Memorabilia – can you help?
To assist in our ongoing historical research the club is seeking either as a donation or on loan any memorabilia, badges, guernseys, photographs, newspaper articles, ANNUAL reports prior to 1970 etc. If you are able to assist please contact Adrian Collins on phone 0409 197 186 or Bruce Free 0418 817 263.

Tough Men and Tough Times - by Warren Brewer

The gravel road from Hobart Town meandered northward connecting the cluster of wood and stone houses in the village of North Hobart. Bob Solomon (1976) writing about early Hobart Town described it as follows:

'Beyond Trinity Church there were mainly small farm holdings and scattered occupance clustered along the main road northward.'

The road meandered over Argyle Hill and down to Newtown Creek crossing, then onwards through the farmlands of King George Plains, now Moonah. The small village of Glenorchy had grown quickly around O'Brien's Bridge. 
It was the year 1881. The penal settlement at Port Arthur had been closed just four years previously. Ned Kelly was hanged in Old Melbourne Jail in November of the previous year. Dame Nellie Melba interrupted her singing career to get married. Gentleman Jim Corbett became heavyweight boxing champion of the world. 
The NSW Shearer's Union won its long campaign for the ten hour day. Tin and gold were discovered at Mt Zeehan on the West Coast of Tasmania and the North Hobart Football Club was formed. The Mt Bischoff tin mines, the Beaconsfield and Lefroy gold mines and the silver and copper mines at Zeehan and Queenstown attracted tough men. Mining brought prosperity to the state and caused the Tasmanian 
population on 101,000 in 1880 to double by the end of the century.
In this context, football in Tasmania and the North Hobart Football Club can trace its origins and tell its story.

Excerpt from "Never Say Die - The North Hobart Football Club, A History" 1995 - WB Brewer - Editor.

A BRIEF HISTORY

FOUNDATION
The North Hobart Football Club was founded on 12th May 1881 when a group of men met at St Kilda House Macquarie Street Hobart for the purpose of forming a club called the North Hobart Football Club. The officers bearers elected for the ensuing season were A.A.Page (Captain) V.D.Tregear (Vice Captain ). Managing Committee Messrs Thos Lloyd, F.Walton, J.McLaggan, Albert Strutt & F.Hanson. V.D.Tregear was elected Secretary and G.Huddlestone as Treasurer.
These men had been playing 12 a side pick up matches in Smith’s dairy paddock at the domain end of Campbell Street and would adjourn to the Waggon & Horses Hotel after each game for a few drinks.
Players were drawn from nearby businesses including Smiths Dairy, Chestermans Timber Mill, Copplemans Woodyard and Cleary’s Gates Quarry.
"The rather lofty name of North Hobart was chosen for this football club to match the recent electoral status recently conferred on the small township."
It is unclear who all the original players were. The names Page, Sypkes, Bennett, Lambert, Smith, Hopwood and Tregear have been identified.

OUR FIRST MATCH
The Committee decided to affiliate with the Southern Tasmanian Football Association and enter the Junior division, which comprised 12 teams. The first match was played by the club on the 4 June 1881 against City. The match was drawn.
The colours of red and blue of various shades of blue have been used continuously since 1881.
The club’s nicknames have been the REDS, ROBINS and currently the DEMONS.

LINKS WITH WAGGON & HORSES HOTEL
The Waggon & Horses Hotel‘s links with the North Hobart Football Club have continued over the years. C.H.Foster ex-policeman and grandfather of former player and President, Barrie Foster was the licensee of the hotel from 1892 till 1920. Former captain and premiership coach, John Devine held the licence from 1968 till 1982 and 200 game and premiership player, Graeme “Harry” Dwyer held the licence from 1982 till 2001.
The hotel is also claimed to be the birthplace of the Workers Political League, later to be become the Tasmanian Labor Party.

NORTH HOBART OVAL
The North Hobart Oval has variously been woodland, farmland, a refuse dump and a recreational reserve. It was cleared, re-shaped, fenced and the Ryde Street (now George Miller) Stand built to become the headquarters for football for the beginning of the 1922 season.
After negotiations with the Hobart City Council the Tasmanian Football League was granted exclusive use of North Hobart Oval as its headquarters and for all matches.
Work commenced on the main Argyle (now called Horrie Gorringe) Stand in 1923 and was completed at the beginning of the 1924 season.

PROMINENT PLAYERS and OFFICIALS
Many of the North Hobart Football Club players and officials have achieved notable success in business, professional, sporting or public life. These include the founder of Jones & Co/IXL, Sir Henry Jones, Rhodes Scholars Gollan Lewis and John Ingles played together in the 1927 senior team, the former Premier of Tasmania, Jim Bacon, the former President of the Legislative Council, Ray Bailey, the current Commissioner for Police, Richard McCreadie and his deputy, Luppo Prins, respected Goldman Sachs JB Were Group senior economist Brett Allender, life member and former Club Chairman, Associate Professor Dr Bruce Felmingham , 2003 Archibald Prize winner artist Geoff Dyer and senior VFL/AFL football journalists Michael Sheahan and Geoff Poulter.

VFL/AFL PLAYERS
The club has produced a total of 50 players who have played VFL/AFL football. These include champion goal kicker Alan Rait, Peter Jones who played senior 249 games for Carlton and later coached that club and current Sydney Swans star player Paul Williams.
In the November 2003 draft Bill Morrison was drafted to Collingwood with their number 1 selection. Simon Taylor made his AFL debut for Hawthorn in 2005.

TASMANIAN TEAM OF THE CENTURY
The club had 6 players named in the Tasmanian Team of the Century – Roy Cazaly (Coach), John Leedham (v/capt), Peter Jones, Daryn Cresswell, Len Pye & Paul Williams.

TASMANIAN FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME
North Hobart was awarded the honour of becoming the inaugural club to be inducted. The second most successful club in Australia (behind Port Adelaide), North Hobart was officially recognised as Tasmania's most successful club.

OUR PREMIERSHIPS
Further, the club has won a total of 28 senior premierships – the first being in 1902 and the most recent in 2003 by a record margin of 110 points.

OUR FAMILY
The NHFC family includes players and officials, both past and present,, the supporters coterie the “North Hobart Tridents”, the North Hobart Junior Football Club,our valued sponsors and our members and supporters/barrackers.
The club indeed has a rich and successful heritage and provided thousands of local players with a game of football and made a substantial sporting, cultural and business contribution to North Hobart, the City of Hobart and the State of Tasmania.

July 2005

NHFC is a club with a long and proud tradition of competing in football competitions.
North Hobart played their first senior game of football on 4th May 1895. 
The match was played against Kingston at the Southern Tasmanian Football Association ground at Risdon (the current site of the Cornelian Bay hockey grounds).
North Hobart had been encouraged to join the senior competition as they had won back to back junior premierships in 1893 and 1894.
The respective captains were H.Semple (North Hobart) and W. Abbott (Kingston). The match was won by North Hobart 4 goals 4 behinds 28 points to Kingston 3 goals 7 behinds 25 points.
Special trains ran from Hobart to convey players and spectators to the ground. The return fare 3d.

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NHFC - A NON PROFIT ORGANISATION SUPPORTING
THE YOUTH OF THE COMMUNITY FOR OVER 125 YEARS

NEVER SAY DIE
(now updated)

The history of the North Hobart Football Club from 1881 to 2006.

Edited by Warren Brewer

Available from the clubrooms

2003 NHFC
Yearbook

2002 NHFC
Yearbook

Still available