30/09/2026
The Adelaide Hills Hawks Football Club has suffered a very deep loss with the death of Estelle Bowman. We offer our sincere condolences to her family; her husband Chris, their sons Charlie and Sam, and their partners and children.
Estelle’s connection to the Hawks began with Charlie and Sam as juniors in the club. She served in various positions, both on and off the committee, over the years. Those of us who had the privilege to serve with her knew her as a formidable presence.
Some found her terrifying. Estelle, far from suffering fools gladly, didn’t suffer them at all, and if Estelle wanted you to do something, no matter how much you felt you weren’t the right person or didn’t have the time, you somehow ended up doing it, making a go of it, and enjoying it along the way. Estelle operated rather like a velvet-lined bulldozer - easy on the velvet.
Her integrity was iron-clad. While both she and Chris served on the committee at various times, they never served together. Both considered that this, while not against club protocol, would be unethical. However whichever one of them was on or off the committee, they served with absolute loyalty, opening their home on Lascelles Avenue to committee meetings, and other club functions in the days before the clubhouse, often serving a meal after a meeting. Chris’s curries were a committee favourite.
If one had to pick out two crowning achievements Estelle delivered for the club, it would have to be the clubhouse and the new change rooms. Some of us remember the days of the canteen operating out of a caravan with a shudder. Absolutely no one stayed around after a game to chat.
Estelle decided in 2013 that this had to change. She stood for president with the avowed objective to find the funding for the clubhouse. She brought to this mission all the skills, and knowledge of the ins and outs of politics gleaned over a stellar career in public service and acadaemia. The clubhouse stands today because Estelle Bowman never took no for a final answer.
Not satisfied with this, Estelle also spearheaded the push to have the old change rooms demolished and found the funding for the facility we have today. She pushed the federal government into matching funding from the state government, and even managed to get the Adelaide Hills Council to stump up the shortfall.
When Estelle was elected to the board off FSA we were immensely proud, even though it meant she had to step back from the club. When she was elected president of FSA in 2022 our pride knew no bounds.
Vale, Estelle. You will be sorely missed by all.
- Pam Eldridge, Hawks Secretary (retired)
