If ever a nickname was ironic then surely John Kilpatrick’s soubriquet of 'Killa' would be hard to beat.
One of nature’s gentlemen, John Kilpatrick was respected across two AFL clubs as a selfless and caring individual who always put others first.
John passed away on September 14 at the age of 86.
In playing terms he is part of the annals as a Saints defender who appeared in two senior games as a half back in 1960, but he was a long-time stalwart as a Hawthorn trainer when he was part of footy’s iconic imagery in the 1989 Grand Final as he rushed to the assistance of Dermott Brereton, who had been crunched at the opening bounce. The slow-motion video of John helping guide the wounded Hawk to the forward pocket is forever entrenched in footy lore.
Across four decades he was a beloved part of Hawthorn’s fabric.
As a player he hailed from country town Irymple. He was part of a young team coached by former Carlton great Ollie Grieve which made the senior Grand Final against the odds.
After impressive work in St Kilda’s reserves side early in 1960, he made his senior debut in Round 14 against Carlton at Princes Park. He played in the following match against Geelong, but then lost his place. In 1961 he was a strong part of the reserves side which won the flag and was full-back in the reserves' Grand Final win.
He later returned to his home town Irymple.
In 2012 he was proud to receive the AFL Coaches’ Association Support Staff Leadership Award , recognising 'service to the game and to his club, having regard for longevity, outstanding contribution, innovation, and initiative in carrying out his duties'.
He and Neil Roberts were great lifelong mates, not only through football but also due to their background as physical education teachers.
"What a great fella. We were like brothers," Roberts said.
"We worked together, we played together, we both had the same obsession of wanting everybody to learn to swim and be safe in water. That was our professional aim. We taught from Port Melbourne to Portsea. He was always there as part of our family.
"He was very highly qualified – a professor in the finish."
Kilpatrick became the head of movement at Deakin University controlling five campuses at the one time.
Roberts said that Kilpatrick preferred to stay in the background, but he was "a rock".
"He was a father to all those larrikins at Hawthorn, but he gained the greatest respect from all those players," Roberts said.
Kilpatrick became Hawthorn’s fitness advisor and director of physical conditioning. After he eventually left the role, when Hawthorn was going through a rare down patch, there was a round-table talk at which players were asked 10 questions including one question: 'What can we do to improve Hawthorn?' Every single player wrote 'return John Kilpatrick to the club'.
John was a Board Member of Water Safety Vietnam - a charity he became involved with after learning of the high rates of children drowning. That involvement typified a man who gave his time to others freely and without asking for anything in return.
