It’s not every day that the Hawks Museum receives a suitcase full of Hawthorn stories. John Kennedy Jnr, known to all who followed the team back in the 1980s as ‘Roo’, recently left a treasure trove for the museum to collect from the Past Players’ Storage Cage. Within this suitcase was a file of newspaper cuttings, game by game from when John Jnr, wearing Number 34, created his own history with the Brown & Gold. His father is the legendary John Kennedy Snr, known to his mates as ‘Kanga’. 

The scrapbooks revealed that Roo’s Premiership success started at primary school. Back in 1969, Roo achieved the ultimate, being part of a premiership in the Catholic Primary Schools Association. Digging further into the suitcase, a number of pennants were discovered from when Roo was a student at De La Salle.  He represented his team in the Under 14 Premiers in 1973 and again in 1974 when the Under 15 side were Runners-up. It may surprise many but from the evidence found, in the form of six of these pennants, Roo achieved great success at swimming at under age events.

Keen students of Hawks history will be interested to learn that Roo’s treasure trove also includes numerous photos taken by the Club’s in-house photographers of the day, Tommy Clarkson and F16, the camera store in Glenferrie Road, opposite Linda Crescent. These photos show Roo with his fellow teammates at training, on game day and living it up at after-match functions, including the Grand Finals.

There are also a number of letters, messages and homemade cards from his adoring fans. Many are written to wish him well when he suffered his broken leg in 1984.  Gary Hartnell made a delightful card congratulating Roo on his 200^th game and wishing him good luck in the finals.  Roo enjoyed his own fan club, led by Little Brucey and Amanda Buivids. Amanda always made a special cake for Roo’s birthday, presented to him in the Players’ Race, a fourth-generation Hawk, Amanda would later become editor of Hawk Talk.  Many fans will recall Little Brucey as the little dark-haired fella with the video camera glued to his shoulder on Thursday nights, filming at training, the Past Players and in the legendary Trainers’ Room.  His documentary films of the 1980s are stuff of legend.

Other items reveal Roo’s football ability to the wider world, there are State team photos from 1984, 1987 and 1990, testimonial programs from 1988, Premiership team posters and a delightful series of large B&W photos published in the press throughout his impressive career. The Hawks Museum offers its sincere thanks to John ‘Roo’ Kennedy for passing on his wonderful collection.

‘Roo’ – his playing record

Many children of famous parents suffer the pressure of expectation. John Kennedy Jnr, however, emerged from the shadow of his legendary father, John Snr, to forge a fine Hawthorn career in his own right. Versatile, skilful and fearless, he became an important cog in four Hawk Premiership sides during the golden era of the 1980s. 

Recruited from De La Salle College, John Jnr made his senior debut against Carlton in Round 6 of the 1979 season. Wonderfully suited to Hawthorn’s running game style under coach Allan Jeans, he played 241 games and kicked 211 goals before his retirement in 1991. A heart irregularity in 1988 put his football career in doubt. He fought back in true Kennedy style to play in that year’s Premiership – the third of his four flags, the others being in 1983, 1986 and 1989.

John Kennedy Jnr maintains a steadfast affinity with the Brown & Gold. Following his playing days, he has served the Club in a variety of significant roles including that of President of the HFC Past Players & Officials Association, a position he has held since 2008.