HAWTHORN likes to call itself the 'family club' and the fate of two of its members overshadowed Wednesday's launch of a book celebrating the Hawks' 10 premierships.

Last month's passing of Allan Jeans is still fresh at Hawthorn, but there was also disappointment at the end of Rodney Eade's seven-year tenure as coach of the Western Bulldogs.

Many Hawthorn greats were at the launch and as they greeted each other the first question asked was not, 'How are you?', but more often than not, 'Have you heard about, Rocket?'

Eade played 229 games for the Hawks between 1978 and 1986 and despite his long associations with other clubs since, most notably the Sydney Swans and the Bulldogs, he remains an enormously popular figure among the past players at Hawthorn.

The question of whether Eade should coach the rest of the season was even raised during the official proceedings for the book launch, Eade's 1978 premiership coach David Parkin disclosing he had already spoken to Eade and had expressed an opinion as to whether he should see the year out.

He then suggested that Peter Schwab, another former Hawthorn coach, who was seated in the audience, might have an alternative point of view.

Schwab finished up within days of being sacked as coach of the Hawks in 2004.

But the fact that Schwab was in attendance at the launch of the book, The Golden Years: Stories from Hawthorn's Greatest Era, says much about the spell Hawthorn casts over its people. Schwab's coaching stint ended in heartbreak, but it barely dimmed his affection for the club.

The presence of Jeans at the function was missed. John Kennedy Snr remarked that Hawthorn events of this nature would always be diminished in the future by the absence of the man who coached the club to three premierships (1983, 1986 and 1989) and was the architect of the flag Alan Joyce coached in 1988.

The greatest tribute to Jeans was paid by Gary Ayres, who played in five Hawthorn premiership teams and was the recipient of a pair of what he called "Normies" but to the rest of us are Norm Smith Medals.

"I know I'm very thankful that whatever I got out of footy I owe to Allan Jeans, pure and simple. He was the greatest coach I was ever involved with, a great mentor and a great man."

Ayres is enjoying football in 2011. The Hawks are motoring along superbly and his Port Melbourne side is unbeaten in the VFL and are raging flag favourites.

He reflected briefly on Wednesday on a footballing journey that started upon his arrival at Glenferrie Oval in 1978 as a 17-year-old schoolboy and included senior coaching stops after Hawthorn at Geelong and Adelaide.

"You have to have some luck to fulfil your dreams, but whatever I have got out of footy is due to this institution, the Hawthorn Football Club.

"It is an amazing environment, VFL/AFL footy and for all of us to be sitting here now, and to be involved in the first premiership 50 years ago and to see what it means to those guys is very special. This football club is very, very special and it is really about what you can pout into the club. If you invest in the football club you'll get it back in spades," he said.

The Hawks pulled together a panel spanning the ages to launch the book. Graham Arthur, Peter Knights, Alastair Clarkson and Luke Hodge joined Kennedy and Ayres.

Tales from different eras were told and Hodge spoke about the importance of the 2008 flag and how the Hawks needed a fresh piece of silverware as the time since the 1991 premiership started to become alarmingly on.

The current Hawks skipper noted the camaraderie of the Hawthorn teams of the past.

"They seem to be such a good bunch of mates and they looked after each other," said Hodge and it was a goal of Alastair Clarkson to make the Hawks as close-knit once again when he became coach in 2005.

Indeed, several of the Hawks of 1961 were sitting in the back of the gymnasium at Waverley where the book launch took place, trading stories and having a few laughs.

They convene casually on a regular basis, but will do so more formally basis next Thursday for the official 50-year reunion lunch at Leonda Receptions in Hawthorn, just a few Cyril Rioli torpedo punts from Glenferrie Oval.

It is not a private function and the Hawks are inviting any supporter who wants to attend to contact the club to arrange themselves a seat.

They'll hear lots of stories from the good days and some from the bad. Indeed, a quality at Hawthorn has always addressed its setbacks front on. The Golden Years points out that 30 years of beatings after Hawthorn first joined the League forged a resolve that led to the flag in 1961.

Back-to-back Grand Final losses to Essendon in 1984 and 1985 was the spur for the flag in 1986 and the three more they won in the five years after that.

"We talk about the wins but you have to experience the other side," Ayres said.

"And that's what 'Yab' used to tell us all the time. You have to grab your opportunities, or you'll be in the reserves."