Formed in 2005 as a support group of our club, the Black and Whites meet for 3 lunches through the year where its members enjoy the friendship and company of like-minded Ivanhoe supporters. Along the way it raises valuable funds for our football club.

Every year its program closes with a special Dinner where it awards “The Harry” (to honour a much loved club member Harry Thomas) to a person who has made a real contribution to the club.

Past awardees of the “Harry” are:

2007    Ron Tucker

2008    Colin Brown

2009    Robert Moszkowicz & David Reilly

2010    Christopher Zeegers

2011    Steve McCrystal

2012    Ross Toogood

2013    Colin McDonald & Rob Pearce

2014    Howard Neilson & Valerie Neilson

2015    Phil Skeggs

2016    John Loton

2017    Daniel Adams

2018    Leigh Cole

2019    Andrew Marks

2020   Not awarded – Season cancelled due to Covid19

2021    Kate Drapac

2022    Danny Jones

If you are interested in joining this wonderful group please click here for more information or please contact the Black & Whites convenor Rob Pearce at lrprint@i.net.au or call him on 0438 378 348

Harry Thomas

By Phil Skeggs

Harry Thomas was named as president of the club’s Team of the Century.

Harry was actually a key member of the selection panel for the TOTC, but he didn’t know he would be chosen as our greatest of club presidents until the night of the awards.

Harry grew up in Ivanhoe, went to Ivanhoe Grammar, and as a boy loved watching Ivanhoe playing in the tough sub-district footy league.

Later, after the club joined the VAFA, he joined as a player from Alphington in 1939.

But his finest work was still ahead of him. Harry served in the AIF during World War II, mainly in Darwin and later with the occupation forces in Japan.

The VAFA was in recess during the war years, but when competition resumed in 1946 there was no one around to get Ivanhoe back on the park.

So after his discharge, `H’ rolled up his sleeves and did it himself.

To put it in perspective, the population was still collectively recovering from surviving the biggest war of all time, and this  20-something returned Digger almost single-handedly pulled together a footy team, coach and committee and reclaimed Hoe Park for A grade ammos footy.

Years later as a club luncheon speaker he recalled how difficult it was. The club’s jumpers had gone into storage at the Town Hall pre-war, but they had long since disappeared.

He sourced a set of green jumpers for a season until Collingwood were persuaded to part with their old training jumpers.

Harry proved to be a guiding force on committee for the next two decades. He was president in 1953, and from 1968 to 1970, which included the 1969 B grade premiership season.

Those of you who are old enough may remember Harry was still volunteering as timekeeper in the 2007 season when we played in the D3 grand final.

He was modest, he was a gentleman, and he was a hard-working life member of the Hoes.