Life Member Stories Peter Brettell
The years in the mid 70’s leading up to the commencement of the NBL in 1979 and the hard work by so many volunteers to ensure that the Hawks were part of the ten team NBL was the commencement of my Hawks highlights. What a great thrill it was to see the Illawarra Hawks compete in the NBL throughout 1979 playing out of the “old two court” Snakepit.
The fact that the team only won five games of the eighteen in that first year was irrelevant to the 700/800 spectators that would crowd around the court for each and every match! 1979 saw the start of something very special for the Hawks and the Illawarra region.
1979 also saw the start of some great careers, with the likes of Gordie McLeod, Jim Slacke, Ted Halcombe and Jim Williams being the first “stars” of the Hawks.
The 1981/82/83 season highlights was the sheer joy of watching Michael Jones perform game after game against the best players in the country. Jones was all class and the first real “superstar” of the NBL.
The great highlight in 1984 was the move into the new modern four court Snakepit. We could now cram 2000 fans around the court and this was the start of the real Hawks era. How as part of the Association, we managed to raise over $450,000 – one hell of a lot of money in 1983/1984 – to build these courts is still beyond me. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that the Snakepit was the best court in Australia to play on and to watch a game from. The atmosphere around the court was always electric.
This was also the start of the fantastic community support that still remains with the Hawks today. The volunteers running the bar, bringing seats in and out before and after games, selling tickets, controlling the carpark, ushering spectators to seats, etc, were all ongoing highlights.
The mid 1980’s saw the commencement of the fantastic business, sponsorship and community support that still exists with the Hawks today. It also saw the move from amateur players/coaches [unpaid] to semi professional [players still had jobs] to the fulltime professionals that we see today. This led onto the appointment in 1986 of the Hawks first full time coach in David Lindstrom – what a great move and highlight this turned out to be!
The Snakepit continued to rock and pack in the crowds; the 1987 season highlights saw the Hawks have their best year in the NBL since the league commenced. They finished 2nd with a 20 – 6 record and every game was a sheer joy to watch. The team comprised the “killer B’s” Borner, Bickett and Bateman, Alphonse Hammond and the ‘on court general’ Gordie McLeod, who by now was at the peak of his game. Who could every forget Gordie’s miraculous buzzer beating three pointer in game two of the playoffs against Brisbane, in Brisbane – a remarkable 78 – 77 victory and one of the Hawks all time highlights.
1989 saw the start of ‘Stormin’ Norman Taylor’s three stint with the Hawks, a great player and person. Who could forget Norm’s remarkable 1990 match where he scored a record fifty four points!
The league continued to rock throughout the 1990’s and the Hawks continued to be a competitive force. The highlight of these years was watching so many outstanding local juniors achieve the dream of playing in the Hawks colours. The likes of Dene MacDonald, the Johnson brothers, Ben Morrissey, Matt Flinn, the Brettell brothers, the Brandon brothers to name just a few all represented the Hawks in this era.
The outstanding highlight of 1998 was undoubtedly the last game at the Snakepit. A win over Townsville was followed by a dinner for 750 on the “back courts” of the old Snakepit. The night was full of emotion and a major highlight for us all to see the next chapter in...
The Hawks history commence with the move to the new Wollongong Entertainment Centre. 6000 spectators could now watch a basketball game in Wollongong – boy, how far had we come since 1979?
The emotion from the last game at the Snakepit carried over to the WEC in the first game of the 1998 season. This game was played before a noisy and happy packed house; the fact that the Hawks actually won their 1st game at the WEC was irrelevant! On the WEC, one should never overlook the countless hours of hard work by Hawks administrators of the day, lobbying Governments, Councils, etc which led to the $20 million grant that allowed the WEC to be built. 1998 saw the start of the next chapter and era in the Hawks history.
The highlight of the 2000 – 2001 season was obviously winning the NBL title for the 1st time in Townsville against Townsville. This was an unforgettable moment, not only for the players/coaches of the team, but also for everyone that had been a supporter of the Hawks over the past twenty two years.
Some other highlights that should be mentioned include:
SUMMARY
The Hawks have produced so many great players over the years and to try and summarize the thrill in watching the likes of Michael Jones, Doug Overton, Melvin Thomas, Norman Taylor, Gordie McLeod, Chuck Harmison, Glen Saville, Mat Campbell and the “killer B’s” to name only a few is an impossible ask.
BRING ON THE 2010/2011 SEASON
