Ipswich Soccer in 1890

Key Events:

April 24: The Queensland British Football Association is formed. A number of delegates from Ipswich attend the formation meeting. The association appears to have formalised a looser organisation of the clubs. 

May: Journalist Tom 'Old Sport' Barker returns to Ipswich to take up a post at the Queensland Times. He had been working at newspapers in northern Queensland for much of the decade. 

May 20: A soccer match is played at the annual picnic of the employees of Lewis Thomas' mines (in the Blackstone area). The game was played at the Queensland Aquarium at Hemmant.

July 5: Blackstone Rovers 2 - 1 St Andrews

August 5: Blackstone Rovers' Tom 'Old Horse' Barker is selected for the first Queensland rep team , which would tour New South Wales. Sam Shelley, who lived in and previously played in Ipswich, was also chosen.

Known Unknowns: 

None.

Uncertains: 

Whether any other games happened at all.

The year 1890 is the most commonly nominated in Trove articles as when Bush Rats formed. Ted O'Loughlin in his Soccer Mad database suggests an article from 1890 states the Bush Rats were formed and would enter competition the next year. Sadly the article he refers to seems not to be on Trove.

There is evidence from William Routledge that Dinmore Soccer Club was in existence in 1890. Like a lot of these remembrances, the timing is may be off. Dinmore was definitely in existence in 1891.

Key Clubs: 

Blackstone Rovers: Goals: W. Lindsay; Backs: James Lindsay, Taylor; Half-backs: Kyneston, P. Williams, R. Evans


Notable People: 

Tom 'Old Sport' Barker
Tom 'Old Horse' Barker

Historical Notes: 

Tumbleweeds. Two games, one of them at a picnic. Yet despite an apparent paucity of football, a Queensland Representative team to travel to NSW could be selected. Blackstone Rovers, who apparently played only one game in 1890, saw  Tom Barker, aka T. Barker, aka 'Old Horse' selected for the tour.

The two games of football involving Ipswich teams both involved Blackstone. Blackstone Rovers suffered a narrow loss to St Andrews, while Lewis Thomas, who owned the Aberdare mine and was responsible for the influx of Welsh miners to area, took his employees on a picnic where soccer was played.

Things did not seem much better in Brisbane, where there were only a small number of games played involving St Andrews, Normans and Thistles. St Andrews, in their first meeting of the year, intimated the need for exhibitions games throughout the city to grow the game.

Barker's Queensland selection came after a Probables versus Improbables game, but despite only SE Queensland teams from which to choose players, the new association was sure they would be able to select a strong team.

Their confidence was well-placed with Queensland running out winners.

How could a Queensland soccer team, a state with seemingly little football, beat NSW, a state with a consistent competition for a decade? 

In 1899, there was a feeling all football codes in SE Queensland were struggling to field players. It is conceivable the lack of newspaper reporting afforded to soccer was simply due to a lack of matches. 

In 1890, soccer also received a lack of coverage, but the existence of the representative team, and the ad hoc nature in which Brisbane team soccer games were reported suggests the issue may have been to do with clubs not sending details into the newspapers. 

I held off writing the 1890 post. I wanted to look at the Evening Observer in the State Library, the only major newspaper of the era from the Ipswich and Brisbane region not digitised on Trove.

I knew the 1900-1910 version, the Saturday Observer, gave great coverage to soccer, with a dedicated column and new information. (And if the FFA Heritage Committee sponsored the digitisation of newspapers, maybe in conjunction with other sports, the Observer of that decade should be near the top of the list.) 

Could the 1890 version of the newspaper also contain missing match reports of games which were hinted at?

Unfortunately not. The match reports in the Evening Observer as I could find were the exact same ones which appeared in the other Brisbane newspapers, probably sent in by the clubs to all takers. 

Maybe these reports were not consistently sent after every match? Maybe Blackstone Rovers never recorded their matches? Surely more soccer was played this year? Or did Rovers only play once?

But change in sports reporting was coming. I covered Ned Smul and the other Queensland Times football writers in the post for 1899, and the disjointed way all codes were reported.  

The most significant development in Ipswich soccer in 1890 came in the form of the other Tom Barker, aka T.J. Barker, aka 'Old Sport'. 

The journalist returned to Ipswich and within a year had taken over the cricket and football coverage in the Queensland Times. Despite being heavily involved in cricket, 'Old Sport' would devote many column inches to soccer, and would be on the board of the short lived Ipswich FC.

His sporting output, at least with his name on it, would slowly unfold over 1891 and 1892. But once he got going, he would provide the most significant reportage on Ipswich soccer over the next 35 years.

That was still to come, but it is also worthy to note his gradual increase in soccer reportage came at a time when the game in Ipswich suddenly exploded to life.

The year 1890 may have been quiet, but in 1891 soccer would stakes its place in Ipswich. 

RIP Norm Rule

Former Ipswich Socceroo Norm Rule has died at the age of 87.

Ross Hallett, a longtime Coalstars/Ipswich Knights player and club historian, reported the news in the following email, which he kindly let me publish below.

I never met Norm Rule, but I briefly met his brother, Ray, who was a Queensland rep player, and seen Ray's grandson Lincoln play for Western Pride over 3 seasons. The Rules were one of those families, like the Kitchings, Voglers, Nunns, Verralls and many others, who have contributed to Ipswich soccer over many decades and generations.

As well the background Ross details below, Norm Rule should also be remembered for helping set up the Queensland Christian Soccer Association, and the competition's original Ipswich club Tri-Colours, with Eric Jones.


Dear COALSTARS FAMILY,

It is with regret that I pass on the news of the passing of Norm, father of Mike Rule, well respected friend and a past President of Coalstars.  Our deepest condolences go to Mike, Charmaine and the Rule family, including Norm’s brother Ray.

Norm will be remembered as a true gentleman and an outstanding footballer of his time.

He stared for Bundamba Rangers as a teenager, scoring many goals from a half back position and winning Premierships with Rangers in 1955 & 1957. He represented Ipswich & Queensland for many years before gaining International Honours in 1958, playing for Australia against touring English side Blackpool. He then toured New Zealand and played a number of Tests there before playing again the following year against Scottish team Hearts of Midlothian. He represented Australia 11 times in total.

Along with brother Ray, he finished his career as Captain/Coach with then up and coming club Hollandia.

Norm’s Funeral will be held at the Bundamba Salvation Army Citadel at 10am this Friday, 11th October.

Kind Regards,

Ross Hallett.

Ipswich Soccer in 1889

Key Events:

prior to May 26 Tom 'Old Sport' Barker watches Tom 'Old Horse' teaches soccer to residents of Silkstone. 'Old Sport' does not publish this account until 1891. 

May 25 (or maybe the 18th): Proposed exhibition match by Brisbane players is supposed to take place at North Ipswich Reserve, however only 10 of the selected players turn up. Ipswich Australian Rules players fill the gaps allowing the game to go ahead.

July 23: David Newlands, aged 19, arrives in Brisbane from Linlithgow Scotland. 

In 1952, he spoke about playing for Blackstone Rovers, helping to form various short-lived Silkstone clubs and claiming to have helped form two clubs, one at Nunn's Paddock and one called Kangaroos, which merged to form Bush Rats. Later, he helped form Booval Stars.

September 14: Combined Bundanba and Blackstone 1 - 8 Brisbane

Known Unknowns: 

None.

