BIO

Wartime competition 1942-1944
Norwood-North games: 4
Norwood-North goals: 9


Kevin Hardiman started his senior football career with Essendon in the VFL in 1934, moving to Norwood in 1940 as captain-coach. The Advertiser described Kevin's coaching as “vigorous”. Apparently, his methods delighted Norwood officials and the crowd of 300 which watched practice. Kevin was, it seems, “a little overweight. and is supplementing work on training nights with daily attendances at a city gymnasium and should be in good fettle himself by the time the season opens”.

The following year, 1941, Kevin handed over the coaching reigns to Perce McCallum, and playing at centre half forward, steered Norwood to a premiership in the league's last season before the war., The Advertiser observed in the Grand Final against Sturt that “Hardiman’s. cool generalship was always apparent”.. Norwood’s “free but fair use of hip and shoulder was a major factor in its victory”. He was always versatile and physically imposing on the field, playing in the forward lines (scoring 10 goals in a game against West Adelaide in 1941) and in most other key positions on the ground when required.

He served in the AIF in World War Two before returning to Preston in Melbourne.

Kevin had a strong interest in politics and in serving the community. He joined the Australian Labour Party at the age of 16, set up a number of sporting clubs in Melbourne, coached in the 1956 Australian Olympic team and was a founding member of the World Federation of Athletic Coaches. He was the Mayor of Preston (Melbourne) in 1967-68 and President of the ALP in Victoria from 1979 to 1981.

R Crompton Feb 2013