Born: April 15, 1914
Died: February 9, 2010
North Melbourne Hall of Fame inductee: 2003

When Jim Hannan took over as North Melbourne’s honorary treasurer in 1963, the club was considered very much a VFL ‘cellar-dweller’ and hardly an attractive proposition to players of other clubs who might have been looking for greener pastures. 

The club did have some stars, though, among them captain Allen Aylett, who, having retired from playing after the 1964 season would later become a key figure, along with Hannan, in taking the club to new heights.

Before and during 1973, North Melbourne’s bold move to take advantage of the League’s short-lived 10-year rule - allowing players to switch clubs if they had served 10 seasons or more - saw unprecedented figures offered to stars of other clubs, with reports abounding of paper bags full of cash being thrust upon potential recruits.

The club was certainly not a bottomless money pit, and the job of ensuring that North did not trade beyond its means fell to Hannan. The fact that he maintained the role throughout this period of great change is evidence of his financial acumen.

As the game took its first early steps towards becoming a truly professional sport, Hannan remained a loyal and astute treasurer, the position moving from honorary to full-time one in 1977. He continued to handle the club’s finances adroitly for a further decade, and his work was recognised in an official capacity when he won the Jack Titus Award for services to the VFL in 1986.

Hannan retired at the end of the 1986 season after a quarter of a century of tireless dedication to the club. He also served as a club director and was a member of the inaugural NMFC Social Club.