Richmond awarded life membership to three valued stalwarts of the Club at its 2017 Annual General Meeting held this evening.
Past player and current president of Richmond’s Former Players and Officials Association Peter Williams, hard-working, popular trainer throughout the Tigers’ golden era from the late 1960s to the early 1980s (and well beyond that), Tom O’Donnell, and the Club’s long-time resident journalist Tony Greenberg, have become the latest recipients of the prestigious honour of life membership at Tigerland.
Williams was recruited by Richmond in 1978 from VFA club Waverley, which was in the heart of the Tigers’ then metropolitan zone.
He spent four seasons on the Club’s playing list (1978-81) and made a total of seven senior appearances – all of them in 1979 – as well as 51 games at reserve-grade level, including two seasons as reserves captain – 1979-80.
Despite his shortage of senior games for the Tigers, Williams, a robust, highly-competitive player, was a valuable contributor to the Club’s winning culture that underpinned its 1980 premiership triumph.
In 1995, Williams renewed his association with Richmond, as a committee member of the Club’s Former Players and Officials’ Association.
That was a role he held until 2001, and then, in 2003, he was elevated to vice-president of the group.
Two years ago, Williams took over as president of the Former Players and Officials’ Association.
He approaches this pivotal off-field role at Tigerland in much the same manner he did as a player – totally dedicated to the cause and willing to do whatever he can to assist the Club.
O’Donnell’s 26 years as a Richmond trainer encompassed the greatest era in the Club’s history – four premierships under the great Tommy Hafey’s coaching guidance (1967, 1969, 1973 and 1974) and one with Tony Jewell in charge (1980).
Right throughout that period, and for a further decade beyond it, O’Donnell was a dependable, diligent and extremely capable trainer.
The respectful manner in which O’Donnell undertook his duties endeared him to all the Club’s players, coaches and officials back then.
O’Donnell was ever-present at the Club and provided the players with quiet, calm support during both successful and difficult times.
Greenberg, a life-long Richmond supporter, started his official association with the Tigers in the mid-1980s, when he took over as voluntary contributor/editor of the Club’s ‘Fighting Tiger’ magazine.
In early 2000, he joined Richmond on a full-time basis, as the Club’s inaugural Media Manager.
Throughout the past couple of decades, he’s successfully undertaken a variety of roles and functions for the Club relating to media and communications.
Currently, he holds the position of Editorial and Research Manager, with his primary responsibility being providing quality content for the Tigers’ website.
He also is a key team member of the Club’s podcast juggernaut ‘Talking Tigers’.
Greenberg’s great passion for the Club is something that constantly shines through in his work.
