog legend Charlie Sutton invited him to join the club's board, and Johnstone, eager to assist the club in any way he could, accepted the role immediately.
He remained a board member over a period of years and has been an ongoing contributor to the Bulldogs in various capacities ever since.
When Peter Gordon handed over the presidency to David Smorgon in 1996, Alan Johnstone once again joined the board and formed part of a taskforce that saw the club change its brand from Footscray to the Western Bulldogs and enter a new era of prosperity on and off the field.
Since then Johnstone and his wife Joy have not stopped giving their time and efforts to the club they love. Through good times and bad, Johnstone has remained a pillar of support and, when called on to expand that support when Peter Gordon reassumed the president's role prior to the 2013 season, had no hesitation in doing so.
The magnitude of Johnstone's contributions to the Western Bulldogs is reflected by the fact that he has been the club's official Number One Ticket Holder since the 2014 season.
Gordon's own words add weight to the depth and breadth of Johnstone's generosity.
"Alan and Joy have been wonderful supporters of the club for fifty years or more, Gordon told westernbulldogs.com.au.
“He has helped out players and staff over all that time in so many ways, they could never be all described.
“There has been no more generous benefactor of the club than Alan. He and his close friend Gary Johnson have also in recent years gathered together a number of other generous benefactors in the Bulldogs’ coaches club.
"Without his financial and moral support, there is no doubt in my mind we would not have won our second flag last year.”
With three generations of Johnstones now supporting the Bulldogs, Alan and Joy and their extended family remain regular attendees at Bulldogs matches, and he continues to be a key supporter of the club in myriad ways.