Uncertains: 

Whether any other games happened at all.

In 1923 Sam Ross, a long-term player and official, claims Dinmore Bush Rats were formed in 1889. In 1930, the Daily Standard makes the same claim.

Key Clubs: 

Combined Blackstone and Bundamba team.


Notable People: 

Ned Smul

Historical Notes: 

If you believe Ned Smul, regular football correspondent to The Queensland Times, soccer was unknown to the majority of readers in September 1889. 

Thus was how he qualified the charity match between the combined Bundanba and Blackstone Clubs played against a combined Brisbane team in mid-September. 

Smul goes so far as to outline the rule differences between soccer and the other two codes by way of explaining the game. 

This was despite the fact Blackstone Rovers and Bundanba Unions both received fairly detailed match reports in the Queensland Times during 1888.

It can be assumed these two clubs formed the basis of the combined charity match team, but it appears neither club was in good shape. 

Smul's article seemingly indicates a major reversal of fortune for soccer in Ipswich, with barely an eleven able to take the field late in the season.

So was Smul correct? 

In May, Brisbane soccer players were supposed to play a soccer exhibition match at North Ipswich Reserve. Only 10 players turned up, and local Australian Rules players had filled the gaps. 

But why the need for an exhibition match in Ipswich at all? 

Was this a reflection on the round ball activities in Bundamba and Blackstone as well, or just Ipswich township? 

Or were games simply not being reported? Were clubs failing to sending match reports to the local newspaper?

But what of the motivations of the the story teller? Were they focused on soccer?

It is worth spending a moment on Ned Smul and the Queensland Times. 

The Queensland Time's football coverage in 1889 was all over the place. Occasionally "Rosebud" covered Rugby, as did Ned Smul, who also covered Australian Rules. More rarely football articles were written by "The Yagger"

But football match reports did not appear in every Tuesday edition as would normally happen during a season. Either games were not played every Saturday or were not reported. 

When match reports did appear, they were sometimes found in a dedicated football section, sometimes lumped in with the Local and General News section, or even given a typically oblique mention in Town Talk. 

Football in general seemed to be struggling. Or, to put it into the words of the Town Talk man: 

"That football is not what it ought to be in Ipswich right now"

Queensland Times, Saturday May 11, 1889

There were five football teams playing regularly in Ipswich: Rangers, Second Rangers and Youth Athenians in Rugby, and Ipswich and Second Ipswich in Australian Rules. 

But it was not uncommon for teams to turn up short of players, or not at all, leading to scratch matches or cancellations. 

One weekend, only the Australian Rules match occurred, with the local Rugby players having to rely on a practice match. 

Town Talk again referred to the lack of regular football when complaining about the captain of a Brisbane Australian Rules team simply leaving the game midway through. 

Often it was the Ipswich Australian Rules club which suffered opposition Brisbane teams turning up without enough players. 

This led Ned Smul to be very critical of the Queensland Football Association in 1890. 

Smul wrote for the Queensland Times on and off between 1889 and 1891. Australian Rules seems to be his preferred game, with only a couple of mentions of soccer in that time, including the comments above regarding the charity match. 

It is possible, therefore, that Smul simply wasn't interested in soccer. With Australian Rules played at Limestone Park and North Ipswich Reserve, maybe a trip to Dinmore or Bundamba was not possible or preferable. 

Or else, with Australian Rules actively dying in Queensland, he was more focused on talking up that game via the Queensland Times in a bid to improve its fortunes. 

The fact all three codes other codes were having issues with games and numbers might indicate the lack of soccer was part of a larger trend.

Could the struggles of football in Ipswich be partially explained by large changes to mining in the area?

A mass meeting of coal miners and owners in June 1889 in Bundanba may explain the changes in the sport.

"The figures went to show that, from Dinmore, the output, for the first six months, of 1887 was 18,662 tons; in 1888, it was only 12,155 tones; while for the first five months of the present year, it was only 3099 tons. From Bundanba, in 1887 (six months), it was 55,460 tons; in 1888, 57,349 tone: and for five months of this year it was 64,361 tons. Ipswich: 1887 (six months), 4131 tons: 1888, 829 tons; and 1889 (five months), 366 tone. The totals read 1887 (six months), 78 244 tons; 1888 (six months), 70,334; 1889 (five months) 87,827 ton. From the above, it would be seen that Dinmore had suffered greatly, and the speaker thought the time had come when all should put forth their best efforts to  alleviate the suffering caused through the decrease."
The Queensland Times, June 20 1889

Coal production slumped in Dinmore and Ipswich between 1887 and halfway through 1889. Conversely, production at Bundamba increased. At a time there were concerns imported coal from Newcastle had been affecting production in Queensland. The very meeting from which these figures were produced had been called to encourage the colonial government to increase the tariffs on NSW coal into Queensland.

Further research needs to be conducted to see how the mining downturn in Dinmore and the increase in Bundamba affected coal miner numbers in the region. Were jobs secure? How many coal miners moved between the various Ipswich region mines in this era? How many miners responded to the changing production by leaving Ipswich for mines elsewhere in Queensland or Australia? And were the same number of immigrant miners arriving to continue to revitalise the two English codes?

Football was in flux in 1889 Ipswich, and revival was not yet on the horizon. Blackstone Rovers would receive a single mention in 1890. Of Bundanba (Unions or Rovers), no more would be heard. In fact, there would be no senior team in Bundanba until the advent of Call Backs by Blackstone players three years later.

For the record, the Bundanba/Blackstone v Brisbane match raised 2 pounds 10 for the hospital.

UPDATE 18/10/19

In 1890, journalist Tom 'Old Sport' Barker returns to Ipswich and rejoins the Queensland Times after almost a decade away working on northern Queensland and Brisbane newspapers. He was an Ipswich native, a cricket and boxing aficionado, who before his travels sometimes appeared in the QT as T.J. Barker.

In the first two years after his return he touches briefly on sport under his moniker of 'Old Sport', while mostly writing about history under the name 'Red Gum'. His importance as a chronicler of soccer and other sports really kicks off from 1892.

One sprawling article from 1891, printed weekly over a month, was called 'A Week's Ruralising'. It describes a walking tour of some 100kms to reacquaint himself of his home district.

In one chapter he mentions seeing that other Tom Barker, aka 'Old Horse', teaching the denizens of Silkstone to play soccer. The timing make sense - a team from Silkstone enters the inaugural Ipswich and West Moreton Competition in 1891. What was always odd was that 'Old Horse' played for Blackstone Rovers at this time, though the idea he was helping form other clubs is not that fanciful in a growing sport.

Except Barker did not see Barker teach soccer in 1891 - it turns out this training drill occurred on or before May 1889. We know this because, if you read the last of the 'A Week's Ruralising' articles, printed a month later, it is dated as such.

Is this the dating of the week he went strolling around the fields of Ipswich, or the week he finished writing the piece? A diary or reflection? The only other reference to dating is that the walk happened "recently".

If the recently was quite recent to late May 1889, it means soon before the Brisbane soccer players couldn't make the numbers for an exhibition match at North Ipswich Reserve to revitalise the sport in the region, 'Old Horse' was training players in Silkstone. Maybe soccer wasn't as dead as expected. Or maybe the efforts of Barker the soccer coach were in vain.

I should note David Newlands later stated he helped form several clubs in Silkstone but they did not last long. However we know Newlands did not arrive in Australia until July 1889, so was not part of Barker's training.

