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Football Unlimited – Tim Hogan’s Guide to the Great Australian Game- Published At: 2018-06-15 15:28 - (549 Reads)
Rating:
(7.00/10)
It slowly dawned on me that Hogan’s book – a vast store of information emanating from a great variety of disparate sources, places and periods – was in fact a guide to Australian football’s collective memory.
Percy Leason- Published At: 2017-11-16 12:11 - (778 Reads)Percy Leason (23 February 1889 – 11 September 1959 was a cartoonist an painter who rose to prominence in the 1920’s and 1930’s. He was most widely known for cartoons and illustrations that appeared in many magazines including Punch and later Table Talk.
Charlie Davey -A Forgotten Star Of Interstate Football- Published At: 2017-11-10 11:44 - (1001 Reads)Among those Victorian players who have been often overlooked for their significant contribution to interstate football is Carlton’s champion ruckman Charlie Davey. Charlie, who played 143 games for Carlton, represented Victoria on 17 occasions between 1929 and 1935. He is a classic example of a forgotten star of national football; and hopefully this story may serve as a reminder of Charlie’s undoubted ability and achievements in VFL and interstate football.
Stan Spinks - The Gallant Midfielder From Glenferrie- Published At: 2017-11-10 09:59 - (1096 Reads)With the resounding recent success of Hawthorn; and the current abundance of Hawks stars, many younger fans may be unaware of the rocky road that Hawthorn travelled in the early years of the club’s history. One of the heroes of Hawthorn during its darkest years was Stan Spinks…this is his story.
Vic Lawrence- The Big Hearted Shinboner- Published At: 2017-10-19 12:18 - (1869 Reads)Victor (aka Vic) Lawrence (born: 1928) played more than 100 VFL games; and although a steadfast defender, club captain and Victorian representative, he appears to be another ‘forgotten man’ of VFL football. This story attempts to remind football followers of Vic’s achievements and the key role he played in rebuilding the NMFC during the 1950’s.
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The Hero from Orphanage - The Story of Len Johnson- Published At: 2014-10-30 14:55 - (6208 Reads)The story of Leslie Albert Johnson, better known as Len, is a tale of how one determined young man overcame hardship to become a ‘local hero’ with Essendon FC in his short VFL career. Len also left his mark as a country football coach, professional sprinter and a soldier who died on active service in Malaya in 1942.
Len’s story is uplifting but it is not without pathos and tragedy. Team Photos in the Weekly Times and Australasian 1928-29 - The link to Football Cards and the Football Record- Published At: 2012-11-26 03:06 - (15235 Reads)In 1928 and 1929, the Weekly Times newspaper (part of the Herald group of newspapers) published two series of colourised football team photos. In 1929, the rival weekly, the Australasian (published from the Argus building) produced its own series. Both newspapers had colour sections each week.
The team photos appearing in the 1928-29 Weekly Times and Australasian were chopped up and converted into individual player portraits. These individual portraits were later used in a number of football cards series. They also appeared in the VFL Football Record. Laurie Shipp - Yallourn Football Club- Published At: 2014-03-14 11:43 - (7214 Reads)For many footballers, their years in the Victorian Football League (VFL) were only one part of their careers. For some, the need to find employment outside the game meant they relocated to regional centres and became part of local football scenes.
This engaging article by Roger Spaull highlights the career of North Melbourne ruckman Laurie Shipp, and the three years (1954-56) Shipp spent with the Yallourn Football Club. Alex Duncan - The Brilliant Aerialist Of Carlton- Published At: 2015-07-02 16:00 - (3798 Reads)The pity of yesteryear is that it is often lost in the glitz and razzmatazz of modernity. It would be wonderful if there were films to assist in showing the high marking skills of players like Alex Duncan in those earlier days of VFL football. Word pictures can never really do such players justice; however this story tries to shine a light on one of the best overhead marks in the history of the game.
The Story of Night Football in Victoria - Part One - 1879 Arc Lights at the MCG- Published At: 2013-02-24 08:47 - (5825 Reads)In part one of the story of Football under lights, we return to the first ever Australian Rules football games under artificial light....In 1879
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Historical Articles (Reprinted)
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Great Football Dramas No. 10 - When Collingwood And Fitzroy Thrilled Sydney In 1903- Published At: 2017-11-10 12:49 - (524 Reads)In this, the tenth of a series of great football dramas, is described how, in 1903, Collingwood and Fitzroy made football history by contesting a League premiership match in Sydney, and how, in the Rugby stronghold, a crowd of 20,000, seeing a big Australian rules game for the first time, was thrilled by the fast, spectacular play.
Great Football Dramas No. 1 - DUNCAN’S MATCH- Published At: 2017-11-05 18:00 - (390 Reads)DUNCAN’S MATCH!” Two words, ablaze with imperishable fame, that stand out vividly in Australian football history.
Great Football Dramas No. 2 - Footscray's Dramatic Win Over Essendon Sensation of 1924- Published At: 2017-11-05 10:36 - (459 Reads)Re-told by an eye-witness, this, the second of a series of stories of stirring football dramas enacted on League grounds, describes how, in 1924, Footscray, Association premiers, paralysed Essendon, League premiers, in a memorable contest for the championship of Victoria.
