The rugby league world is mourning the passing of the Canberra Raiders Club Chairman, Dr Allan Hawke AC.
Hawke passed away this week following a long battle with cancer.
Since being appointed as part of the club's board of directors in 2002, Hawke had been a loyal servant to the club and was rewarded for his continued service when he was elevated to Club Chairman back in 2014.
The 74-year-old has been a vital internal member of the Green Machine, credited for his role in the development of the Raiders Centre, a high-performance facility for the club and community.
Hawke was also central in getting legendary half Ricky Stuart appointed as head coach.
Raiders CEO Don Furner paid tribute to Hawke in a press release by the club.
โAllan 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."
โAllan was a great strategic thinker and bought respect and stability to our Board, which we badly needed after the Super League war.โ
โHe led an extraordinary public and private life and was on many boards, but I can say that the one 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.โ
โOn 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.โ
Outside of rugby league, Hawke was a respected senior public service servant and diplomat to the Commonwealth of Australia.