'Old Sport''s article is important as it gives us a glimpse of soccer happening away from the admittedly not too bright glare of media coverage that year. Soccer was probably happening in 1889, if the walk happened in 1889. Maybe 'Old Horse' formed a Silkstone team. Maybe he was just keeping his skills up while Blackstone Rovers was on hiatus. Or maybe a small soccer competition hoccurred of which we are unaware. 'Old Sport' hints at interest in the game in a period (1889 to mid 1891) which is very much undocumented. 

Photo: 1895 - Charles Henry Marsh

The picture below is that of Charles Henry Marsh, or possibly his brother Joseph, taken sometime around 1895. 

This picture was posted to a Facebook group called Lost Ipswich by Charle's great grand-daughter Yolande Marsh, who wanted to know which Ipswich soccer team he played for.

Neville Cruickshanks, who has been researching the history of Dinmore Bush Rats, replied by saying the Marsh brothers played for Blackstone Rovers in 1898. However, Cruikshanks did not believe this to be a Blackstone Rovers shirt.

Yolande had unconvered one game in which Charles Marsh played in 1895, for mine owner Lewis Thomas' team versus a Combined Juniors. This was a game Dave Waugh remembered in 1949, having scored 4 goals.

I've done a little digging and found out a little more about Charles Marsh soccer days.

There were three Marsh brothers: George, Charles and Joe.

Charles first enters the picture in 1892 when his Silkstone Stars team took on New Chum Bush Rats.

Silkstone Stars were short-lived, and by 1894 Marsh was playing for Blackstone Rovers.

The same year, Charlie was selected for the Ipswich and West Moreton team to play against a Brisbane representative side.

We also know he was definitely not the Charles Marsh who went in front of the judge on Monday the 7th of May 1894, because our C. H. Marsh put a very forthright ad in the newspaper stating this fact.

The year 1895 had scant mentions of Charles Marsh. Besides the Lindsay match he was linesman when Bush Rats faced Fernvale.

Blackstone Rovers "went bung" in 1896, so a new club was formed called Ipswich Rovers, based at North Ipswich reserve. Ipswich Rovers was set up by the remaining members of their Blackstone namesakes, and seemingly a number of players who were part of the second club known as Ipswich FC, which had competed in 1894.

Charles, George and Joe played for Ipswich Rovers. Indeed, both Charles and George were mentioned at the meeting which formed the club, with Charles joining the committee. He was also a delegate to at least one meeting of the Brisbane British Football Association.

Charlie even captained Ipswich Rovers in 1896, in a game against Bundanba Rangers.

Ipswich Rovers won the 1896 Brisbane Charity Cup, becoming the first team from Ipswich to win the competition. Charlies, George and Joe Marsh all played in the final.

Rovers went on to do the 1896 double, winning the Challenge Cup. This was despite Rovers forfeiting to the Bush Rats in the week Rovers were formed, but just before T'Rats themselves went 'bung'. Rovers also lost their second match, having been undermanned Rosebells. After securing playing numbers, Rovers won all their remaining games that season.

In 1897, Charles's Rovers teammates gave him surprise party to celebrate his earlier wedding.

As per Neville Cruickshanks comments above Charles, Joe and George Marsh played for Blackstone Rovers in 1898 - was this a reformed club, or simply the Ipswich Rovers moving east to Blackstone?

One C. Marsh would referee in the early 1900s, and play for Silkstone Montes in 1905. He would also become club president the same year.

While there is no conclusive proof this was Charles, there is the fact he had been a Silkstone resident, and and both George and Joe appear to have played for Silkstone Montes in 1894, showing a family link to the club.

For his part, George would play for West Moreton against NSW in 1898, a game in which Charles as linesman, and was promptly selected to play for Queensland against NSW.

By 1901, George was playing for Bundanba Rangers.

A year later, Joe would referee a game between Booval Stars and Montes, with not much in the way of playing career details post Rovers in the late 1890s.

A Joseph Marsh died in a mine explosion in 1909, at Bundanba's Fernie Creek Mine. Given he had lived in Silkstone, this is presumable the same man. UPDATE: It is now confirmed this Joseph was a footballer. His brother Charles was also part of the inquiry as a witness to the aftereffects of the explosion. 

George would die in 1952 - Charles (C.H) is mentioned in the death notice.

Unlike other soccer players of the era, neither appear to have been given an obituary stating their soccer feats, unless such articles have not been digitised.

Charles seems to have passed away after the 1954 upper limit of most newspapers on Trove.

Which leaves the question - which team wore the shirt in which Charles is pictured.

Could it be Ipswich Rovers? Or it could be a team unreported in 1895? No team picture of the 1890s Ipswich shows anyone wearing such a shirt, but there are scant pictures available.

If anyone has any more such pictures from this era of Ipswich soccer, I'd love to see them. (@garrymck on Twitter)

Uncovered Photos - Bush Rats and Rovers B (1904)

Below are photos of the 1904 Bush Rats and Rovers B teams. These two teams had tied for first place in the Challenge Cup. These were sent through to me by a very helpful librarian called Fiona. 

Every now and again while trawling Trove you come across an article which publicises the contents of another publication. 

Thus did the September 10, 1904 edition of the Brisbane Courier list the contents of that day's Saturday Observer (Late Edition). The Observer, it was promised, would contain pictures of Bush Rats and Rovers B.

The Observer is one of those newspapers which are not digitised by Trove, and some of the microfiche records are only held interstate. 

Originally an Ipswich publication, the Observer moved to Brisbane in the 1880s (Mr Tom 'Old Sport' Barker helped with the transition), and it was occasionally thanked the British Football Association of the day for providing coverage. 

Thankfully the Queensland State Library had microfiche of the 1904 editions of the Observer, and after placing a request, Fiona sent through the following scans of the pages, and an enlargement of the photos.

How Old Are Dinmore Bush Rats?

This is NOT the story of how Bush Rats got their name, though so often was that tale told again and again and again I may as well give a quick summary.

A group of miners who wanted to play soccer cleared trees from a patch of ground near their employers, the New Chum Colliery. The ground was cleared by moonlight, with the miners wearing lamps. One joked they all looked like a mob of bush rats, and the name stuck.

The ground, on the other hand, didn't stick. By 1895, the club which started as New Chum Bush Rats had taken over the ground (and president, and captain) of a rival and now thoroughly extinct club called Dinmore. There is no evidence there was a formal merger.

It was after the move to Dinmore's ground at Nunn's Paddock  in 1895 that the name Dinmore Bush Rats was first used in print. A year earlier "Bush Rats of Dinmore" played a game in Brisbane, though caution should be given to this use of Dinmore here, as it was also often used as the general name of the district in which modern day Dinmore, New Chum and Riverview are now located.

The question we have is not how Bush Rats got their name, but when they were given the name.

How old are Bush Rats?

This is the story of why I cannot give you a definitive answer, or, more accurately, how the answer has been debated and contradicted over the last 130-ish years.

If you ask about in Ipswich today when Bush Rats were formed, you will be told 1888. Probe further, as I did, and you will be told that they know Bush Rats started in 1888 because this was the date given in Reg Erskine's A History of Ipswich Soccer, published in 1980.

Erskine had been a player for Booval Stars in the 1930s and by the 1950s was a Queensland selector. He also wrote for the Queensland Time, which allowed him access to the microfiche archives in preparation for his book. He had the added advantage of being able to tap into the rich, living oral history of Ipswich soccer, the very people he had lived in and around for decades.