Great Football Dramas—No.7 - Revolutionary Strategy That Won 1928 League Flag For Collingwood- Published At: 2017-11-04 13:13 - (1073 Reads)Re-told by an eye-witness, this is the seventh of a series of great football dramas. It describes how, in the 1928 final against Richmond, Collingwood, with audacious match-winning strategy, set giant Percy Rowe to spoil Donald Don, dreaded champion full-back; and how, under Rowe’s clever protection, Gordon Coventry kicked nine goals – a record.
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Random Articles
Great Football Dramas—No.7 - Revolutionary Strategy That Won 1928 League Flag For Collingwood- Published At: 2017-11-04 13:13 - (1073 Reads)Re-told by an eye-witness, this is the seventh of a series of great football dramas. It describes how, in the 1928 final against Richmond, Collingwood, with audacious match-winning strategy, set giant Percy Rowe to spoil Donald Don, dreaded champion full-back; and how, under Rowe’s clever protection, Gordon Coventry kicked nine goals – a record.
Great Football Dramas — No. 13 Fitzroy First To Smash Collingwood's Great System- Published At: 2016-08-28 18:02 - (2103 Reads)How Collingwood's famous system, then brand-new, was first smashed by Fitzroy in a memorable League semi-final in 1902, is retold in this, the thirteenth of a series of great football dramas.
History of the Australian Game on the Goldfields from 1894 to 1912- Published At: 2017-08-11 15:57 - (757 Reads)Haydn Bunton's Football Story- Published At: 2017-10-08 08:39 - (786 Reads)Today, “The Mail” published the first of a series of articles by Bunton, which should prove of absorbing interest to all football followers and other sport fans. The first tells how he nearly became a cricketer instead of an ace footballer. Others will tell of the trafficking stir in which he was involved, personalities he has played against in three States, and other highlights of his career.
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Article Archive...
An Introduction to Charles Boyles
Charles Boyles SLV2008.122/451 (Cropped) Source: State Library of Victoria Photographic Collection
The website is centred around the photos of Charles Boyles, a Melbourne-based photographer. Boyles primarily took photos of Australian Rules Football teams and players. He appears to have started this football work in the late twenties. He continued through the 1930's, the years of the Second World War, and then right up to his final photos in the early sixties. Unlike most commercial photographers, Charles Boyles did not wait for customers to come to him. Boyles set up his camera on training nights, and on game days took posed team photos after the players had run onto the ground. These were sold directly to the clubs, players and general public. On Saturdays, at the games, the photographer's son Harley Boyles (and others) would take a satchel of mixed photos and sell them throughout the game. Unlike newspaper photos, therefore, a Boyles photo was something you could own, take home, and treasure. There are no action shots or photos of games in progress. Boyles specialised in team photos and player portraits, with the players looking directly to camera. Today these photos are used by clubs, by family historians, and by those interested in football history. They often appear uncredited in football history books. Boyles did not restrict himself to the leading football competition of his era, the Victorian Football League. During his working life he attended many different competitions. He covered the VFA, Wartime Services matches, the various Victorian workplace competitions, the Sunday leagues, and other competitions. Learn More about the Life of Charles Boyles
Read Ken's article on the methods, motives and life of Charles Boyles. The article includes notes from an extensive interview with Harley Boyles about his father. See Charles Edward Boyles: From Tripod to Website. |
Website Aims and Objectives
This website contains work by two independent researchers, Ken Mansell and Michael Riley. Our objective is to share our own passion for history and provide a friendly resource for family historians, football buffs and others who have an interest in the Charles Boyles photos and more generally in football photography from the 1920's to 1960's.A Football History Website
This site has grown to cover more than just football photos. There is an amazing amount to explore. You can start with articles, player pages, ground pages, team and league pages as well as information on players careers outside football.All Football Photographers Not Just Charles Boyles Photos
This site contains photos from many of Boyles's contemporaries. These contrast Boyles's style, and add to an understanding of sport, photography, and the football of the time.Football Outside the VFL
Charles Boyles took photos of VFL teams, but also took photos of VFA teams, Workplace Teams and teams in Junior Leagues. Also, for many players the VFL was just a small part of their footballing story. This site attempts to build a picture of the football world during Boyle's working period. This world is worth explored through articles and the pages thoughout the website. Sources of Images on this Website
We are not associated with any library or institution. We have received permission from a variety of people and institutions to include their images on this particular website. Each photo is labelled as to it's source. Please contact the relevant source for permission to reproduce any images. The appearance of an image on this website does not mean that it is public domain. Although many (not all) photos are out of copyright, many images are available here under 'Terms of Use' agreements with the relevant organisation. We credit the photographer and the photo source wherever possible, |
Examples of Boyles Photos
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Kew Sub Districts 1939 - State Library of Victoria Photographic Collection
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North West Suburbs Police Team circa 1935 - State Library of Victoria Photographic Collection
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Carlton Seconds, 1956 - State Library of Victoria Photographic Collection
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Bob Wilkie - St Kilda - State Library of Victoria Photographic Collection
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