The triple Olympic gold medallist was hit by the fire-bomber as she tried to hose flames before they took hold of her car. A shocked Mrs de la Hunty, 73, told how she watched in horror as the man calmly walked down her drive, smashed her car window with a hammer, and threw in the flaming cocktail.
He escaped in a getaway car, a green sedan with no registration plates, as Mrs de la Hunty's family and neighbours raced to her house as she screamed for help. The track and field legend who won three golds, a silver and three bronze medals in the 1948, 1952 and 1956 Olympics believes the attack could be linked to her anti-logging stand.
"I was going to the forest today. I'm not going now," she said. "I have reasonable suspicions and while I don't want to cast aspersions on the pro-loggers, I can't think of anything else that could have caused this except the forest debate. "I can't think of anything else I've done that would cause people to be violent against me. I'm just a quiet lady coaching my athletes living at home with my family.
"This has happened to other people. I guess I am just one of the many that are getting intimidated. It won't change my attitude to logging in old growth forest. "If it is proved that the two things are linked it will strengthen my attitude."
A long time environmentalist, Mrs de la Hunty was watering her garden about 5.45am yesterday when she saw the firebomber walking down the drive of her riverside Applecross home. She was hidden from view by bushes and the man did not notice her.
"I thought he might have been there on business," said Mrs de la Hunty
who cut her arm on broken glass as she fought the fire. "He put something
down and walked to my car. I knew he had no business with me then so I
called out, 'Can I help you?' "He put something else down, took out
a hammer and smashed the back windscreen of my car. "I knew I was in trouble
and I started screaming."
"He used a cigarette lighter, lit the bottle and threw it in. I ran
over with the hose and tried to put out the fire. I had to smash more window
to get water into the car. "I think he got some of the water. He
only turned and looked at me once. He hit me. I can't remember where.