Erskine, though, obviously knew his limits. He starts A History of Ipswich Soccer starting with:

"This is not meant to be a complete history of Ipswich Soccer - there are omissions and there may be some errors. I have tried to verify all facts I have been given, but the poverty of written information of the early days is most frustrating."

For our purposes, we are interested in what he has to say about the formation of the Bush Rats.

On this Erskine writes:

"'Old Sport' wrote in 1912 that Bush Rats had been founded 24 years earlier - that put them in 1888, 3rd after Bundamba (not Rangers) and Blackstone."

This, seemingly, is what Tom 'Old Sport Barker, stalwart journalist at the Queensland Times, had written, though thanks to the printing it is a little like one of those optical tricks - is it a 4 or a 1? (I go for a 4.)

There are two issues with Barker's claims. Firstly, there is the strong likelihood that he was not even in Ipswich in 1888. Though Ipswich born and bred, he spent much of the '80s up north making his name in newspapers, not returning to Ipswich until May 1890.

Of course, a good journalist knows how to find information - a pity then he later gives an earlier start date for Bush Rats again.

This later claim of an earlier date comes from an article getting to the nub of the matter - a ding-dong argument in 1923 over which club in Ipswich was the oldest.

George Duck, original Bush Rats, claimed his team had held the honour, though this is related second hand from Barker, with no date nominated. This debate sparked a letter from one John Halls, who interviewed a number of old-time Blackstone Rovers players. These old footballers said Bush Rats had started in 1890. One original Blackstone player, Evan Williams, claimed to have refereed the first match between the two clubs in that year.

Another article three years later also referred to Williams refereeing that match, though it also made the somewhat dubious claim Blackstone Rovers itself had formed 41 years earlier, in 1885.

Halls' letter put the date of Blackstone Rovers formation at an equally unlikely 1887.

For his part Barker's response to the squabble regarding the oldest club was quite short:

"I thank Mr. Halls for his information, but he must not overlook that so far as introducing the Anglo-Australian game (that was how the round-ball was styled) is concerned, Mr "Tom" McMurtrie played the game at North lpswich in 1886, and the Bush Rats were got going in 1887.

Still, there is no harm in comparing notes. I welcome the notes."
Queensland Times, June 6, 1923

As can be seen, nailing the start date for clubs seemed to inflame debate, even at a time when these clubs' formations were in living memory.

For Blackstone Rovers' part, Fred Wort, quoted in the Williams' article as the founder of Blackstone Rovers, did not arrive in Australia until 1887. Then in 1888, the clipped wit of the QT's Town Talk man announced the existence of Rovers - the first record of the club.

As for Bush Rats, the dating got even muddier a mere month later, when another voice added an opinion via the personal recollections of S.I. Ross, one of the major figures in Queensland soccer since 1887.

Ross played for Rangers (Brisbane's original club, not the Bundamba one), then the breakaway Thistles. Later he was honourary secretary of the Queensland British Football Association.

In his widely published article, Fathers of Soccer: When Bearded Men Played the Game, Ross follows the creation of the Normans club in 1889 with:

"The Bush Rats, Dinmore, sprang into existence during the year (their ground being at New Chum, bounded by large tall trees."
The Telegraph, August 18, 1923.

At this point we should acknowledge that depending which article you read, Bush Rats started in 1887, 1888, 1889 or 1890, though none of these sources were quote directly from a single Bush Rats affiliate.

In fact, the first contemporary mention of New Chum Bush Rats in print currently found in Trove was from 1891, when a late season decision was taken to form an Ipswich association and start a competition which included Bush Rats, Silkstone, Dinmore, Blackstone Rovers and a seemingly stillborn Dinmore Stars.

But what year did Bush Rats form?

Trying to work out the correct answer is compounded by the fact soccer reporting, or maybe soccer itself, was at its greatest nadir in 1889 and 1890. Only three games of soccer are reported in Ipswich during these years, and one of them had to use Australian Rules players to make up the numbers. Even the relatively well reported 1888 does not mention a Bush Rats soccer club.

Personally, I lean towards 1890, for two reasons.

The first was an article from 1924 about a Bush Rats club reunion. The article firmly states the club is 34 years old, which would put Bush Rats birth at 1890. The presence of original Bush Rats M. Bailey Joe Skellern and J Campbell could suggest any information given at the reunion should somewhat match historic reality. This article accompanies a report on the reunion itself.

That said, the article lists the clubs competing in the 1891 West Moreton competition incorrectly, with Call Backs not created until 1892, as was Whitwood. There was no team called Bundamba in 1891 the we know about. Again, beware memory, as it seems the article has merged the first three seasons of Ipswich and West Moreton football together.

But the biggest reason for believing 1890 is the correct date is because Ted O'Loughlin, the compiler of the extensive and mostly still correct SoccerMad database says it was.

More specificly, O'Loughlin writes of 1890:

"Another article mentioned that the Dinmore Bush Rats formed & matches will be played at the New Chum field next season."
Ted O'Loughlin, SoccerMad, 2012.

Wherefore art thou is this article? It isn't in the Queensland Times, unless the scan is so mangled to be unsearchable with sensible words. I cannot find it elsewhere on Trove. It could have been from a newspaper not on Trove, such either the Daily or Saturday Observer, locked away in microfiche in State Library's (and not necessarily Queensland's).

It seems O'Loughlin has read something, a clincher clue. I have tried to contact him and am awaiting an answer, though I am probably down his list of priorities. And if I can find the article it could put the birth of the Bush Rats at 1890.

Or it may not.

To finish, though, another quandary for dating Bush Rats.

David Newlands, early player for Blackstone Rovers and Silkstone, claims he helped form Bush Rats.

Newlands arrived in Ipswich in 1889 and then...

"After a few years with Blackstone, Dave, John Lovell, Jacob Tapp, and Tom Baker went to Dinmore Bridge and formed two teams. One team played in Nunn's Paddock and the other was called Wallabies. Next year the teams amalgamated and became known as the Bush Rats."
Queensland Times, December 27, 1952.

It should be noted Tom Barker is likely to be 'Old Horse' (Rovers player, Queensland Rep, inaugural Ipswich soccer association chairman) and not our the cricket player, 2nd iteration Ipswich FC board member and all-round supportive journo 'Old Sport'.

Untangling Newlands claim has proved difficult.

Can I find a Wallabies? No. Who played at Nunn's Paddock - well Dinmore FC, though there is no mention of Barker, Lovell, Tapp or Newlands playing for them. Dinmore are first mentioned in 1891, but could be older. Tom Barker did form a club after leaving Blackstone Rovers, and this was Call Backs in 1892. A few years after 1889 is not 1890 - may be 1891 or 1892?

Is this claim completely unreal? Possibly, but consider this. Around late 1894 Dinmore FC went defunct, after their president W.J. Lynch hightailed it to Bush Rats. Bush Rats subsequently took over Nunn's Paddock and signed Dinmore Captain W. Caddies. The name Dinmore Bush Rats then got some early use. Around the same time other short-lived clubs, such as Booval Enterprise, the second Ipswich FC and Whitwood disappeared.

Who knows what other amalgamations could have occurred at thus time. Was Dinmore Bush Rats a merger of New Chum Bush Rats and other clubs?

