One of the popular attractions for visitors to the Hawks Museum is John Kennedy’s address to the players prior to the 1975 Grand Final and now visitors can now also hear and enjoy Allan Jean’s famous address to his players “At the cross roads.”
The Allan Jeans address was originally recorded for the AFL Hall of Fame and Sensation that was located in the QV complex, 292 Swanston Street, Melbourne, that opened in 2005.
The AFL had the foresight to record David Parkin, Tommy Hafey, Ron Barassi and Allan Jeans delivering one of their famous addresses. Of interest to all, former Hawk Robert Dickson whom Allan Jeans affectionately called “Rag Doll” orchestrated and filmed these interviews for the AFL.
Visitors to AFL Sensation could sit and listen to these four great coaches of the game in a space created to look like a typical Change Room. Unfortunately for reasons unknown the AFL Hall of Fame closed and relocated to the National Sports Museum at the MCG without the featured Change Rooms.
It became a mystery of what happened to the recordings and film footage of the four legendary coaches. Initial concerns that the tapes maybe lost but after a very lengthy search numbering years and with the valued assistance of Peter Dickson, the brother of Robert Dickson the tapes were found.
As if by coincidence, early the next week after the Allan Jeans address was installed, Premiership player, Russell Greene with his students from Marnebk School where he teaches made their annual visit to the museum.
This was an opportunity too good not to miss; Russell was invited to press the button to active the Jeans address. All conversation between the students ceased as the museum fell silent with the students watching their popular teacher listening intently. One student was heard to quietly ask one of his mates “Is Mr Greene’s ok, his seems upset”.
Russell then explained to his students who the man was who they had just listened to and how important he had been to him personally, his teammates and Hawthorn. Other visitors who were watching on found it all very moving and commented how fortunate they were to have heard Russell Greene speak so passionately about Allan Jeans.
As had happened before when Russell has brought his students to the museum their major priority is to count all the photos of their teacher on display, find where his guernsey is displayed and could he take them out onto the oval for a kick of the football.
