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George Hawthorne Snr

George Hawthorn Snr started playing the flute at the age of seven, and joined the Ravenhill Amateurs in 1911, and later played with the Irvine Memorial and the Ulster Apprentice Boys Flute Bands before joining the well-known Ravenhill Temperance Flute Band in 1924, as a Solo F player. About this time George met Mr R. Atkinson who introduced him to an organist Mr D. White, under whom he studied harmony and theory for five years.

After completing this course George met Mr William Allen, who was conductor of the Ravenhill Temperance and also of the Royal Ulster Rifles' band at that time. Under Mr Allen, George started arranging and conducting. Mr Atkinson who is mentioned earlier is the father of Peggy Munro, who incidentally was the first singer to accompany a flute band on the radio.  George started to conduct Ravenhill Temperance in 1938.

Since those early days as a boy of seven, he was associated with the following bands in addition to those mentioned above - 39th Old Boys Flute, Grove Flute, Lilliview Flute, Ballymacarrett Flute and Annalong Single Star Flute, Ballylone Flute, Ballygowan Flute Bands and Carryduff Accordion Band. During his many years as a conductor, George had won with one or another of his bands almost every championship grade and distinction. Just few were the 1944 Senior Championship, 1946 Senior Championship, 1949 2nd place Senior, 1950 1st again, 1951 and 1953 3rd each year.

In 1949 George was awarded the Sir Wilson Hungerford Plaque for Hymn tune and again in 1950, 1951, 1952 these successes were with his Ravenhill Temperance Flute Band. In the intermediate Grade he claimed some attention too, because with Ballymacarrett Flute Band, George brought out the 1944 cup and at Portadown in the following years 1947, 1948, 1948 and 1951 and the Windsor Park Contest in 1952.

George had the honour and distinction to conduct a world broadcast of massed bands (100 flute players)  and he earned the distinctive of conducting 100 broadcast on Radio.

While conducting the 'Ravens' he led the band to nine consecutive World Championships from 1949 to 1957 and also in 1959, 1961, 1968 and 1970. The band was also guided under George to become All-Ireland Champions in 1944, 1946 and 1947.

Including conducting and composing George Hawthorn also adjudicated at many events and centres at home and abroad.

After his death his son George Hawthorn Jnr took over the baton of Ravenhill Temperance Flute Band.