Forest Hill: VFL’s first female administrator selling her house of almost 60 years

The woman who became the VFL’s first female administrator in the 1960s is selling the house in Melbourne’s east that she purchased upon the advice of three players.

The VFL’s first female administrator, Cynthia Hamilton, is selling 4 Bogong Court, Forest Hill.

The VFL’s first female administrator is selling the Forest Hill house she has lived in for almost 60 years.

While aged in her twenties, Cynthia Hamilton joined Hawthorn’s head office in 1962, the year after the club won its first Premiership – and decades before the VFL changed its name to the AFL in 1990.

Her role included typing letters and taking minutes of club meetings in shorthand, that the Hawks’ then-secretary Ron Cook would dictate to her.

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Ms Hamilton said she bought her home at 4 Bogong Court on the advice of three Hawthorn players who also purchased in the estate, at the time – Graeme McArthur, Ron Nalder and Gary Young.

“They’ve all moved on and I’m still here,” she said.

She was also won over by the idea of installing a curving driveway leading both in and out of the property.

There’s plentiful cabinetry in the well-maintained home’s kitchen.

Hawthorn won the 1961 grand final against Footscray. Hawk John Winneke is pictured soaring above Footscray’s Ted Whitten to grab the ball.

Ms Hamilton said she loved working at Hawthorn, although she was bemused by some of the office’s old-fashioned rules – for example, she was not allowed to leave anything “feminine” on her desk, like a fashion magazine.

“One of the highlights was when the grand final came around, I’d get into a taxi into the city at VFL House and get all the tickets to the grand final because we sold them from the ground,” she said.

Ms Hamilton is a keen gardener and loves tending to her outdoor area.

A bathtub in one of the two bathrooms.

This made her popular among her acquaintances, many of whom hoped to score a free ticket.

“I never realised I had so many friends until grand final time,” Ms Hamilton laughed.

Following her job at Hawthorn, she worked as a Ringwood tenpin bowling alley owner’s personal assistant and then in media administration.

The three-bedroom Forest Hill house became a home for Ms Hamilton, her late husband Jim and their son and daughter.

The house is close to parks, shops and schools including Forest Hill College, Emmaus College and Parkmore Primary School.

They built an extension onto the house and updated the kitchen and two bathrooms during their time there.

“My favourite room is the kitchen and living area because I can look out into the garden,” Ms Hamilton said.

“It’s also my family home and where I brought my babies home.”

The home sits on a 539sq m block.

Her son, Ashley Hamilton, became a footballer himself, playing in the Under-19s for Richmond, at Box Hill and later Queensland’s Southport Sharks alongside Warwick Capper.

Ashley also took to the field for Melbourne a few times.

Now aged 86, Ms Hamilton said she was selling her long-time residence with plans to move in with her daughter.

O’Brien Real Estate property consultant and auctioneer, John Rombotis, said the house featured spacious living and dining areas, plenty of cabinetry in the kitchen, a green, north-facing backyard and secure carport.

“There’s only eight homes in the court, it’s very quiet and very private,” Mr Rombotis said.

One of the three bedrooms.

He said most of the potential buyers were families and owner-occupiers, attracted by Forest Hill’s multicultural community close to Glen Waverley, Box Hill and Mt Waverley.

The house will be auctioned at 6.30pm on November 8 with $1.2m-$1.3m price hopes.

“The reserve is in the range,” Mr Rombotis said.

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Originally published as Forest Hill: VFL’s first female administrator selling her house of almost 60 years