Hector Ernest Brooks was born in Hobart on the 8th May 1894. He first played football with the Central State school team which he captained.
While playing with Standfast football club in a junior competition during 1912, he was asked to play with the North Hobart football club but refused. Sydney club Newtown sought his services in 1913 when he was employed in New South Wales. With the outbreak of World War 1 in 1914, Hector enlisted in the army and served for five years abroad in Egypt, France and Belgium.
During this time he became captain of the 12th Battalion in France, and from a series of matches played between the battalions he was selected in the All Australian 18.
He also won a Military Medal as a sergeant for bravery during the war.
When he returned home after the war, Hector joined up with North Hobart at the start of the 1920 season. In 8 years with North he played well over 100 games and was presented with North Hobart's most consistent player award seven years in succession.
In 1920 North Hobart made it through to the grand final; after losing the first match of the season to Cananore it then won six of the eleven matches it played, winning the minor premiership and then meeting Lefroy on August 28th.
Hector Brooks was part of the team and the game was described by the Tasmanian Mail " About 8000 people saw the game. The opening term gave promise of a fast and scientific display but as the game progressed it lost its brilliance except for individual splashes and throughout the second part was solid and strenuous. Lefroy played an excellent first quarter showing dash, skill and cleverness but in general play they failed to see it out like North Hobart whose superiority in front of goal had not a little to do with the club annexing the premiership of 1920. The game was umpired by G Green of the VFL.
During the final quarter a huge red and blue rooster nailed on a pole was brought on to the track by an over enthusiastic supporter. It arrived in time to welcome North Hobart's tenth goal and at this juncture Lefroy were hopelessly out of the hunt. They were finally beaten by 20 points. Final scores: North Hobart 10.12.72 to Lefroy 6.16.52. "
The 1920 North Hobart premiership side. Hector Brooks is pictured sitting on the left hand side at the feet of the front row.
In 1921 the league admitted the top junior club of the past two years, New Town, as the fourth club in the competition.
That year North Hobart won thirteen out of eighteen games played and met Cananore in the grand final on September 24th. The key to North Hobart's success was the ruck rover combination of Hector Brooks and Jack Dunn.
This combination was to inspire North Hobart throughout the 20's.
In 1922 North Hobart met Cananore in the grand final and the Mercury reported that " Despite losing the game, North Hobart's Hector Brooks was deservedly carried shoulder high after the match. He can always rise to an emergency and placed in the roving position he was invaluable to North Hobart. J Dunn took the unusual position in the centre but both there and in the ruck he was a tower of strength to his side. Downie, Street, Whitney and Mortimer also an effective ruck) were the pick of the backs. The forward division did not contain an outstanding player. "
Hector played in every intrastate team from 1920 to 1927 and when teamed with fellow rover Horrie Gorringe, the TFL only lost one game in that period, the famous win by the Ivor Warne-Smith led NWFU team on their home ground.
He won three medals for being judged best man on the field in North vs South games and represented Tasmania at the Australian Football Carnival in Hobart in 1924 and also in Melbourne in 1927. He also represented the South on the famous trip to Adelaide in 1923 where the TFL side defeated South Australia.
Hector Brooks featured in a funny episode on grand final day in 1923 when North Hobart took on New Town. He was employed as a PMG linesman and he was directed to repair a telephone line at Longley at 11am. He cycled to Longley, effected the repair and arrived back at North Hobart in time to play mid way through the third quarter and kicked two goals. Some claim his boss was a New Town supporter.
North emerged victorious and later took on North Launceston for the State premiership defeating the northerners by 17 points in front of a crowd of 8000.
In his last year with North Hobart in 1927 they were runners up to Cananore in the grand final losing by eight points.
Hector Brooks moved north in 1928 to play for City in
Launceston under the great Roy Cazaly and then returned south to play for New
Town in the 1929 and 1930 seasons.
Following his retirement form football he took up umpiring continuing for a
number of years.
Hector Brooks died on 19 September 1984 aged 90.
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Hector Brooks - A Tasmanian Football Legend
