I write this letter to you with some regret, in that the carefully laid plans to have a seamless transfer of the presidency of Hawthorn Football Club from myself on Wednesday 14 December to current Hawthorn director Andrew Newbold have met a speed bump.
Former director and president Geoff Lord has exercised his right to nominate and offer himself as your next president.
As I said, this is the right of any member, and an election will now be conducted where all adult members will be given the right to vote through a postal vote that will be sent to each member in mid-November.
The Club has today appointed Computershare to conduct all aspects of the voting to ensure absolute independence in the conduct of the election.
The cost of conducting the election for the Club will be approximately $50,000. This is the equivalent of 286 fully paid memberships. That is the cost of democracy to the Club for conducting this election.
That being said, as both candidates are well to-do gentlemen, I wrote to both asking them to each consider underwriting the cost of the election at $25,000 each, and to deposit a bank cheque with the Club before the close of nominations, so that the members and the Club would not be financially disadvantaged.
Andrew Newbold gave a bank cheque for the said amount, on time, to our CEO.
Disappointingly, nothing came from Mr Lord.
I have therefore instructed Mr Fox to return the bank cheque to Mr Newbold, as I think it wrong that one candidate should offer to cover the costs and the other not.
The Club will therefore have to bear the cost of this election.
There were no nominations for director positions, therefore Mr Martin Ralston and Professor Andrew Kaye will be declared elected at the AGM. Congratulations to Martin and Andrew, and thank you to members’ for your confidence in the board.
Consistency and certainty are two important ingredients in building a business or a sporting club.
Your board, together with all employed at the Club, have been doing that diligently for the last six years.
The Club has the second largest membership in the AFL, is strong financially, and has delivered a premiership as recently as 2008 (and should have won it this year).
Your board, in preparing for a change of presidency, looked outside as well as inside the current board for my successor. We found no candidate as well qualified as Andrew Newbold.
As a result of the review, your board asked Andrew Newbold to take on the presidency from the AGM in December. Andrew has been a board member for eight years and has played a crucial role in growing the Club.
He knows all personalities at the Club well and has direct knowledge of the Club’s affairs and opportunities. Andrew, at 48 years of age is a generation younger than me, but your board thinks handing the baton to the next generation of leaders is where the Club should be heading.
Andrew offers himself to you as your next president with the unanimous support of the board.
Geoff Lord I have known for many years, as a businessman and leader of the Club.
He was a director from 1986 - 1992 and president from 1993 - 1995.
Geoff has submitted his 1000 word manifesto which will be distributed to every adult member in November. He has also released his manifesto to the media. In it, Geoff states that he completed his term as president in 1994. That is not the case, unless the annual report of 1995 is incorrect.
The annual report of 1995 shows Geoff as president where he chaired 20 meetings of the Club including the AGM, before he stood down as president at the AGM (having during the year lost the support of his board).
Geoff had lost the confidence of the board during the year because he had started negotiations with the Melbourne Football Club to merge the two clubs.
However, his approaches to Melbourne were not sanctioned by the board, who when they found out were furious and moved a vote of no confidence in Geoff Lord.
After four premierships between 1986 and 1992 and by the end of Geoff’s term as president in 1995, the Club was almost financially insolvent and was considering merging with Melbourne.
Geoff may have many qualities; but his manifesto is not accurate and members are entitled to the truth.
Finally, as I have moved amongst members over the last six years, one of the most common comments you have made to me is that you have “appreciated my frankness”.
This letter is as equally frank. Your board and I have not worked so hard and so well together to put all we have achieved on and off the field at risk.
I know you will think carefully about your vote for your next president when you receive the voting papers mid-November.
Please support Andrew Newbold and your board to build on what we have already achieved.
Jeff Kennett
President
PS - please keep an eye on hawthornfc.com.au as I will have another update for you on Friday or Saturday, and again, I will be frank.
