Peter Haby has revealed his greatest Hawthorn memory after being honoured as the 2023 Jack Titus Award recipient for his service to the game. 

Haby has played a significant role at Hawthorn since 1978, first as a researcher before becoming the club’s museum curator, helping preserve the history of the famous brown and gold. 

Speaking to SEN’s Run Home on Tuesday, Haby said one memory stood clear above across his 45-year association with the club. 

“After the merger meeting, we went back to the past players at Glenferrie and celebrated,” Haby said. 

“Then way past midnight we thought we’d go and have kick-to-kick on the oval and see who could kick the furthest torpedoes and do fingertip marks and all that sort of stuff. 

“About four o’clock in the morning I got a phone call and it was Don Scott on the phone, and he said ‘Peter, we’ve still got a club!’ 

“That’s the best memory I’ve got at Hawthorn because if they hadn’t done what they did then you wouldn’t be having this conversation with me right now.” 

While Haby’s influence at Hawthorn dates back more than four decades, his love affair with the brown and gold was born as early as 1949. 

“When I was in Grade 3 at Highton State School down at Geelong my mum put a footy play card in my lunch and it happened to be Albert ‘Butch’ Prior,” Haby said. 

“Mum was a full-on Cats supporter, and years later we found out that Mum kept all the Geelong cards and gave all the other cards to her kids. 

“That’s where it started from – it might sound odd, but it was the brown and gold colours that ‘Butch’ Prior was wearing, the brown guernsey with the gold V.” 

Haby has seen his beloved Hawks play more than 1000 VFL/AFL games during his connection with the club, witnessing more than 300 players pull on the brown and gold for the very first time. 

As for the most instrumental player of his time, Haby had no hesitation sharing his. 

“I can say the most important person in regards of players was Chris Mew,” Haby said. 

“Allan Jeans used to delight in telling Dermy and Dipper that he actually would put Chris Mew’s name up at centre half-back and then build the side around Chris, and then those two guys (Brereton and DiPierdomenico), according to Allan at the time, were just add-ons. 

“I’m sure it would get up the nose of Dermy and Dipper a bit and you could imagine how Jeansy would have enjoyed that!”