Reflect on our journey with Life Member and former Hawks team member, Yvonne White

In celebration of our historic achievement as Regular Season Champions, we take a moment to reflect on our journey with Life Member and former Hawks team member, Yvonne White— Having been part of our 2001 Championship, Yvonne shared her experiences and memories with us:

When the Hawks made the playoffs in 2001, their first game was in Perth. While preparing to go, they also had to be ready not to return until after the next round, which was in Adelaide.

The team manager was Dave Leskie, a Vietnam veteran suffering from cancer as a result of Agent Orange. He was very ill and wore a pack of self-administered chemotherapy, which he called his "six-pack," about the size of it taped to his chest. There was no way he was going to miss out on the finals.

The assistant coaches to Brendan Joyce were Eric Lowe and Eric Cooks. Eric Lowe, a very big man who had a fetish for chocolate, was very unfit. Two days before flying to Perth, he passed out on the office floor (which at the time was at the Novotel). We thought he was dying, so we called an ambulance, and he was taken to Wollongong Hospital. He did have a heart attack, but, like Dave, he wasn’t going to miss out on going to Perth, so he checked himself out of the hospital and traveled with the team. Eric Cooks had a huge job taking care of the team, the manager, and the assistant coach, who really shouldn’t have been there.

They traveled to Adelaide, won, and came home for the next game… which they also won, thanks to a wobbly free throw by Damon Lowery.

So, the team was off to Townsville for the grand final. One staff member traveled with the team, while three stayed back to prepare in the event of a win, which did happen.

The WEC was booked out for a huge Lions Convention, but they managed to reach a compromise with the Lions. They erected curtains at the halfway point: the Lions had the eastern end, and a huge screen was set up center stage. They opened the western end for supporters to attend free of charge and enjoy the grand final as if they were at the game.

The homecoming was an event we never expected. Again, the WEC became available for the team to celebrate with the fans after traveling down Bulli Pass, with supporters cheering them on from the roadside.