Maybe Newlands was right and his two clubs did merge together and form a larger, stronger Dinmore Bush Rats. 

But that is a whole other unknown story.

Ipswich Soccer In 1888

Key Events:

June 9: The Queensland Times' Town Talk section mentions a soccer club called Blackstone Rovers had formed. 

June 30: St Andrews 1 - 3 Bundanba

July 3: A meeting of the Anglo-Queensand Football Association discussed a proposed intercolonial match with NSW. The clubs represented included St Andrews, Thistles, Caledonians, Rangers, and one called Bundanbas. 

July 14: Blackstone Rovers 2 - 2 Thistle - said to be Blackstone  Rover's first game against a Brisbane Team

July 28: Bundamba Unions 5 - 0 Blackstone Rovers (return match). 

August 4: Bundanba Unions 2 - 4 St Andrews

August 4: Thistle 4 - 0 Blackstone Rovers

September 22: Thistle 2 - 2 Bundanba Unions (Final)

October 13: Thistle 5 - 1 Bundanba Unions (Final replay - also see this match report)

Known Unknowns: 

The match on the 28th of July was noted as the return match between Bundamba Unions and Blackstone Rovers. The date of the first match is unknown but finished 3 - 1 to Blackstone Rovers.

Uncertains: 

Reg Erskine quotes Tom 'Old Sport' Barker  claiming this was the year Bush Rats were formed (or more specifically, 24 years before the Barker's 1912 article was published). This has been disputed, with other evidence putting the date at 1887 (claimed by Barker as part of the dispute), 1889 or more usually 1890.

Key Clubs: 

Blackstone Rovers - red
Players included : Ward (gk - the same one?), F. W. Wort aka F. Williams, Gardiner, Griffith, and Dollan, E. Williams, P. Williams, J. Jones, Evans, A. Jones, Tapps, Taylor

Bundanba Unions (only season, possibly) - black and white
Players included: Archie Waugh, J. Lovell, T. McMurtrie, Ward, and Boyd, McMurdy (gk)

Final's squad v Thistle - Ward (gk - the same as Blackstone?);  A. Waugh and J. Lindsay (backs) ; Graham, Boyd, and Noble (half-backs); Robinson, Noble, McMurtrie, Dobbie, and Lovell, (forwards).

Notable People: 

Frederick William Wort aka Fred Williams - Blackstone founder and captain
Archie Waugh - Bundanba captain

Evan Williams - Blackstone Rovers player (and later source of information about the period)

Historical Notes: 

After a season's silence, two clubs from the Ipswich region contested the Brisbane competition.

Blackstone Rovers formed after the arrival of drill sergeant F. W. Wort late the previous year. It was later remembered by Evan Williams that the squad was made up of members of the Volunteers - the military force Wort trained. This means Blackstone Rovers was originally a military team, though it can be perhaps assumed many of the Volunteers were also miners, allowing the club a player base for many decades.

Further west comes a question - was Bundanba Unions really a new club, or a continuation of Rovers? Could a name change have been simply forced due to the advent of Blackstone Rovers? The first mention of the club in 1888 is as simply Bundanba.

It is intriguing to note the Queenslander of September 15 called this club Bundanba Rovers. Was this habitual from two years previous, or reflecting the true nature of the club as a continuation.

A look at the Unions team shows an overlap with the 1886 Bundanba Rovers. James Glasgow may have gone, but Archie Waugh remained captain, with Gordon, J. Lindsay and  Dobbie all playing.

Also appearing for Bundanba was T. McMurtrie, who came from Brisbane side Rangers.

It was reported on Saturday August 11, in the Queensland Figaro and Punch, that Blackstone Rovers had 40 members, while Bundanba Unions had about 15. This may explain the relative survival or otherwise of the clubs over the next few years.

For Blackstone Rovers, 1888 was the start of a long existence, give or take the odd year without senior team. Rovers finally merged with Bundamba Rangers in 1964 to form Coalstars.

Back in 1888, Bundamba Rangers was still at least 6 years into the future. In contrast, Bundanba Unions were not long for this world.

There is evidence of a club existing in Bundamba in 1889, or at least the rump of one, which will be mentioned in the next post.

Otherwise senior football in Bundamba goes quiet until members of Blackstone Rovers created Call Backs in 1892.

But this was part of a larger trend. Over the next two years soccer is barely heard from in the Ipswich media. Is it a case of lack of football or an uncaring press?

(Or, as Peter Eady reminded me, a lack of club correspondents reporting games to the press.)

Soccer in Ipswich Before 1886

Key Events:

1875:

E.G. Morgan, future president of the Ipswich and West Moreton British Football Association, arrives in Ipswich from Pembroke, Wales, aged 11.

1883:

June: Evan Morris Williams, original Blackstone Rovers, arrived in Blackstone as part of a group from North Wales to work at Lewis Thomas' mine. 
Alexander Stewart, future Bush Rats player, arrives in Ipswich from Scotland.

1885:

William Duck, of the original Bush Rats, arrives in Ipswich from Yorkshire. He is joined by brother George, and the rest of his family in 1887. 

David Gledson (and possibly goalkeeper Jack Ward), arrived in Australia with other players who would go on to play for Blackstone Rovers.

Historical Notes: 

Ipswich Soccer in 1887

Introduction:

There were no known games of officially organised soccer in Ipswich in 1887, but it doesn't mean soccer was entirely dead.

Key Events:

May 12: Third annual meeting of the Anglo-Queensland Football Association reveals Bundanba Rovers may join the association. 

June 6: Thistle Football Club forms in Brisbane. The club decides to write to James Glasgow to see if Bundanba Rovers were playing this year, and if so,to arrange a game. 


Known Date Unknowns: 

A group of young boys met at Beavis's bakery to form a soccer team.

George Duck, later captain of the original Bush Rats, arrives in Ipswich with the majority of his family, reuniting with his older brother and fellow future Bush Rat, William.

Frederick William Wort, the drill sergeant who formed Blackstone Rovers, arrives in Ipswich from the Isle of Wight via Toowoomba.

Uncertain Unknowns: 

Decades later William Lindsay says he played for Bundanba Rangers in 1887. He did play for Bundanba Rovers in 1886, and Rangers did not exist until the early 1890s. But it could mean there was a Bundanba team active but unreported this year. 

Key Clubs: 

Little Rangers:
David Waugh, Andy and Bob Rae; 'Sandy' Muir, Harry Besgrove, Arch, Jim, 'Sandy' and Bob Dobbie; Dave Gledson, Barrower, Jim Biggam (maybe)

Historical Notes: 

The state of Bundanba Rovers was uncertain in the first half of 1887. The association thought there was a possibility the club would affiliate, while Thistles investigated whether a game could be played.

Glasgow is last heard of in February, playing in an an inter-district draughts contest, hosted by whichever one (or the other) W. Hastie. Rover's William Lindsay also plays as Bundanba beat Ipswich 19 to 8.

Lindsay would soon reappear in Ipswich football, but Hastie is not heard from in relation to football after this point, while Glasgow completely disappears.

As does, it seems, Bundanba Rovers.

However soccer was played in Ipswich in 1887.

According to David Waugh six decades later, 1887 was the year a number of children banded together to form a soccer team called Little Rangers, named after the successful club in their native Scotland.

There is a question mark over the dating here.

