However, at last Sunday’s Friends of the Hawks’ Museum annual function, the recipient was forgiven when he told his caller:
"Mate you are missing something really special. You should get here as soon as you can."
If you were not in the Past Players room under the Ferguson Stand on Sunday afternoon you definitely were missing out on “something really special”.
The guest of honour was Glenferrie Oval itself. While Glenferrie is not currently looking its best, particularly on an overcast, and windy, June Sunday, for everyone there the whole day brought back memories of their younger days, whether that was watching Pool and Mills playing in the 1930s, or Dunstall and Langford training in the 1990s.
The guests, who were interviewed expertly by the incomparable Mike Derum, ranged from Jack McLeod, who attended his first game at Glenferrie in 1933, to Ben Dixon who turned up as an eager recruit straight from school when he was drafted in late 1994.
As always none spoke better than John Kennedy who made the telling historical observation that opposition criticism of the ground (its shape, always muddy) only began when Hawthorn started winning – “they never complained when we were losing”.
Several of the guests who played from the 1950s through to the ground’s last League game in 1973 told how they loved to watch opposition sides alighting from their team bus and taking one look at the ground and almost conceding on the spot.
Kennedy endorsed the current notion of the club playing unsociable football. What the term meant to him was perhaps best revealed by a story Graham Arthur told about a game against Essendon, early in 1960. Arthur was the newly appointed captain and was a somewhat bemused when, at the toss, Essendon captain, Jack Clarke, told the umpire that he would like a new ball used each quarter as the ground was a bit muddy. Luckily, Kennedy was striding across the ground towards the coaching box on the Linda Crescent wing and so Arthur was able to ask what he should do. Kennedy responded – “Just do the opposite of whatever he wants”. Clarke apparently almost burst into tears at the prospect of using the same ball for the full four quarters.
For many older supporters the night of the 1961 Grand Final will forever remain their most precious memory at the ground. Geoff Davidson told the story of how as a very young man he had ended up driving then secretary, Ron Cook, and the premiership cup back to Glenferrie and then been stationed on the doors of the rooms to make sure only those close to the players were admitted. He ended up adopting an emotion index to decide who gained admittance. The more emotional one was about winning the Flag, the more likely you were to be let in.
Even for modern players who never played on the ground, Glenferrie generated strong emotions. Ben Dixon described the sense of history a player felt when lifting the same dumbbells that past champions of the club had used, while Ian Paton said the most important lesson anyone soon learnt was never to park your car adjacent to the exhaust fan from the trainers’ room. He did it once and had to get a new car!
Ian Dicker and Ben Dixon after their enlightening reminiscences of what
Glenferrie meant to them.
Don Scott a much loved figure to the Hawthorn faithful received a generous round of applause when he entered the rooms. Not a word was uttered by anyone as Scotty took his seat resplendent in varying colours of the rainbow. He was joined by fellow team mate Leon Rice, number 13, still able to sport the fashion Mullet hairstyle of the 70’s. Both tried to recall the last game at Glenferrie when the Hawks defeated South Melbourne. As Ian Dicker pointed out the Swans were also the opponent for the last game at Waverley, posing the question whether they were the last home game at Princes Park (they were not)?
It was not just past players who were there, but also past presidents, trainers, bootstudders and an assortment of other officials and lifetime supporters. The full list of those interviewed was Jack McLeod, Trevor Randall, Garry Young, Brian Falconer, John Kennedy, Graham Arthur, Colin Youren, Don Scott, Leon Rice, Ken Goddard, Ian Paton, Ian Dicker, Ben Dixon, Peter Gallagher and Geoff Davidson.
Geoff Davidson and Peter Gallagher had the audience in fits of laughter
following their stories of the premiership celebrations in the legendary
Social Club.
Adding to the nostalgic feel of the day was the diet of hot pies and cold beer.
Hawks Forever Chair, Peter Stathopoulos, commented that “I don't think that I will ever get sick, bored or tired of hearing stories tall and true about our Hawthorn”. As the man on the phone said it was “something really special”.
To make sure that you receive an invitation to attend “something really special” in 2009, become a Friend of the Hawks Museum today by emailing hawksmuseum@hawthornfc.com.au or ringing club historian, Peter Haby on (03) 9535 3075.
