A quivering hand knocks on the roller door of the property room. We stand anxiously in the Footscray breeze, with a round of coffees, hoping for a savior on the other side. A few seconds pass and we contemplate going the long way around. Then we hear a voice, the voice of reason: ‘Who is it?’ ‘Jack Gunston,’ Mr Dahlhaus says.
The squeaky rattle begins, the door rolls open and we are hit with the indoor heating. There stands our property manager, with an uncanny resemblance to Jack Gunston; in fact, our savior Jayden Shea.
Jayden hails from the northern suburb of Montmorency. He’s an Old Collegian of Parade, where he considered himself to be one of the best small forwards the college has ever seen. Always up for a chin wag with a cheeky sense of humour, he reminisced about some individual heroics in a school footy match, “I snagged five in the first quarter one day and celebrated like John Cena [now you see me, now you don’t]. The coach at the time, Digby Morrell, dragged me for the rest of the game.”
At just 21, he bears the responsibility of looking after the tedious but imperative needs of the Western Bulldogs playing group. In Jayden’s eyes, it’s a responsibility that carries jubilation and camaraderie. At the kennel, at times, we can cast harsh judgment on newcomers. His whimsical, endearing personality is one that fits in well and from the outset he was accepted. Jayden is never shy, never scared of the mob mentality.
On the day our personalised towels arrived he stood in front of all players and staff and preached the words of respect, ‘RIGHTO EVERYONE’. The attention of the mob was now his. “After you blokes use your towel, put it in the blue bin, one towel a day is enough, no excuses.’ The room erupted as the mob cheered our new caretaker and friend. “Sweet, thanks boys,” he said as he wandered back to the property room. He was one of us, fearless of any backlash from his critical audience and from that day forward he’s slotted into the fabric of Footscray.