Waugh states Little Rangers was formed in the same year as Bundanba Rovers was playing in Ipswich. We know Rovers played in 1886, and an argument can be made for 1888, which we will cover in that year's post. But it is also possible Rovers did play in unreported games in 1887, maybe against local players in scratch matches.

Waugh also states there was a senior team in Blackstone in 1887, but this would have been be a year before the formation of Blackstone Rovers. Either Blackstone flirted with soccer a year earlier than is known, or Waugh's memories are slightly out.

In 1946 William Lindsay stated he played for Bundanba Rangers in 1887. He was probably referring to Bundanba Rovers or the Bundanba Unions team of 1888. There are several other testimonies of players decades after the earliest years of Ipswich soccer with similarly sketchy dating.

The revelation of Little Rangers is exciting, because it hints at children's soccer which was largely unreported until the advent of inter-schools competitions.

Little Rangers also gives tantalising hints at the later formation of Bundanba Rangers.

Waugh and Jim Dobbie would later play for Bundanba Rangers. Waugh would have been 10 or 11 in 1887, but was playing for Whitwood as a 14 year old in 1892 before joining Rangers.

Bundanba Rangers are first reported in 1894 - in fact James Dobbie for played for Rangers in their first known game against Waugh's Whitwood.

This opens up a big question - were Bundanba Rangers members of Little Rangers all grown up?

Were the roots of the famous Rangers laid in 1887 (give or take) by a bunch of kids, who named their senior club after their childhood one? 

Perhaps the most important events in Ipswich soccer came in the arrival of two pioneers.

Frederick Wort has already been mentioned in this blog, being the man who started Blackstone Rovers.

George Duck also arrived, joining his brother William. The brothers are considered two of the original New Chum Bush Rats.

So soccer may have been quiet in Ipswich in 1887, but the seeds of its future success were starting to be sown.

Ipswich Soccer in 1886

Key Events:

January 1: Joseph Hodgson, later a publican at the Race Horse Hotel, and would donate the Hodgson Cup for the 1895 Ipswich and West Moreton season, arrives in Moreton Bay en route to Ipswich.  The Race Horse Hotel adjoined the soccer ground at the Bundanba Racecourse. 

January 11: William Bailey, original Bush Rat, arrives in Brisbane en-route to Ipswich from Bracken Hill, Yorkshire.

May 10: A meeting is held which results in the formation of Bundanba Rovers, Ipswich's first known soccer club. 

May 22: Bundanba Rovers 0 - 7 St Andrews at Bundanba Reserve (assumed)

June 1: William Routledge, a player for Dinmore, Bush Rats and Bundanba Rangers arrives in Australia. He goes onto to live and work in Dinmore then Bundanba. 


June 8: A meeting is held which results in the formation of Ipswich second club, Queenslanders.

June 26: Queenslanders 2 v 2 Bundanba Rovers at North Ipswich Reserve (also see here)

July 3: Queenslanders 1 - 11 St Andrews (also see here)

July 17 Bundanba Rovers 1 v 1 Swifts

July 24: Fowler's team 3 v 3 Cairns’ team at North Ipswich Reserve. This was an exhibition game featuring players from St Andrews, Queens Park, Rangers, Bundanba Rovers and Queenslanders. 

July 31: Bundanba Rovers 3 v 1 Queenslanders

August 14: Rangers 2 v 1 Bundanba Rovers (but see Notes below)

General Happenings:

John Routledge, future captain of Bush Rats, arrives in Australia aged 11, living at initially at Riverview. He may or not be related to William above. 

Notes:

It seems two one games are is missing from the above list of key dates.

The third annual meeting of the Anglo-Queensland Football Association in 1887 gave a breakdown of the games played by each club n the 1886 season. 

Bundanba Rovers played 6 games, with 1 win, 2 draws and a loss (goals for 7, against 19), while Queenslanders played 3 losing them all (goals for 4, against 16),. 

The above list only mentions 5 games for Rovers, and two for Queenslanders. 

If the report is correct, Rovers must have had a 6 to nil defeat, while Queenslanders suffered an 11 to 1 shellacking.

However, this mathematics presupposes the position of the Rangers v Bundanba Rovers match was for competition points. 

Soccer Mad states this game was a social match, and the Ipswich team actually made up of a combined Rovers/Queenslanders team. 

Soccer Mad's position comes from the match report of Queenslanders versus Rovers, which previews the game as a combined team playing Rangers. 

However, all known contemporary reports of the Rangers game state the club playing is Bundanba Rovers.

This report of the first Rovers n St Andrews game did hint that Queens Park would be the next opponent. 

If Soccer Man is right, there is another competitive match missing from Bundanba Rovers listings.

It should be noted the Association thanked the Observer during their meeting. That newspaper, originally from Ipswich, is not digitised on Trove, so more information may exist on microfiche, which may give the missing results, and confirms the Rangers/Rovers clash one way or another.  

Key Clubs: 

Bundanba Rovers (only season, possibly)
Players included: Waugh (capt), Glasgow, Sneddon, Dobbie, Denham, Gordon, Parker, Matthewson, J Lindsay, W Lindsay

Queenslanders (only season) - called the Blues
Players included : Thomas Hastie (capt), Ben Stephens, Jack Stephens, George Stephens, Robert Stephens, T. Tunstall, Hudson. W. H. Bemi (gk), Petiigrew, J Griffith, Lebeter, Weatherhogg

Notable People: 

James Glasgow - secretary and captain of Bundana Rovers
Hastie, possible many and various - see here.
J & W Lindsay - Rovers' players, later of various Ipswich clubs in the 1890s.
McMurtrie (Rangers) and Inglis (St Andrews) - players who later play in Ipswich.

Historical Notes: 

Regardless of the later status of Goodna as suburb of Ipswich, known recorded soccer in Ipswich started when thirteen men got together, under the auspices of Mr W. Hastie and James Glasgow, to form a club called Bundanba Rovers. Reports of the birth of Bundanba Rovers was reprinted in many of the major Brisbane newspapers. 

Twelve days played their first game against Brisbane side St Andrews. 

Only three clubs existed in Brisbane at the time, St Andrews, Rangers and Queens Park, the latter dissolving by the end of the year. 

A month later, a local rival was formed in Queenslanders, with the first Ipswich derby played in June 26, 1886. 

At this point it should be noted the start date of Ipswich soccer became slightly garbled over the decades. 

In 1912, Tom 'Old Sport' Barker hails Ipswich as the home of football in Queensland, stating the Queenlanders v Bundanba Rovers match as the introduction of the game in the now city. 

Barker was born in Ipswich, and was splendidly parochial, but was not living in his hometown in 1886, instead working in newspapers up north for much of the decade. 

But his local knowledge is still valuable. From the same article he lists some of the players, including Queenslanders captain Thos. Hastie (proving he is distinct from any W. Hastie), J. Hodgson, W. H. Bemi,. J. Griffith and finally the four brothers Stephens, listed at the time, but thanks to Barker we now know were blacksmiths. 

By 1951, the first Queenslanders v Rovers game still being regarded as the first game played in Ipswich. Writer T.G.N. quoted directly from the contemporary Queensland Times report (the second link with the game above). 

T.G.N. partly trips himself up by playing up to his pun that Bundanba Rovers as a combination of the later clubs Blackstone Rovers and Bundanba Rangers (which were long part of an argument, with Bush Rats, as to which was older). Playing to the joke ignored the existence of Queenslanders as an Ipswich club, therefore equal first by the writer's own definition. But T.G.N. was also tripped up by a changing sense of geography over the decades. 

