Referee Hawke Honoured
Hawke's services to rugby have been largely in the field of refereeing.
He started refereeing as a 19-year-old and rose to great heights, refereeing 24 Tests in days when Tests were far rarer than they have become and 175 first class matches in all till be retired in 2002.
Retirement has not ended his involvement in refereeing and the former traffic policeman is now a referees education officer.
For a while he headed up to North Island and was based in Wellington in charge of New Zealand's elite referees but now he is back home again in Timaru, looking down to the sweep of Caroline Bay.
It is not the first time he has been honoured for his services to refereeing. In 2002 the IRB (as World rugby then was) honoured him with its services to referees award.
Hawke is the third New Zealand referee so honoured. Paddy O'Brien was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2005, the year in which he also received the IRB's award for services to refereeing and Keith Lawrence was also made an Officer of the New Zealand Order or Merit in 2010 and the IRB's award the next year.
On receiving the news of his award, Hawke said: “I’m hugely honoured. It’s a great thing for my family and friends and also for fellow referees.”
* Derek Bevan (2000) and Jim Fleming 2001) were both made Members of the British Empire and also received the IRB's referee award.
