Now that’s a stat, Cats
ON May 10, 1958, Geelong hosted Richmond at Kardinia Park in what was to be the Cats’ last wooden spoon year.
Led by Bob Davis and Bill Goggin, the home team fell short by 16 points in front of 16,391 parochial fans.
Tom Hawkins’ maternal grandfather Fred Le Deux played his last game in Geelong that day.
Back then, only 2500 fans had seats and a primitive wooden scoreboard sat on the Moorabool St wing. Pine trees at each end provided a vantage point for excited young fans.
Among them was Col Hutchinson, then just 13.
Now 73 and the AFL’s statistician and historian, Hutchinson has not missed a Geelong home game since. That’s 60 years.
The former schoolteacher has also seen every home and away game and final since Round 10, 1963, which is 55 years and up to three generations of players.
In total, at the end of Round 5, 2018, he had attended 1323 Geelong premiership matches throughout Australia, 1251 of them consecutive and 522 at Kardinia Park.
As well as watching Le Deux, who is the father of Hawkins’ late mother Jennifer, Hutchinson saw all 182 matches Tom’s father Jack Hawkins played for the Cats from 1973-81.
So far Tom has clocked up 215 games, all witnessed by the humble Hutchinson, whose record is unlikely to be matched anywhere in the world.
Born in Maryborough, where his parents had a small farm, Hutchinson moved to a property outside Geelong in 1947 and still lives locally on a cattle farm.
When he last missed a Geelong home game, Australian TV was two years old and Sir Robert Menzies was prime minister.
“Quite a few of the men would bring large bottles of beer, often wrapped in newspapers as insulation,” Hutchinson said.
“You could bring in as much as you liked. There was no security and no bag searches.
“I don’t think much has changed with behaviour. About the only thing I’ve noticed is there’s more swearing but that’s a society thing.” RECOVERING from a 49point half-time deficit to defeat Collingwood by one point in 1972 DOUG Wade’s 100th goal for the 1969 season, against Footscray BILL Ryan taking a huge pack mark against Collingwood in the goal square just before the final siren in 1967. His goal meant a one-point victory STEVE Johnson, James Kelly and Mathew Stokes’ farewell appearance in Round 23, 2015 DOUG Wade (13 goals) and Bill Ryan (7) inspiring victory against North Melbourne in 1971 CATS holding the Kangaroos to a scoreless second half on a wet day in 1980 ROUND one, 1984, against Fitzroy when Gary Ablett Sr, Greg Williams and Mark Jackson all made their first appearances for Geelong THE “blue in the race” against North Melbourne in 1964 GEELONG winning a thriller in foggy conditions against Essendon in 1958 MICHAEL Turner chasing Ronnie Wearmouth (Collingwood) up the race at the end of the second quarter in 1976