The first Open Training session for 2016, held during the second Wednesday in January, attracted over 80 visitors to the Hawks Museum. After the ultimate success of 2015, the buzz amongst the happy fans was one of optimism for the coming season.

As the happy throng of visitors entered the museum, a father stood quietly pointing out members in the 1991 team photo to his two daughters. The father in question was former star centreman for the Hawks, Anthony Condon.

As an on-ball player who could run all day, Condon’s greatest asset was his strength and stamina as he quietly went about his business.  He played a prominent role the 1989 and 1991 Premierships. He excelled in the pressure atmosphere of finals. Many a Hawk fan will recall his resolve in the nail-biting final minutes of the 1989 Grand Final when the Hawks held on from a fast-finishing Geelong to win by 6 points.

Condon played 145 games and kicked 49 goals between 1987-97.  He initially wore number 43 and then in 1988 was presented number 3 made famous by Club Legend Leigh Matthews. Currant star Jordan Lewis now sports the famed number 3. The three players, Matthews, Condon and Lewis played in a similar style.  They all possessed enormous stamina, shared a no nonsense approach to the game and between them have worn 10 Premierships.

Accompanying Condon were his two daughters, Aimee and Hannah.  They were proud as punch to view their father’s photos in the Premiership Cabinets and then discover one of his guernseys as part of the Guernsey Chronology that hangs in a line from the ceiling in the museum.

Readers of this column will revel in the news that Condon’s daughter Aimee has continued the Condon story.  She plays football with East Brighton Vampires as a mid-fielder and won her club’s Best & Fairest Award in 2015.  What with the AFL mooting a ladies football competition and, if Hawthorn was to participate, the Condon name is a good chance to continue with the talented Aimee. As with all good parents, Condon is the goal umpire for his daughter’s team in an effort to improve his own game day fitness.

1989 and 1991 Premiership player, Anthony Condon with his daughters, Hannah and Aimee (right)

A second visiting family, Julie Taylor and her son Matthew from Bendigo, also with strong Hawthorn links, made themselves known to the Curator. Julie’s mother is a sister of Mary Arthur, the wife of Club Legend Graham Arthur who led the Hawks in the Club’s first Premiership in 1961.   

Julie and Matthew were keen to find all they could about Graham Arthur. They were delighted to see his Guernsey, worn in 1961, in the Legends Cabinet, his boots from 1961 in the Premiership Cabinet, one of his trophies in the Best & Fairest Cabinet and to have their photo taken in front of Arthur’s Legends Portrait in the foyer to the museum.  This was topped off when they discovered they could purchase a copy of the book Gold ’n Brown Jubilee, the Story of the ’61 Hawks, which features Arthur’s story complete with many unpublished photos of him.

Julie and Matthew Taylor, family members of Club Legend Graham Arthur

Late that afternoon, another family arrived to see if the museum had anything on display of former player Neil Pearson. For the record, Pearson played 133 games kicking 44 goals between 1945-54. As Tina Balatsas and family signed the Visitors Book on the Turnstile, they observed two Club Ties in a frame in front of them.  To their surprise, they discovered that these ties were worn by Neil Pearson. They were his Life Members and his Debut Order Ties.

Tina Balatsas had a heart-felt story to tell. She looked after Neil Pearson for the last 5 years of his life when he resided at the Coppin Centre, Royal Freemason’s Residential Care in St Kilda.

They were to learn that the reason the ties were on display in such a prominent position as they were a tribute to the role Neil Pearson played when a Club museum was first mooted in 1992.

In 1993 Neil Pearson was the first former player to come forward and offer a trophy for the proposed Club Collection after the Hawks Forever advertised in Hawk Talk intentions to take on this task. Pearson’s trophy was the Gardiner Medal that he won as the Best & Fairest Player in the VFL Reserves Competition in 1954. This trophy can be seen in the Hawks Museum’s exhibit, Brown & Gold Treasures.

Neil Pearson became a very important donor and supporter of the Hawks Museum passing on large amounts of memorabilia including photos published in the Club’s Official History book written by Harry and Michael Gordon, One for All published in 2009.

Tina Balatsas was so appreciative of the museum’s recognition of her late friend Neil Pearson she immediately joined the Friends of the Hawks Museum. You too can become a Friend of the Hawks Museum and give support to this important venture.

Visitor’s, please note that the Hawks Museum’s opening hours during Summer are 9am – 4pm.