John ColemanPrint Page 
The statue commemorates Australian Rules footballer and coach, John Coleman.
Born in Port Fairy in 1928, Coleman moved to Hastings and played local football for two years before becoming an Essendon legend as a goal kicker. He was honored by the Coleman Medal, given to the AFL’s greatest goal kicker each year. The other player in the statue is Tom Meehan of Fitzroy.
Location
| Address: | Salmon & High Streets, Hastings, 3915 |
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| State: | VIC |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -38.307761 Long: 145.193761 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Sculpture |
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| Monument Theme: | People |
| Sub-Theme: | Sport |
| Artist: | Steve Glassborow |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Friday 22nd September, 2006 |
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John Coleman
23. 11. 1928 - 5. 4. 1973
Great Australian Footballer & Coach
The John Coleman statue has been erected in High Street, Hastings in honour of his contribution to Australian Rules Football. The monument would not have been made possible without the generous contributions of the community and project sponsors :
Mr & Mrs. Don Hodgins Thompson Property Group
The Hastings Club The Coleman family
Mr. Martin Chiminello Ray White Hastings Pty Ltd
Mr. Victor Jeremiah Max and Ian Beck
Speedie & Associates Essendon Football Club
Bay West Real Estate
The statue, created by figurative sculptor Steve Glassborow, was based on a mark taken by John Coleman over his Fitzroy opponent Tom Meehan in a match during the 1953 season. It captures that aspect of Australian Rules Football which makes it different from, and better than, other codes.
At a special ceremony held on 22 September, 2005 John Coleman`s daughter, Jenny Goullet, and his brother Albert formally presented the statue to the Hastings community.
The statue was the culmination of 11 years of effort by a committee consisting of Peter McCullough, Rob McCarthy, Jim McGrath, Vic Jeremiah, Cr. Brian Stahl and Greg Hunt MP
Proudly supported by Mornington Peninsula Shire
John Coleman
John Coleman was born in Port Fairy on 23 November 1928, moving to Hastings District when he was in his early teens.
In 1947, John Coleman first played football with Hastings. The 18 year old full forward kicked 137 goals and won the Best and Fairest in the Mornington Peninsula Football League. The following year he kicked 160 goals (averaging 10 goals per match) including 23 in a game against Sorrento. He was runner up to team mate Bob Stone in the MPFL Best and Fairest. Hastings won premierships in both of these years.
The opening round on 1949 saw Coleman kick 12 goals for Essendon against Hawthorn. This was the beginning of a brilliant career which was terminated by a serious knee injury in 1954. Some years later Coleman returned to coach Essendon to two premierships in 1962 and 1965. Illness forced him to relinquish his position and he died at the early age of 44 years on 5 April 1973.
As the turn of the century drew to a close, John Coleman was named full forward in the AFL Team of the Century and he was also chosen as one of the 10 greatest in the AFL Hall of Fame.
The award for the top goal kicker in each season, the Coleman Medal, is named in his honour. Many who saw him play and played with or against him regard Coleman as the greatest of all Australian Rules Football players.
