Frank Samblebe

Recruited from Teachers College in the VAFA, Frank Samblebe was a workmanlike defender whose career was defined by the interruptions typical of the amateur era. A half-back flanker known for his direct play and tendency to run in straight lines, he established himself in the Hawthorn lineup of the late 1930s before a broken arm in 1939 halted his momentum. His tenure at Glenferrie Oval was further fragmented during the war years, not by military service, but by the Victorian Education Department, which posted him to country schools during 1941 and 1942, effectively ruling him out of VFL competition. Samblebe returned for a final season in 1943 before retiring to focus on his career in education. While a solid servant for the Hawks, he holds a unique place in wider Australian history as the headmaster of Westall High School during the infamous 1966 UFO incident, where he strictly instructed students and staff not to discuss the unidentified flying object they had witnessed.