COVENTRY DAWES MEDAL
This year we formed a sub-committee to give a name to our A Grade Mens Best & Fairest Award. To best honour our Club’s heritage, the sub-committee went through all the names in our record books to best honour the award and the Club.
We thank Life Member Jeff Pistola for joining us as our guest presenter and announcing the award at Senior Presentation Night.
- It gives me great pleasure to today announce that the Men’s A Grade Best and Fairest Award will, from this year forward, be awarded the Coventry-Dawes Medal.
- It follows the Ellen Maple Trophy which was first presented 3 years ago after the tragic passing of Ellen Maple, who was the winner of the first Women’ s A Grade Best and Fairest trophy in 2016 for the Club. It became the Ellen Maple Medal last year.
- The Board made the decision to appoint a sub committee to review the history of the men’s past champions and to make a recommendation to the Board.
- The naming of the medal reflects the history of the two heritage clubs, while recognising past club champions who were not only winners of the Best and Fairest Awards but have also given so much to the club in many different roles.
- John Coventry was the Club’s foundation Captain and Captain of the first Premiership won by the club in the SAFA competition in 1981. John was a champion player in heritage club, Heathfield Aldgate United, playing in 9 A Grade HFL Premierships, while winning the 1972 Mail Medal, 6 A Grade Best and Fairest Awards and Captaining and Coaching the club. John has been an outstanding volunteer at Heathfield since the commencement of construction of the oval in 1966 and continues to work to this day in the provision and maintenance of equipment and facilities of this complex.
- The late Harvey Dawes, a veteran and champion of the heritage club, Stirling, immediately prior to formation of Mt Lofty, was the inaugural Vice Captain of the A Grade, becoming acting Captain for the season after John was seriously injured in the club’s very first match. He was a member of the 1981 Premiership side and went on to become a very dedicated selector of the A Grade providing sound advice and analysis of all player performance.
- Harvey’s son Leith, has played his entire junior and senior career at Mt Lofty, playing 289 senior games and was the A Grade Games record holder on 256 until Brad Burch passed this level in 2017. Winner of the Club Best and Fairest in 1993 (Equal with Ian Willmott) and 1997, Leith played in 3 A Grade Grand Finals, winning the 1990 Premiership in the GF replay against Bridgewater and the 2006 Premiership against Uraidla. Further Premierships were added with the B Grade in 2007 and C Grade in 2012. Along the way he coached the A Grade in 1998 and 1999 and continues to be a very hard working volunteer, committee member and coach of the Under 17 Girls side which plays Onkas this Sunday in the Preliminary Final.
- Leith’s brother, Bruce, also played his entire junior and senior career at Mt Lofty and is the games record holder in senior grades for the club, having played a total of 362 games, including 228 A Grade games. He won the A Grade Best and Fairest in 1996 and was a Premiership player in the A Grade in 2006 and 2007 later adding 2 Premierships in the B Grade and one in the C Grade. He then went on to coach the A Grade between 2014 and 2016, becoming a Premiership Coach in 2014 and being recognised as the Senior Country Coach of the Year by the SANFL. Like Leith, he has been incredibly dedicated to Mt Lofty his entire life, including coaching the A Grade Women’s team and carrying out voluntary roles over many years. Recent years have seen Bruce coaching at Sturt where he is the current A Grade women’s coach. While this year has seen him go to the “dark side” and become a very proficient umpire in the HFL he continues to work hard on the maintenance of the oval (on a hiding to nothing with the heavy rains this season).
- The Dawes name continues on the field through sons and daughters of Leith and Bruce and Harvey’s wife Jill, who is a Life Member, who has been an incredible volunteer through decades of work in many roles including years as Treasurer.
- While the playing careers and achievements of John, Harvey, Leith and Bruce are outstanding, their passionate dedication, recognised with Life Membership for all, also fits very well with our motto “One Club – All In”. The Coventry-Dawes Medal will be just reward for future A Grade Men’s Best and Fairest representing all that is respected in our club champions.
- We thank John, Harvey, Leith and Bruce for their amazing football careers while being incredibly passionate volunteers.
