The Original Ipswich Soccer Players

I’ve recently circled back to the originals of club football in Ipswich. I’ve been able to have a little delve into the backgrounds of the players, or at least those most likely to have played for Bundanba Rovers and Queenslanders in 1886 to better understand how these teams came about. This was thanks to Library access to Ancestry.com becoming remotely accessible thanks to Covid.

Below are some quick details about these probable players. These are either the definite players (like the Stephens brothers), though a few are candidates due to a lack of alternatives of the surnames in the right age bracket at the time (marked with a ‘*’ - eg Denham).

Bundanba Rovers

James Stephenson Glasgow – born Cambusnethan, Lanarkshire, Scotland 1892. Arrived in Queensland as a 23-year old in January 1886, before leaving back for the UK sometime after October 1887 as he was aged 27. He would return to Australia, getting married in Victoria in 1890, before residing in Queensland. Glasgow’s occupation was listed as an engineer.
Glasgow was one of the driving forces for the creation of Bundanba Rovers, but the club faltered in his departure.

Charles John Denham* – born 1857 in Smallburgh, Norfolk but emigrated to Ipswich before May 1885. Lived in Melbourne by 1903, where he was listed as a labourer. There were no other Denham’s in the Ipswich I could find at the time.

Joseph James Parker* – Ipswich-born in 1857, he moved from Ipswich to Caboolture sometime around 1887. He worked as a post-master. There are no other Parkers in the correct age bracket I can find in Ipswich at the time.

William and James Lindsay – William was born in 1868, and James n 1864, both in Inveresk, Scotland. The brothers would become major figures in Ipswich soccer in the 1890s. William would win trophies with Dinmore Bush Rats. They were well known for the mine they ran in Bundanba.

Alexander Dobbie – the Dobbie family arrived in Queensland in December 1884. Alex was 16 at the time. He was listed as an engine driver in 1908. Younger brother James would rise to prominence in Ipswich soccer in the 1890s and represent Queensland in 1898.

David Waugh – Waugh was born around 1854. He lived in Ayrshire, Scotland in 1877, where his son David was born. The family arrived in Queensland just before Christmas 1885. Both Davids were involved in mining, and both injured in the same accident in 1897, aged 44 and 20 respectively. At the time the son was a prominent soccer player in Ipswich.

Unknown: Sneddon, Matthewson – probably James, but too many in town at the time, Gordon – again too many possibilities, though many Ipswich born).

Queenslanders

William H Bemi – The goalkeeper was born in Shoreditch, Middlesex in 1858. He became a long term resident of Ipswich, where his occupation was listed as printer.

George, Robert, Jack and Ben Stephens – the brothers were all Ipswich born and were blacksmiths. Their parents were English-born.

Thomas Tunstall was born in Stoke-on-Trent, and was 18 when he played for Queenslanders, having come to Australia in his teens. He went on to become an insurance agent.

Joseph Lebeter – born in Derbyshire in 1865 and arrived in Australia 25 August 1885. His occupation later was listed as miner.

Tom Weatherhogg – born in January 1865, in Sheffield, and came to Australia as a 17 year old in 1882. Possibly becomes a miner.

Unknown: Pettigrew (possibly John or James, across two generations), Hudson  - too many running around at the time to be sure which, but possibly linked to the family of William Hudson, co-proprietor of a pottery and with a long involvement in Dinmore FC and Bush Rats.