Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
In the Newcastle sporting scene, Bennie Hawthorne has truly gone the distance and enhanced the town’s sporting community.
The year was 1950, Bennie had just finished school and his love for sport was unrivalled. “At school, I participated in both cricket and swimming. After finishing school, I continued with cricket.”
Reminiscing about Newcastle’s early sporting days, Bennie remembers how cricket was played on the property where Pick n Pay now stands on Scott Street. “The cricket and rugby teams used to share the grounds, with the cricket players playing in summer and the rugby in winter,” he explains.
His team would often compete against teams from out of towns, until the cricket union declared the Newcastle Grounds as unsuitable. “We then organised a Saturday league for teams in Newcastle,” he said.
While an avid cricket player, it was on the hockey field that he truly flourished. “I took up hockey during the same time I played cricket after school. I was selected to play for the northern district team, where I played for 18 consecutive years.”
A commendable achievement to say the least, this lead him to be selected for the Combined Country District team in 1954. “We travelled to the then Rhodesia and even played against England in 1958,” he reminisced.
Classifying his time on the hockey field as one of the highlights in his sporting career, not many know that Bennie played an instrumental role in the sport of squash being brought to Newcastle. “I worked at Amcor at the time and I managed to persuade the management to build the first squash courts in Newcastle.”
While he and other founding members didn’t know all too much about squash, they managed to find those who were keen players. These players were able to pass on their knowledge.
“We managed to get Johan Barrington to come and play a few games at our squash courts,” Bennie beamed.
Johan Barrington is a Cornish-born Irish squash player who won the British Open six times between 1967 and 1973. In those years, the British Open was considered to be the effective world championship before the World Open began.
The squash courts proved to be such a success, that an inter-town league was begun with towns such as Vryheid and Dundee.
Bennie’s illustrious sporting career does not end here.
Bennie soon found himself drawn to running through his brother, Dave. Bennie explains that his brother ran the Comrades Marathon in 1969 and was the sole runner from Newcastle. This, Bennie claims, was the dawn of road running in Newcastle.
On Dave’s third Comrades Marathon, he was joined by his son, Charlie, Bennie and Herman Pretorius. Jokingly calling themselves the Hawthorn Harriers, the four took on the daunting Comrades Marathon.
As a passion for road running grew in Newcastle, fellow runners joined Bennie and his brother. However, as there was no running club in Newcastle, the athletes were forced to join the Ladysmith Athletics Club.
But it was when their number grew to 12 regular runners, it was decided to form a club in Newcastle. With Dave acting as the club’s first chairman, the Newcastle Harriers was born in 1977. A club which Bennie helped create.
In March that same year, the Newcastle Harriers ran its first official marathon, the Tigers Kloof Race with 20 runners.
“From there, the club grew to such an extent that one year we had 100 Harriers participate in the Comrades Marathon.”
As a founding member of the Harriers, Bennie ran a total of 10 Comrades Marathons, the Two Oceans Marathon and several other marathons.
Now 86 years old, Bennie is still an active individual. “I walk 3km every week, do semi-yoga and some weights to keep me going,” he smiles.
But how does a man find the time to dedicate himself to cricket, hockey, squash and road running? Where does one find the drive to help establish the foundation phase of Newcastle’s sports world?
“I enjoyed the camaraderie in sport. I have also always been a fitness fanatic and competitor. My family was also very involved, with my wife playing hockey and going with me to the golf course as well. The entire family also went together for races.”
Over the years, Bennie explains that he has learned a lot of life lessons. “Sport teaches you to be humble, as you don’t always win. Sometimes you lose, and you have to learn how to deal with it. Life isn’t always about winning, you have to take the rough with the smooth.”
From all of us at the Newcastillian, we salute Sir and thank you for building sport in Newcastle.
