MY BRIAN DIXON MOMENT by Whispering Jack

Most young boys harbour dreams of a moment when their heroes enter the reality of their lives. For me, it first happened when I came face to face with Melbourne great and six time premiership player Ronald Dale Barassi Jnr. on a children’s television programme at a time when he was at the height of his career. I won the prize and took home a pair of black Barassi footy boots that were several sizes too large and by the time my feet were big enough to wear them, he had shattered my dreams by skipping away to become captain coach of Carlton.

Over the years, I successfully pursued other dreams in life, but it took a further two and a half decades for my next football dream to be fulfilled – my Brian Dixon moment.

It was sometime in the late 1980s, and I had entered the great Murrumbeena Fun Run. By coincidence, I found myself at the starting line of an admittedly rather minor athletic event alongside another giant of Melbourne’s golden era of the fifties and sixties, Brian Dixon, who sadly passed away last week at the age of 89.

Needless to say Dicko as they called him, who played 252 games for the club from 1954 to 1968 including five premierships, was one of my all time heroes. He wore the number 9 and owned the wing position at Melbourne. He was the epitome of consistency throughout his career but was at his peak in the early 1960s, winning the club’s Best and Fairest in 1960, the Tassie Medal for best player at the 1961 Australian Championships and named an All Australian at the end of that year’s National Carnival. He made the Australian Football Hall of Fame and the Melbourne Team of the 20th Century.

Dicko was the last remaining survivor of the club's most illustrious era and one of the most exceptional wingers the game has produced. His long and sometimes wobbly left foot kicks set up many goals and many victories over the long years when he roamed the wide open spaces of the MCG and we sat near the boundary, almost close enough to touch him as he soared past.

Legend has it that he meticulously counted each kick, handball, mark, and tackle as he played. I recall him being interviewed after a game that Melbourne won against Hawthorn at Glenferrie Oval in July 1965. He had delivered a standout performance and substantiated it with his statistics - 29 kicks, 2 handballs, and 18 marks. The club experienced a significant downturn two weeks after that game when Norm Smith was suddenly sacked as coach.

After a week or so of high drama, Smith was reinstated as coach but the club never really recovered from the political shenanigans of the time. Dixon played on until 1968 and became the first player in club history to reach the 250-game milestone, a record that was later surpassed by another great wingman in Robert Flower and one that is now held by former key position player David Neitz who also wore the number 9 and who played 306 games with the Demons.

Melbourne never quite recovered from the fallout of the Smith sacking but years later, Dixon played a crucial role in saving the club by assisting Joseph Gutnick in fighting the ill-fated merger with Hawthorn. Fortunately, he lived to witness the club's next premiership, albeit from a distance in Perth in 2021.

Prior to his retirement from football, Dixon had already commenced his political career, representing the Victorian electorate of St Kilda as a Liberal from 1964 to 1982, including serving as a Minister in the Hamer Government. He played a pivotal role in many health initiatives, such as the 'Life Be in It' program.

Which brings me back to my Brian Dixon moment at the starting line of a fun run on a sunny spring morning in suburban Murrumbeena.

I knew several fellow runners in our group. Among them were players from the local junior football competition, including those who played alongside and against my two sons. One such individual was Sean, a young Indigenous boy with a cheeky demeanour, who played for the Carnegie Demons, which donned the same colours as Melbourne. He was undoubtedly one of the standout performers in the competition. I took the opportunity to introduce myself to Dixon, express my gratitude for the entertainment he provided to me as a player, and gestured towards Sean, remarking, “Observe this young man to my right; he is destined to play on the wing at the MCG, just like you did.” Dixon smiled, the starter’s gun sounded, and we all ran like mad.

A few years later, when the boys were at the under-15 level, they were invited to participate in some trial games for St. Kilda. We resided in the Saints' zone, but I was aware that Sean was zoned to the Demons, so I made a discreet call and he subsequently found himself at Melbourne. In Round 10 of 1992, Sean Charles made his debut, wearing number 44 against North Melbourne (who Melbourne play against tomorrow and who Dixon once coached), just a few days after turning 17. North kicked 8 straight goals in the first quarter, but we overtook them and finished up winning by 36 points, with Sean booting five goals in a sensational debut match. He truly demonstrated his class in the 1994 finals, while still a teenager, but suffered a severe wrist injury soon after and never lived up to his enormous potential. He transferred to Carlton, where he broke a leg in his first game, and ironically, ended his career at St. Kilda.

We never had the opportunity to discover Sean's perspective on his brief time among the elite of the sport, but he did get that rare opportunity of playing inside the boundary line on the field of every young boy’s football dream. He was also an integral part of the moment when we all stood side by side and I took the opportunity to express my gratitude to one of my childhood heroes, a man who brought immense joy to thousands of fans throughout his storied career.

My sincere condolences to Brian’s family.

Brian Dixon

252 games Melbourne 1954-68, 41 goals

Best and Fairest 1960

Premierships 1956, 1957, 1959, 1960, 1964

All Australian 1961

Tassie Medal 1961

Melbourne Team of the Century (Wing)

North Melbourne coach 1971-72

Australian Football Hall of Fame