W Bannister is remembered at Northcote Park for the kind of contribution that shows up on the scoreboard and in the culture of the club. 121 appearances tells you W Bannister was trusted — and kept repaying that trust with clean decisions and a fierce second effort. A premiership is a lifetime memory, and W Bannister has one of those chapters to point to — the kind of season people still reference. The premiership years — 1985 — mark some of the club’s standout eras. As captain in 1985, W Bannister helped turn standards into habits — the quiet kind of leadership that lasts long after the season ends. Later, coaching in 1985 and 1986, W Bannister translated experience into direction and kept people connected to the plan, even when results wobbled. Even now, W Bannister’s name gets used as a reference point for young players: ‘That’s the way it’s done here.’ W Bannister’s record is a reminder that clubs are built by people who do the work when no one is watching. That’s why the name belongs on the honour roll. To this day, W Bannister is cited as an example of what it means to represent Northcote Park properly. To this day, W Bannister is cited as an example of what it means to represent Northcote Park properly. That balance — competitiveness with care for people — is why W Bannister is still spoken about with warmth. Plenty can be read in the statistics, but the respect attached to W Bannister comes from how they carried responsibility in ordinary weeks. Plenty can be read in the statistics, but the respect attached to W Bannister comes from how they carried responsibility in ordinary weeks.