The Canberra Raiders Club Chairman and long serving member of the community Dr Allan Hawke AC passed away last night after a long battle with cancer.
Dr Hawke has not only held a long serving role at the Canberra Raiders, but he also had a long and distinguished career in service to the Commonwealth of Australia as a senior public servant and diplomat, the Raiders announced in a media statement.
Born in Canberra on 18 February 1948, Dr Hawke attended Queanbeyan High School before continuing his tertiary studies at the Australian National University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science (1st Class Honours) and as a Doctor of Philosophy.
During his extensive career in public administration, Dr Hawke held several major appointments as Secretary of three federal Departments – Veterans Affairs, Transport and Regional Development, and Defence.
He completed his career in the public service in 2006 after his appointment as High Commissioner and Plenipotentiary of Australia to New Zealand, between 2003 and 2006.
Dr Hawke was appointed to the Canberra Raiders board of directors in 2002 and was elevated to Club Chairman in 2014. During his tenure as Chairman, the Raiders have continued to strengthen their position on and off the field, with Hawke instrumental in the development of the Raiders Centre in Braddon and the appointment of Club Coach Ricky Stuart.
Raiders CEO Don Furner paid tribute to Dr Hawke and highlighted his many years of service and contribution to the Canberra Raiders.
“Allan was on our Board for half of our Club’s history which is a great amount of time to dedicate to the Club he loved,” Furner said.
“Allan was a great strategic thinker and bought respect and stability to our Board, which we badly needed after the Super League war.
“He led an extraordinary public and private life and was on many Boards, but I can say that the Board he loved being on the most was the Canberra Raiders. He was still watching us win against Manly on the weekend and was wearing his Raiders jersey in his hospital bed.
“On behalf of the whole Club, we would like to pass on our deep condolences to his wife Maria, daughter Stephanie, his brother Phil, and their extended family. I know how much care and comfort Maria and Stephanie provided Allan during his health battle and it was fitting that they were by his side when he passed.”
During his career, Dr Hawke received several commendations and accolades and in 2010 he was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia for his eminent service to public administration, particularly through the formulation and implementation of policy in the areas of transport, defence and education, and the strengthening of bilateral relations with New Zealand.
He was also appointed a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Public Administration (FAIPA) in 1998 and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management (FAIM) in recognition of his outstanding contribution to public service. He also became a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (FAICD) and was awarded the Centenary Medal for his service to the Department of Defence.
