Recent Articles
A Favourite Not Forgotten – the football biography of Geelong’s John Haygarth- Published At: 2019-02-23 11:16 - (898 Reads)John Haygarth was an exciting Geelong footballer in the fifties. This article is the story of his football life, including his controversial departure from Geelong in 1959. The article includes an interview with John and photographs from his personal collection.
Jack Collins - Footscray’s ‘Jack Of All Trades’- Published At: 2019-02-09 13:40 - (140 Reads)Seven Goals in the 1954 Grand Final, 154 VFL Games, Footscray Team of the Century, Club Secretary, Club President, fightback in 1989. Jack Collins was a great player with a great story.
Ambrose Dyson - The Herald 1909-1911- Published At: 2018-11-17 14:22 - (325 Reads)Ambrose Dyson was one of the earliest regular football cartoonists in Melbourne. He worked a brief few years before the First World War before tragety struck.
Tom O'Halloran - The Tiger From Timaru- Published At: 2018-11-11 14:49 - (974 Reads)Tom O'Halloran’s dedication and love for his club should be acknowledged and it is hoped that this story may stimulate new interest in the dynamic high flyer from Punt Road. Roger's article lets you see why Tom O’Halloran was introduced into the Richmond FC Hall of Fame in 2013.
Fred Phillips - The Tragic Tale Of A True Champion- Published At: 2018-10-23 17:15 - (473 Reads)Fred Phillips, one of St Kilda’s best-ever footballers, died in the most tragic circumstances at the age of 27 years.
“…A great footballer, a true sportsman-and a man. That was Fred Phillips. Need more be said?” |
Random Articles
The Ballad of Haydn Bunton- Published At: 2012-12-06 09:07 - (8855 Reads)The 'Ballad of Haydn Bunton' was written (words and music) by Ken Mansell in August 1999. It was released as a CD, with vocals performed by Ken and the late Peter Bell, in July 2003.
This article about the song was originally published by Ken around 2003 in a variety of sources and is republished here due to its relevance to the site. Peter Pianto the Eaglehawk Express- Published At: 2016-03-27 17:48 - (4515 Reads)Eaglehawk Football Club was formed in 1880 and since then more than forty local players have graduated to VFL/AFL ranks including such well-known names as Rod Ashman, Alf Baud, Charlie Clymo, Des English, Ted Esposito, Bill Evely, Jarryn Geary, Ted Jinks, Damian Lock, Doug Palmer and Peter Pianto. This story, for Boyles Football Photos, is about Geelong’s dynamic rover of the 1950’s- Peter Pianto.
Identifying Boyles Photos - Style and Format of Charles Boyles Photographs- Published At: 2012-07-20 22:13 - (17623 Reads)Boyles photos are not always labelled. But there are many clues to help identify a Boyles photo. A few such methods are outlined below.
Bryan Clements~Fitzroy FC - A Day To Remember At The Brunswick Street Oval.- Published At: 2014-05-18 14:16 - (13985 Reads)Bryan Clements (born 1942) played 23 senior games of VFL football for Fitzroy between the years 1961 and 1964. In that time he played in only two winning teams for Fitzroy. However, one of those wins was the most memorable victory of the 1963 season and one of the biggest upsets in that decade of VFL football. This is Bryan’s story.
The Hero from Orphanage - The Story of Len Johnson- Published At: 2014-10-30 14:55 - (6679 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. |
Historical Articles (Reprinted)
Recent Articles
Former Umpire writes His Reminiscences- Published At: 2018-12-15 09:58 - (203 Reads)Famous South Australian Umpire Johnny Quinn's reminiscences appeared in the News (Adelaide) in 1940. Quinn was famous for his smile and his gestures. He also took part in redrafting the rules of the game.
Melbourne’s Chief Play Grounds - No. 9— The Old East Melbourne Ground- Published At: 2018-12-15 08:36 - (202 Reads)Old Football Days. Teams and Men.- Published At: 2018-11-16 08:33 - (289 Reads)Originally appeared in The Argus 2-May-1908. Observer (Donald McDonald) the great Australian Journalist looks back at the best players in his 30 years writing on football.
Great Football Dramas No. 10 - When Collingwood And Fitzroy Thrilled Sydney In 1903- Published At: 2017-11-10 12:49 - (1035 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.
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Random Articles
Great Football Dramas—No. 9 First League And Association Clash Was A "Grisly" Affair- Published At: 2016-06-17 11:18 - (1845 Reads)In this, the ninth of a series of great football dramas, is described the first League-Association clash — St. Kilda v North Melbourne, in 1915. It was a hectic, grisly affair, reeking with spite and roughness, and with only occasional flashes of real football.
Old Football Days. Teams and Men.- Published At: 2018-11-16 08:33 - (289 Reads)Originally appeared in The Argus 2-May-1908. Observer (Donald McDonald) the great Australian Journalist looks back at the best players in his 30 years writing on football.
Great Football Dramas—No.7 - Revolutionary Strategy That Won 1928 League Flag For Collingwood- Published At: 2017-11-04 13:13 - (1389 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. 6 Tempestuous Welcome To 1925 Premiers- Published At: 2016-06-17 12:14 - (1760 Reads)This is the sixth or a series of great football dramas, retold by an eye-witness. It describes Geelong's tumultuous welcome home to the League Premiers of 1925 —a welcome fit for Royalty!
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Article Archive...
An Introduction to Charles Boyles
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, |