Back in 1886, Bundanda and Ipswich were seen as distinct places, though joined in a wider, nebulous Ipswich-centred West Moreton region. When the QT of 1886 said the game was the first in Ipswich, it meant literally the town, which didn't stray far from each side of the Bremer River where North Ipswich Reserve still exists. As we can see above, a game was played in Bundanba in May. At the time, Bundanba was not seen as Ipswich unlike in T.G.N's day. 

Regardless, Ipswich now had two teams, but trouble was soon on the horizon. 

The first hints came in July, when members of the three Brisbane clubs played an exhibition match at North Ipswich to attempt to grow the game in the town. A few members of Queenslanders and Rovers made up the numbers. The game was played to whip up enthusiasm for soccer in Ipswich.

Things did not go well. The goals, put up but one of the Hasties, were ripped up out of the North Ipswich turf before the game. The number of spectators were "meagre" with more interest in the neighbouring Australian rules game. This made Hastie's closing remarks on hoping for another Ipswich club to form seem rather optimistic. 

But the numbers were against the sport in SE Queensland, not just in Ipswich. 

On July 31, Queenslanders and Rovers played a rematch, but both team were weakened as Rover's Waugh, plus three members of Queenslanders were away in Brisbane playing for Rangers, who themselves were missing players. 

(It seemed as long as soccer existed in Ipswich, Brisbane clubs poached Ipswich players.)

If Rangers looked to Ipswich to prop up their numbers, Queens Park had already succumbed, folding in early July. In one game against St Andrews, they turned up with only 7 players leading to "Goalkeeper" to opine in the Courier:

"I think the time has arrived when tho Queen's Park Football Club should at once disband, and commence afresh if need be, with bona fide British Association players, who will take an interest in its affairs and always feel it their duty to support then club and not play one game to day and another style of game tomorrow. As the club is now constituted it will never prosper, but if composed of some British Association players it may have a chance. It maybe as well to state that the club in question has lost the valuable services of Mr. Inglis, their full back, who got completely disheartened at players not turning up. He adhered well to the club through its many reverses, and dsserved to be better supported."
Brisbane Courier, July 5, 1886

Replacement club Swifts struggled through to the end of the season, but were not seen again. 

On August 14, Rangers beat Bundanba Rovers 2-1. As stated in the notes to the time line above, this  was preemptively called social match, played by a combined Bundanba Rovers and Queenslanders.

It is true that Tunstall was listed as playing Rovers, despite turning out for Queenslanders earlier of the season. 

This could have meant Queenslanders had folded, with the remaining players turning out for Rovers. 

But Farquar also played for Rovers that day, despite being a Rangers player. It was not unknown for teams to borrow opposition players to make up numbers.

Also missing from the report is captain James Glasgow, with Waugh taking the armband after filling in at Rangers.

So it seems Rover themselves were struggling for players and support in Ipswich.

In the Queensland Times match report of the Rangers game, Tunstall,  is quoted as there was very little support for soccer in Ipswich.

The lengthy report in the Courier states: 

"Mr Hastie, in responding, said that the Rovers would be shortly strengthened by additions from the Old Country, and he had every hope the club next season would be a strong one."

Brisbane Courier, August 16, 1886

One interpretation for Hastie's comment could be Rovers were struggling for playing numbers, not just quality. 

In the same report, Forbes, of the departed Queens Park team, also gave his opinion of the state of soccer: 

"Messrs D. G Forbes and Tunstall also gave short speeches on behalf ot tho game, the former stating that if tho Anglo Queensland game was going to be a success in this colony, those playing it must not go meddling with other rules of football, but stick closo to their own game."

Brisbane Courier, August 16, 1886

It seems across Brisbane and Ipswich, clubs were losing players to other codes.

This would play out in the 1887 season with a reduction of clubs, but that is another story. 

In summary, not much is known about Bundanba Rovers and Queenslanders. Some names lingered, especially the Lindsays, others disappeared after 1886. The backgrounds of many the players are hard to find, unlike those who came in the 1890s. Exactly which Hastie started Bundanba Rovers is open to question, James Glasgow leaves no trace. 

Why soccer chose to start in Ipswich in 1886 is currently still a mystery, as is the background of who was behind it. 

By contrast, 1887 would be a quiet year, though intriguingly not empty. 

Who Were The Hastie(s?) and James Glasgow.

In May, 1886, the first soccer club in Ipswich was formed:

"A meeting was held at Bundanba, on Monday night last, for the purpose of forming a football club. there was fair attendance, and Mr. W. Hastie occupied the chair. It was resolved to form a club, which will play the British Association game. Mr James Glasgow was appointed secretary; and the members present were deputed to act as a general committee until officers were permanently chosen for the year., Thirteen members were enrolled at the meeting, and it Is probable that a good many well-known players at Dinmore and Blackstone will join later on. It is intended to hold practice on the Bundanba reserve, on Saturday next, the kick-off taking place at 4 o'clock. It was decided to name the club the Bundanba Rovers."
The Queensland Times, May 13, 1886

The two prominent names in the story were the chair, W. Hastie, and secretary and player James Glasgow.

Pinning down this pair has proven difficult. If their identities could be confirmed, we may understand why soccer started in Ipswich in 1886. 

The problem with Hastie is he may be one of three Hasties involved in Ipswich soccer that year. 

In June 1886, Queenslanders, Ipswich's second club, was formed. The captain of the team was named Hastie. Could this be the mysterious W. Hastie? 

Not so, according to journalist Tom 'Old Sport' Barker in 1910, who stated the Queenslanders' captain was T. Hastie. 

(The newspaper man has not always proven to be the most reliable writer in matters historical, given he named several different start dates for Dinmore Bush Rats over the years. Neither was he living in Ipswich in 1886, only returning to the city in 1890. The 'T' could also be a typo, not unknown in the era's newspapers.) 

A search for a T. Hardie has proven fruitless. 

In July, a scratch match between members of Brisbane club Queens Park, St Andrews and Rangers, plus a handful of Bundanba Rovers and Queenslanders' players was played at North Ipswich Reserve. Two teams were selected by captains Fowler and Cairns. 

The match report stated Mr W.A. Hardie acted as umpire for Fowler's team. Was this the same W. Hardie which helped form Rovers? 

Part of our confusion stems from there being both a W. Hastie and W.A. Hastie in Ipswich at the time, both involved in the building trade. Both men arrived in Ipswich in the early years of Queensland soccer.

William Hastie was born in Gedborough, Scotland, around 1850, and arrived in Ipswich in 1883 as a joiner. He would go on to be the chairman of the Brassall Shire Council (today's northern suburbs of Ipswich), and later an alderman of Ipswich City Council. His obituary makes no mention of soccer, but neither does the name W. Hastie appear in the newspaper stories about Ipswich soccer after 1886. He died in 1932, an era where local obits praised past sporting abilities. His was empty of athletic achievements.

William Alexander Hastie was born in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1854, and also arrived in Ipswich in 1883. He was a carpenter, contractor, and foreman. He also rowed, and ran a coffee shop (which may have been the famous Hams Room, where many club meetings took place). 

W. A. Hastie would leave Ipswich in 1893 to become one of the early residents of Mareeba, where he lived until he died. There is no mention of a Hastie hastening soccer in Mareeba, where the first game is though to have been played in 1895. His obit praises his musical ability. 

