Following his recent appointment as president of the Hawthorn Football Club, Jeff Kennett penned the following letter to members.
Read: Kennett returns as Hawthorn president
Dear Hawthorn members,
Subject to the support of members at the Hawthorn Football Club’s AGM in December, I accept this commission as president for the next three years.
I do so as a servant of the Hawthorn Football Club to assist in its future growth and success.
As testament to the values of Hawthorn as the family club, where no individual is bigger or more important than the club, President Richard Garvey has accepted personal responsibility for a Board decision that unfortunately has not worked out as hoped.
In life as in commerce, not all decisions we make always deliver the results we wish, but rarely does an individual accept personal responsibility as readily as Richard Garvey has done.
His decision and action is a noble act that he has made selflessly in the club’s best interest.
I am not surprised. I appointed Richard to the Hawthorn Board in 2010. He is an individual with high personal and professional skills and values and he will continue to serve on the Hawthorn Board.
In the short term my priority will be, as it has been in the past, to with the Board, oversee the continuing good governance at Hawthorn, the welfare of all of the club’s employees, the interests of our members, and support to the football department to deliver the best possible outcomes on the field.
It will also be our mission to identify the next leadership group for the club beyond the next three years.
With Senior Coach Alastair Clarkson contracted to the club for the next two years and an exciting playing group, our challenge is to deliver our 14th Premiership.
The Hawthorn Football Club is ready and excited for that challenge.
Yours sincerely,
Jeff Kennett
