Hawthorn is proud to announce the club’s Museum Curator Peter Haby has been awarded the 2023 Jack Titus Award for his service to the game.

The Jack Titus Award is named in honour of Jack ‘Skinny’ Titus and recognises those who have committed a lifetime to our game.

Titus kicked 970 goals in 294 matches for Richmond between 1926 and 1943, but also served his beloved Tigers across multiple off-field roles for more than 35 years after finishing his time as a player.

Haby has played a significant role at Hawthorn for more than four decades, preserving and honouring the history of the famous brown and gold. 

His influence on the club dates back to 1978 when he assisted in gathering and writing on the Hawks’ past on the back of research at MCC, VFL and State Libraries.

For the next decade, Haby was involved in the production of ‘The Hard Way’, a book that chronicled the club’s history in the years before its 1990 publication, as well as becoming increasingly involved with Hawthorn’s Social Club.

In September 1992, Haby, alongside a small band of volunteers and former players with an interest in the club’s history, came together to form Hawks Forever, the first official historical committee of Hawthorn Football Club.

The group’s aim was to build a club collection of historical relevance and create a museum to recognize and honour the traditions of the club, and the players and people who had forged its history.   

The Hawks Museum opened on July 14 1994 at Glenferrie Oval in Hawthorn. 

When the club relocated to Waverley in 2006, the collection of memorabilia from Glenferrie all became the responsibility of the newly appointed Curator of the Hawks Museum, Peter Haby.   

The Hawks Forever group was also given the difficult task of raising $125,000 to establish the new museum at Waverley. They did not disappoint, and the Hawks Museum officially re-opened at Waverley Park on December 12, 2007. 

Haby set about ensuring the Hawks Museum was the benchmark of success and built, what is still today, one of the finest collections of sporting memorabilia in Australia. 

The Museum gained accreditation with Museums Australia in 2013 and it remains the only accredited museum in the AFL that is open to the public. 

Below is a list of Haby’s highlights with Hawthorn FC.

1978 – Began Hawthorn FC research at MCC, VFL and State Libraries.

1984 – Joined club’s history group to assist Harry Gordon with publication of ‘The Hard Way’, completed in 1990.

1986 – Joined HFC Social Club.

1992 – Foundation member of Hawks Forever, the Historical Committee of HFC as historian and curator.

1993 – First historical day presentation of HFC Family Day.

1994 – Hawk Museum opened in the Dr Ferguson Stand.

1996 – Member of the Operation Payback Steering Committee.

1999 – Retired from schoolwork to become a full-time volunteer at Hawthorn FC.

2000 – Co-organised the first Life Members Day and did so until 2007, when the club took responsibility. Australian Sports Medal recipient for services to Australian Football.

2001 – Awarded club life membership. First book published - ‘We Are Hawthorn the pictorial history of the HFC’.

2003 – Hall of Fame Committee foundation member. Formed the Past Player database, gathering the details / addresses of more than 500 players, from the 816 to have represented the club. Only 19 players in club history are unaccounted for.

2005 – Creation of the 80-year exhibit to celebrate the club’s entry to the VFL/AFL.

2006 – First Club exhibitions held at the Queen Victoria Museum and Launceston Art Gallery.

2007 – Appointed Club Historian and Museum Curator.

2008 – Published his second book – ‘Mud Muscle & Blood the Story of the 1957 Hawks’ with Richard Allsop. Held 50th anniversary function for the first finals appearance with the 1957 team.

2010 – Developed all club displays at Waverley Park, honour boards etc from previous locations at Glenferrie.

2011 – Third book published, ‘Gold & Brown Jubilee the Story of the ‘61 Hawks’ with Richard Allsop.

2013 – Hawks Museum achieves museum accreditation with Museums Australia.

2014 – Received Life Membership to the Australian Football Heritage Group, Second Club exhibitions held at the Queen Victoria Museum and Launceston Art Gallery.

2019 – Gained re-accreditation with Museums Australia. Hawthorn has the only accredited museum open to the public.

2020 – Fourth book ‘Kennedy’s Commandos the Story of the ’71 Hawks’ was co-written with Richard Allsop & Rachel Bradshaw.

2021-22 – Cataloguing and reviewing the John Kennedy Snr and Graham Arthur collections that have been donated to the club.