When the original Grandstand at Glenferrie was opened on June 7, 1924 by the then President J.W. Kennon he has presented with a sterling silver trowel to mark the occasion. 

This grandstand was named the Kennon and Owen Stand and stood near the main entrance gates from Linda Crescent.  This small stand was demolished in 1936 to make way for the much larger new Red Brick Stand, later known as the Michael Tuck Stand.

This wonderful acquisition of the trowel throws up another puzzle.  The museum is yet to find a photo that shows the complete Kennon and Owen Stand.  The best photo we have of the stand is one with the 1927 2^nd 18 team standing in front of it.  If anyone can help us with a more complete photo of the Kennon and Owen stand please contact the museum.

The museum received the Kennon Trowel though the generosity of the following members of the Kennon family, Clinton, Bronya, Jay, Zoe, Peter and Jacqueline.  Also, Robyn, Edwina and Nichol Spencer, Laurie and Cameron Maher, Lyndie Gale, Jan Trott, Marilyn Cornally, Harvey Hurst and Richard Stenton of WASH and Peter Haby.

J.W. KENNON  

Born August 11, 1895, Died March 15, 1945
Played 1902 – 1912 (Note no accurate records for games, goals).
Committee 1908 -1931
Assistant Secretary 1912
President 1921-1931
Life Member 1924
HFC Hall of Fame Inductee 2010

What makes J. W. Kennon such an important figure in our Club’s history? 

He played for the Club as a 17 year old in its first year of competition in the Metropolitan Junior Football Association in 1902 and was appointed Assistant Secretary in 1912 being a member of the committee that saw Hawthorn join the ranks of the VFA in 1914.

When elected as Club President in 1921, he oversaw his major objective, to see Hawthorn field a team in the premier football competition, realized in 1925 when the Club joined the VFL.

J. W. Kennon was born, August 11, 1885.  His father, Thomas Kennon managed

J Kennon & Sons Tannery that operated from River Street, Richmond.  The family business started in 1863 and was a well-known Richmond landmark for nearly 100 years before it closed in 1960. 

J. W. and his brothers attended Scotch College and may well be among the first of many footballers recruited from that school to play for Hawthorn.  They developed their passion for sport early on competing in local athletics, cricket, swimming and most importantly football. 

Family members recall the brothers joined Hawthorn from its first year playing in both the Saturday and the then popular Wednesday competitions.  Brother Les named as vice-captain was considered the better footballer and he can be seen proudly holding the football in the photo of the team that won the 1904-5 Premierships in the E.S.J.F.A. 

J. W. played mainly as a quick running forward with a reputation for kicking long goals.   No accurate records exist of the number of games or goals that J. W. registered, however the newspapers record him playing in his eleventh season in 1912, the year that he became assistant secretary.   He had been serving on the committee since 1908.  

In the 1912 team photo, the figure kneeling in the front row wearing the bowler hat is thought to be J. W. Kennon.  In the same year the Club went to Bendigo for its end of season trip, where together with the St Kilda and Bendigo Football Clubs they participated in a variety of sports.  J. W. won the goal kicking competition with one of his renowned long kicks.

With the advent of the First World War, 1914-18, the VFA went into recess resuming again in 1919.  Both Kennon brothers remained active with the Club, J. W. on the Committee and Les serving as Vice President.  

In 1921 J. W. was elected as Club President and he served in that capacity till 1931.  He only stood down from that role after he received a debilitating injury on the golf course.   He was hit on the head with the full force of a golf ball and it would take him many years to fully recover.

J. W. was a wonderful benefactor to the Club.  In 1923 to help raise the spectator comfort at the ground and to create a club office J W, together with his good friend Bill Owen  paid for the building of the first Grandstand at Glenferrie with a seating capacity for 260 people in 8 rows.  It was located at the west end of the ground near the entrance gate where the Tuck Stand stands today.  It was named the Kennon and Owen Stand in recognition of their outstanding contribution to the Club and was demolished in 1936 to make way for the Tuck Stand.  

Together both men also made available funds for the player’s End of Season Trips that were held at the seaside resort town of Cowes for nearly a decade.  They provided the refreshments and HFC monogrammed cricket caps for the players to wear helping to foster a Club identity.  

His wife Lavinia took a leading role preparing the afternoon teas for the visiting opposition teams and chaired the Ladies Fund Raising Committee for many years.  

J. W. also provided many trophies for the Club. In 1925 when Jim McCashney became the first recorded player to register 100 consecutive games for Hawthorn, J. W. presented him with a gold inscribed cigarette case to honor this outstanding achievement. 

J. W. was very popular with the players and was respected for his generosity, making his home in Hawthorn Grove available for many Club celebrations.  The players would often sing a song written for him to the tune of Paddy McGinty’s Goat, We were a very, boozed little team, We went to J.W. Kennon’s to pass away the time, and we ended up the happy night by drinking all his wine. Now Bill Kennon is our president – a really good sort is he…

After stepping down as President, J. W. continued to follow the fortunes of the team attending most home games in the company of his good friends and former Club officials, Bill Owen and William Hulse.  In 1942 he was invited to be a trustee for the HFC Provident Fund, which he served until his sudden death in 1945.

Always an avid sportsman, he was outstanding at cricket, golf and lawn bowls.  On the day before he died, he won the City of Hawthorn Bowls Championship.  Many former players and officials of the HFC attended his funeral.  Representatives from numerous sporting, charity and local government organizations were in attendance.   He was widely respected for his courteous manner, outstanding sportsmanship and his generous contributions to charity.  In addition to his service to the HFC, he served on the committees of the City of Hawthorn Bowling Club, the Hawthorn-East Melbourne Cricket Club and the Melbourne and Cowes Hospitals.

Footnote:
The Kennon family Hawthorn connection is alive and well today.  Bill Kennon’s great grandson, Clinton Kennon, himself an avid Hawk, gained recent folklore fame when he established the now famous John Barker Wing.

Also of interest for the members of the Family Club, Bronya Maher, the daughter of well know club supporter Laurie Maher, the twin sister of Lyndie Cardell (nee Lebcher) married Clinton Kennon in 2005.  As young girls, the Lebcher twins were childhood friends of the Kennons of Hawthorn, thus the family club continues.