Vale John Hilton
Author: Admin
By Ken Casellas
Claremont supporters, players and officials are mourning the death of John Hilton, a shining light in the late 1950s, who leaves wonderful memories of a cheery, affable character who was renowned for his courage and determination on the football field.
Hilton died last Friday at the age of 94, and all at Claremont offer sincere condolences to Fran, his wife for 62 joyous years, and to their children, grandchildren and extended members of the family.
Hilton, a lean, high-leaping ruckman, was a product of the Claremont juniors who was a late beginner at Claremont, joining the club as a 26-year-old in 1957 and being chosen in the league side for the round one fixture against South Fremantle at Claremont Oval on Easter Monday (April 22).
He began in a back pocket, wore the No. 18 jumper, shared the ruck duties with Alan Steele, kicked a goal and was named as the side’s best player — a rare feat for a league debutant. However, the Bulldogs won by 20 points.
This was the start of quite a remarkable career for Hilton, who played in all Claremont’s 21 league matches in 1957, and repeated that performance with 21 appearances in each of the following two years.
Champion full-back Ken Caporn regained his No. 18 jumper for the round two match in 1957, and Hilton wore No. 15 for his remaining 62 matches.
He was 29 when he decided to retire from senior football and was granted a clearance to play for Brunswick Junction in 1960. He was held in such high esteem at Claremont that he was the side’s vice-captain in 1958 and 1959.
Those were lean times for Claremont, with the side managing to win only twelve times during Hilton’s 63-match career which saw him receive five Sandover Medal votes in 1957 (the third highest by a Claremont player) and eleven votes the following year which earned him fourth place in the Sandover.
Such was his excellent form as a ruckman and defender that Hilton was rewarded with the club’s fairest-and-best award in 1958 when the side finished last, with two wins and 19 losses. But he bowed out on a high note when the Tigers beat Perth by two goals at Claremont Oval on September 12, 1959.