One or both Hastie may have been involved with Ipswich soccer in 1886 - it depends on how careful the Queensland Times differentiated between the two men in their stories. 

Alternatively, but not helpfully, W. Hastie may be someone else completely different. 

The last we hear of any Hastie was in in August 1886, when one states that Rovers were hoping for reinforcements , and that the club would be a strong next season.  

Instead, they seemingly disappeared.

James Glasgow was captain of Bundanba Rovers, as well as secretary. 

Yet, we know nothing about him. 

He starts a soccer club, plays some games, and disappears. 

The last we hear of him is via the newly formed Thistle club in 1887: 

"It was carried that the secretary write to Mr. Glasgow, of the Bundanba Rovers, asking him if that club mean to take tho field this season, if so, what date could they conveniently play a match with this club."
Brisbane Courier, June 7, 1887

Can it be Glasgow had already left Rovers, if not Ipswich, and the letter was not received? 

Could it be neither Rovers nor Queenslanders had the numbers to play?

Regardless, there are no known recorded senior soccer games in Ipswich in 1887. (We'll come back to kids' games another time.)

Searching for Glasgow, not surprisingly, finds a lot of noise - soccer in that city, plus many Jameses from Glasgow. 

The main J. Glasgow of the era mentioned in Queensland newspapers was one regularly listed as transitioning trains at Wallangarra coming to and from NSW. (Privacy in 1888, what privacy?)

There is seemingly no known Glasgows playing football in Queensland after 1886. 

Soccer seemingly died in Ipswich in 1887. The Queenslanders had already mentioned their players were being poached by a Brisbane club a year earlier. They only played 3 games. With the unknown Hastie hoping for reinforcements for Rovers, it seems playing stock were too low to maintain teams to add to their 6 games in 1886.

Alternatively, any 1887 games may have remained localised and deemed not worthy of mentioning in newspapers.

Neither Hastie not Glasgow are mentioned regarding soccer again. It seems these two (or more) men who had been strongly involved in setting up soccer in Ipswich disappeared from the game, and without them the it flagged until 1888.

Knowing more about Hastie(s) and Glasgow may give an insight into how soccer came to Ipswich, and a more general understanding of how the game initially spread in Australia in the 1880s and 90s. 

The Man Behind Blackstone Rovers

Sergeant Wirt.

I first saw the name as part of a 1923 argument regarding the oldest club in Ipswich which mostly centred on the year of Dinmore Bush Rats formation.

In support of Blackstone Rovers, correspondent John Halls wrote:

“The man who introduced soccer football into the Blackstone district was Sergeant Wirt, drill instructor, of the defence force (brother of Mr. Joseph Perrett of Bundanba), now of Raby Bay, near Cleveland. and they held their meetings in the old club house at Blackstone.”

Queensland Times, June 6 1923

Knowing when a club is formed is all very well but knowing who formed the club can explain why soccer was played was in a particular area in the first place.

Wirt may be the key to unlocking the why of soccer started in Blackstone. Where did he come from? Where did he learn the game? We know he was a drill sergeant, but little else.

It was time then to do some digging.

With no success.

Serendipity, though, is a wonderful thing, as weeks later an unconnected search threw up a letter to the Queensland Times Wirt’s nephew Alf Perrett.

In 1948, Perrett wrote to the QT concerning his late uncle, “Fred WilliamWort”.

It seems John Halls, the QT's correspondent 25 years earlier, had spelt Wort’s name wrong, creating a wild goose chase.

Even if Halls got his naming correct, it might still have been a dead end. 

It seems Fred Wort didn’t play soccer under his full name.

In fact, Wort should not have played soccer at all in 1888, given he’d gotten a sick note from the military due to a wounded toe.

To hide his enthusiastic ball kicking from his commandant, Wort played under the name Fred Williams in Rover’s first ever game in 1888.

Such subterfuge did not last – as the Brisbane Courier listed a “F.W. Wort” as captaining Rovers against Bundanba Unions in July 1888.

These letters came decades after Wirt formed Blackstone, and sometimes memory and time can cloud judgement, however, earlier evidence exists.

When Wort’s wife Mary Ann Stabler died in 1909, she is unfortunately but typically erased from the details of her own funeral. The Queensland Times instead mentions the widower:

“It will be remembered Mr Wort was Sergeant-Instructor in the Ipswich district some years ago and also inaugurated the Rovers’ Football Club at Blackstone.”

Queensland Times, April 24 1909

Knowing Fred Wort's name means we can do some digging as to his background and why he introduced soccer to Blackstone. Where had he learned the game? Why was he in Blackstone?

This makes Wort possibly the most important figure in the existence of Blackstone Rovers, replacing Lewis Thomas.

Thomas, a mine owner, was important – he brought to (soccer-literate?) Welsh miners to Australia, building them a village at Blackstone complete with a church and a football ground.

Later, Thomas would go on to be a patron to Blackstone FC (Rugby League) and Ipswich and West Moreton British Football Association, but back in 1888 there is no real evidence it was he who encouraged football. 

Sure, Thomas gave a gift of a soccer ground, but this may have been in response to the enthusiasm of Wort and fellow soccer players.

So, it’s time to instead look for more on Wort, drill sergeant, skiver and soccer player. What can he tell us about soccer in Australia in the 1880s?

He can tell us he promptly took the game north to Charters Towers, and captained one of the sides in the first known match in the town.

We can be fairly sure this is F.W. Wort, because his son is born in Charters Towers the next year. Frederick junior would continue the army tradition (with this link clearly stating Frederick William Wort was his father.) 

Wort also seemed to play Rugby in Charters Towers. 

Fred William Wort would resign as sergeant-instructor in 1894 and go on to work for the Cleveland Divisional Board (ie shire council) by 1897, where he was rates collector and dairy inspector for £60 pounds a year. He is also part of the local Horticultural Society, where his fruits and vegetables won prizes and he sings at various events, including for the local cricket club.

We know this is the same Wort due again to the death of her wife, which is reported more traditionally in other newspapers. Hall's letter, which kicked-off this article, also says Wort lived in Raby Bay, near Cleveland.

There is plenty of mention of F.W. Wort over many years in his role as shire clerk. I'll leave readers who enjoy shire council doings to investigate these themselves. 

We know he re-marries as a daughter is born in 1915, and another in 1917, but his council role seems disappear from the records circa 1914.

In 1917, Wort’s son George, of the 4^th Field Ambulance writes from France, and speaks of the changing landscape with the seasons and that Rugby would soon start. Later that year, the Brisbane Courier would post a short history of George’s military career to date.

After the war, F.W. Wort would help form a Fathers’ Association, to help families of those whose son’s had gone to war. He also spent many years as a JP.

Fred William Wort died in 1932.

The Brisbane Courier gives a full obituary, tying everything together – his time in Ipswich and Charters Towers, his work for the Cleveland shire, and his formation of Blackstone Rovers.

But it is here we find out the start of his story.

Fred was born in the Isle of White in 1863, a couple of months before the rules of association football are codified.

He came to Australia in 1887, aged 24, initially living in Toowoomba before moving to Ipswich the same year.

At 25 he helps set up Blackstone Rovers, and three years later brings soccer to Charters Towers, after which his soccer days seem over, but, in Ipswich Knights, his impact on soccer in Australia lives on.