Deb Faulkner had a mystery on her hands. Where did the World War 2 medals in her son, William’s possession truly belong? All she had to go on was the name inscribed on the edge of the medals – K G Sharpley. It turns out that these medals had quite a journey.
The medals were found in a tip by William’s grandparents, the Bodsworths, in the 1960s. How they came to be there is a mystery. Over the course of the next 50 years with the Bodsworth family, the Sharpley medals journeyed from Victoria to Queensland to Tasmania and back to Victoria, before finding their way again to Tasmania. ‘They were well-travelled medals’, says Deb.
As a boy, William had admired his grandparents’ service medals and hoped for some of his own. His grandfather gave him the Sharpley medals 14 years ago. Since his three sisters became Naval Cadets, William realised that war service medals were not toys and wished them returned to their rightful owner. Deb Faulkner’s hunt began. An online search led to the discovery that K G Sharpley had been a Hawthorn player. So, Deb contacted the Hawks Museum.
The ‘K G Sharpley’ was Keith Gordon Sharpley, who played 54 games and kicked 40 goals for Hawthorn from 1930-1933. A wingman and forward, his first game came in August 1930 against South Melbourne at Glenferrie. His last, in August 1933, was also played against South Melbourne at Glenferrie. He was selected to play a state game for Victoria against South Australia in 1931. Keith was the youngest of six children. His brother, Jack, was Hawthorn’s Best & Fairest in 1930, playing a total of 41 games following a short stint at Footscray.
Deb Faulkner’s real breakthrough occurred when she saw an article about Kevin Sharpley, Keith’s son, in a local newspaper from Queensland. She managed to track down Kevin, who was living near Murwillumbah. Keith Sharpley’s medals took one final journey, this time to NSW … and family.
After his time at Hawthorn, Keith Sharpley, a bank officer for the National Bank, was transferred to the Mortlake branch and became captain-coach of the Mortlake Football Club. They won a Premiership with Keith at full forward. He took a juggling contested mark and kicked the winning goal after the siren.
He enlisted in the RAAF in 1942 and rose to the rank of Sergeant. Posted to RAAF Headquarters, Washington DC, he helped Australian personnel move through the United States, to the war in Europe and home to Australia. Trained initially as an air mechanic, Keith was in the Movements Office, utilising his banking and administrative expertise.
Discharged in 1946 following four years of exemplary service, he was entitled to the Defence Medal, the War Medal, 1939-45 and the Australia Service Medal, 1939-45. These were the medals recovered by Deb Faulkner, much to the delight and gratitude of the Sharpley family.
After the War, Keith resumed his banking career with the National Bank in Bairnsdale from 1947 to 1956. He also coached Bairnsdale during a successful era for that club. A talented all-round athlete, he won several trophies for tennis and continued to enjoy golf and lawn bowls.
He confided to his younger son, Chris, that he had, in fact, pinched that Grand Final mark for Mortlake. The ball had been touched by another player just before he claimed it. He was posted to Apsley as branch manager with the National Bank. One day in the 1960s, a gentleman met him in the street with the comment, ‘That wasn't your mark, you know!’ Chris Sharpley says, ‘Dad was gracious enough to acknowledge this with a grin.’ Keith Gordon Sharpley died in 1970.
The medals are now home with the Sharpleys. Thanks to the effort and persistence of Deb Faulkner and the honourable gesture of her son, a mystery is solved and another Hawthorn story has been uncovered.
The Hawks Museum would like to thank Deb Faulkner and Kevin and Chris Sharpley for their willingness to share the details of this marvellous story.
We are yet to find a clutch of Missing Hawks. You can see our list in the History section of the Club website. If you have any knowledge, or a photo, of a Missing Hawk please contact the Hawks Museum on (03) 9535 3075 or hawksmuseum@hawthornfc.com.au
