The Hawks Museum recently received several important items of memorabilia associated with Club Legends, Leigh Matthews, and Peter Hudson.
These items were previously on loan for display at the National Sports Museum at the MCG and were being returned to their owners prior to the renovations there. Both Leigh Matthews, via his manager Tony Box, and Peter Hudson were keen to offer their memorabilia to the Club Collection.
Leigh Matthews’ memorabilia consisted of a Club Guernsey worn 1983 - 1984, a State Guernsey worn in 1982 and The Sporting Globe - Haydn Bunton medals Matthews won in 1972, 1977, 1980, 1981 and 1982. Peter Hudson passed on the Victorian State Guernsey he wore in 1977.
Before the internet, before Fox Footy and before Super Coach, The Sorting Globe was the authority on football in Melbourne until it closed in 1996.
The Sporting Globe was a newspaper published in Melbourne from 1922 until 1996. The first issue was published on July 22, 1922 and was published initially on Saturday evenings. It also introduced a Wednesday afternoon edition on August 16, 1922. Printed on pink paper, it was published by Walter R. May for The Herald and Weekly Times at corner of Flinders and Russell Streets, Melbourne. With the introduction of the Wednesday edition, it also widened its coverage beyond purely sport, acquiring the subtitle "A Journal of Sport, the Stage and the Screen". However, during 1924 it dropped the subtitle and returned to covering purely sport.
Photo: Leigh Matthews and Richmond’s Kevin Bartlett, joint winners of the Haydn Bunton Medal in 1981 presented by Sporting Globe editor, Gregg Hobbs.
The Saturday edition of the newspaper played an important part in Melbourne's football culture, particularly before the introduction of television to Australia in 1956. The newspaper was released one to two hours after the completion of the afternoon's VFL games, and it contained results and match reports. The Sporting Globe was a must read for all footy fans.
Former writers at the newspaper noted that the expansion of television coverage of football reduced the Sporting Globe's utility and readership, ultimately the Saturday evening edition was discontinued in 1979, with the final Wednesday edition being published on September 2, 1996.
Unfortunately, there seem to be few known references for VFL/AFL newspaper, radio or TV football awards outside the official VFL/AFL umbrella that are covered in the very informative AFL RecordSeason Guide.
The Sporting Globe published an ‘All-Star Team of the Year’ from at least 1955 till 1968. The Hawks Museum holds Team of the Year medallions won by Graham Arthur 1958 and 1961, Brendan Edwards in 1957 and 1958, Ian Mort 1962, John Peck 1964 and 1965 and Col Youren, 1963.
The Hayden Bunton medal is also shrouded in mystery. What year was it introduced and when did it go out of existence? We know Leigh Matthews first won it in 1972 and shared the medal with Richmond rover, Kevin Bartlett in 1981. Collingwood ruckman, Len Thompson won the Bunton medal in 1967, the earliest recipient that we have been able to find. One would think Peter Hudson, Peter Knights or Terry Wallace may have won this award given their stature in game during those years.
If anyone can tell us more about The Sporting Globe’s Team of the Year or the Haydn Bunton Medal, please contact the Hawks Museum.
For enquiries, or if planning a visit to the Hawks Museum, please contact the museum first for visiting hours at hawksmueum@hawthornfc.com.au.
