The Salmond family didn’t realise the significance of their 75th birthday present for their father John when they decided to etch his name in Hawthorn history on a paver at the foot of the great John Kennedy Snr statue at Waverley Park.

The family’s decision to recognise John’s passion for the Hawks through the Paver program was due to their father spending so much of his life at Waverley. “Rejoicing at victory, being philosophical in defeat, struggling through the VFL car park and getting drenched in the rain” were all fond memories for his son Paul Salmond and daughter Nikki Henningham.

John was a Hawthorn member for 30 years, following his family’s emigration from New Zealand in 1968. Living in Victoria and not having a football team boarded on sacrilegious and the kids were immediately under pressure to choose a team. Paul chose Hawthorn and his decision was quickly vindicated when the Club won their second premiership a few months later. The rest of the family followed, including John, and the Hawks became their team for life.

Attending games with their father was not always a relaxing affair. “Dad would get so anxious and nervous he would drive us mad,” Nikki said. “We could be 33 points up with five minutes to go and he would be dry-retching!”

However, going to the footy became a family ritual that included watching their father mark the vital stats of each game in the football record, eating hot chips on the wing at Waverley Park and making the pilgrimage to the MCG.

‘Dunstall’s not there!’ is the message the family etched on the paver, followed by their father’s name – John Salmond. Paul explains the message that became a family catch cry for any moment of football anxiety. “It was a game in 1990 where Jason Dunstall had been under an injury cloud and dad was concerned that he would be a late withdrawal,” Paul explained.

“As the Hawks came out for their warm up, dad shrieked ‘Dunstall’s not there! Dunstall’s not there!”

“Everyone else at the ground could clearly see the number 19 and JD’s familiar mullet out on the park with the rest of the team. Fortunately, a small boy sitting in front of dad took pity on him and pointed to our ‘absent’ full-forward’.”

The family choose to etch the catch cry on a paver for John’s 75^th birthday, but sadly their father passed away before the paver was laid. The family now views the paver as a permanent memorial and know it would mean the world to John to think his memory rests at the foot of the commander of Kennedy’s Commandos.

Three generations of Salmond’s share John’s love of Hawthorn and will make the Kennedy Steps at Waverley Park a place to remember their deeply loved father and grandfather.

For more information on how to etch your name in Hawthorn history through the Paver program visit foundation.hawthorn.com.au