Rob Dickson, film director, visited Hanoi's Dead Cat Stadium in 2006 with the AFL CARE All Stars for a match against the then Hanoi Swans

It is with great sadness that the Vietnam Swans read in The Age newspaper this afternoon that: Former Hawk, Robert Dickson killed in car crash.

Dickson played 17 matches for Hawthorn between 1988 and 1990 and was named as an emergency for the Hawks’ 1989 premiership team. He also played two matches for the Brisbane Bears in 1991.

Dickson, 45, had also been an ambulance rescue pilot and was the winner of the “Australian Survivor” TV program.

Dickson was widely recognised for his football documentaries, including the recently-broadcast Essence of the Game and Shane Crawford Exposed, released in 2004.

Clark Keating tries to free himself from Growds' over-the-shoulder tackle

On 26 October 2006, Dickson, along with the “AFL CARE All Stars”, came to Hanoi’s Dead Cat Stadium to play a match against the then Hanoi Swans. Big names playing for the All Stars included triple premiership player for Brisbane, Clark Keating; his brother Aaron who played in Port Adelaide’s premiership; and Craig Starcevich who played in Collingwood’s 1990 premiership.

Dickson filmed the match and did several interviews. Highlights were to have appeared on the opening edition of the “Footy Show” in 2007, but we were bumped by the breaking Ben Cousins drug story.

The then Hanoi Swans and the AFL CARE All Stars

The AFL in partnership with CARE Australia had brought a team of AFL players to Vietnam to travel through the country promoting HIV AIDS awareness.  On the 23rd October, the Vietnam News ran a story, Australian footballers shun stigma to play games with AIDS victims.

In the couple of days that the Swannies met Dickson, his passion and enthusiasm for life was contagious. He had a can-do attitude where everything was possible and he made those around him feel like they too could achieve their dreams – if only they dared to dream.

Dickson was wanting to help others – which was why he was filming both the HIV AIDS awareness trip and the footy match.

The Vietnam Swans pass on our condolences to Dickson’s family and friends. A great man.

See Get on your Bike in the AFL’s J Squad magazine for a story by former Saint, Mark McGough who gives the inside story of the bike ride through Vietnam for CARE Australia. There is also a story on CARE Australia’s website called The CARE Footy Challenge to Vietnam.

To see photos of the match between the Hanoi Swans and the CARE AFL All Stars, click on the Vietnam Swans Web Album.