R.Wilmot 1891 Essendon
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Tracker Forbes 1891 Essendon
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Wilmot and Forbes from an 1891 Essendon Premiership Display.
It is worth starting with a paragraph from John Devaney to provide some context on the footballing quality of Charles ‘Tracker’ Forbes.
Charles ‘Tracker’ Forbes
Height: 191 cm
Weight: 84 kg
Born: 8 May 1865
Died: 20 June 1922 (aged 57)
| Games | Goals | ||
| Essendon VFA | 1889-1896 | 140 39 | |
| Essendon VFL | 1897-1902 | 52 | 13 |
| Total | 1889-1902 | 192 | 52 |
'Tracker' Forbes ' Footballer And Comedian - By R.W.E. Wilmot
Football in Victoria has produced many men who in their day were shining lights. George Watson, Jim Wilson, and Henry Young of Geelong; George Coulthard, Jack Baker and George Robertson of Carlton; Peter Burns and ‘Sonny’ Elms, of South Melbourne; Charles Forrester, Fred McGuinis of Melbourne; W. Hannaysee, of Port Melbourne; James (Tiger) Gardiner, of North Melbourne, Albert Thurgood, Ned Officer and Charles (Commotion) Pearson, of Essendon; Jack Worrall and Mick Grace of Fitzroy; Dick Lee, of Collingwood; and Alf Smith of StKilda, were men of strong personality, whose names have long lived and will live long after their football days are over; but around none has there been woven more romance, of none are there more stories than of Charles Forbes, the redoubtable “Tracker,” of Essendon, who died last week. He was never known by any other name, and since the early nineties every youth of the name Forbes who played football became known as ‘Tracker’.
He was born in West Melbourne, and lived there all his life. As a youth he was apprenticed to a firm of ironworkers, and became a riveter. He was a skilled workman, and was never out of employment except by his own choice. When work was slack in the foundry and men were being put off, he would always have been kept on, but when he saw a married man with a family on the list to go he would at once refuse to work while there was a man with a family unemployed.
‘Tracker’ Forbes became an Essendon player in 1889. He had for years been regarded as a champion in the North Park team, and every senior club had pressed him to join it, but with that loyalty which was so characteristic of him he was deaf to all persuasion, and it was not till he was 24 years of age that he became “a senior.” The circumstances of his joining Essendon are not generally known, but they are decidedly interesting. As a lad he had barracked for Melbourne, and had made up his mind that if ever he played senior football it would be with that team. Pestered by every secretary he at length made up his own mind, and one day wrapping up his ‘togs’ or as he called then his ‘wardrobe,’ in a parcel he went to the East Melbourne ground, where Essendon and Melbourne were to play. He went to the gate through which Melbourne players were being admitted and said he had come to play with Melbourne. The gatekeeper, however, not knowing Forbes, said, “You can’t come in; your name is not on the list,” as so he turned away. He was on his way back to his old club when someone who knew him saw him, and took him into the Essendon room. There he received a hearty welcome, and though the team was picked one of the selected stood down, and ;Tracker’ played for Essendon against the team whose gate official ‘did not know Forbes.’ Many and many a time Melbourne supporters had cause to regret the mistake for he invariably played his best against ‘The Fuchsias.’
He was ever ready to help a youngster and to push him on, and we learned much from him, for he was a natural player. While his game lacked nothing in force, he had no time for ‘dirt’, and above all, for pugilism on the field. Although there were few who could use their hands better, no one ever saw him strike an opponent, and the number of men whose passions were suddenly cooled by a word from him were legion. ‘Turn it up, lad’ he’d say to a friend or foe on the shield who showed signs of fighting. ‘It’s bad for the eye-sight’. And they all realised that he was right.
He had many acquaintances, more than most men, and also many friends, and to be admitted to his friendship was something worthwhile. It was perpetual, and it embraced all sorts and conditions of men. Mr Justice Schutt valued his friendship and went to visit him in his last illness. Mr Matthew Wilson, head master of Perth high School, never came to Melbourne without making it one of his first duties to look Tracker up, The Rev. R.B.S. Hammond never met me either here of in Sydney without sending him an affectionate message.
When he was playing football he was one of a remarkable group, which consisted of the late George Porter, a liberal patron of the Essendon team (whose interests were divided between All Saints Church, St.Kilda, St.Paul’s Cathedral, and the Essendon Club), the Rev. Ernest (now Canon) Hughes, the late Ernest Wood (organist of St. Paul's Cathedral), Walter Woollard (head waiter at the Athenaeum club), and the late Peter Brady (George Porter’s cabman). The waggonette driven by Brady was almost a family coach for the Essendon team in the early nineties, and when it arrived at the East Melbourne or other ground on which Essendon was playing, Brady would go in with the rest of the group and watch Tracker playing, while a man was employed to hold the horse.
One of Forbes’s most famous sayings was with this party. They went to see a foundation stone laid by a church dignitary, whose physiognomy was a standing tribute to the Darwin theory. As the dignitary rose, Tracker in a stage-whisper said ‘Who’s his nibs,’ and on being told said, ‘Lord love me! If you were to throw him a nut he’d scratch himself’. In all those years of the Porter patronage ‘Tracker’ Forbes almost became to be regarded as a member of the Athenaeum Club, so frequently was he there. He had given up his work, having been practically adopted by Mr.Porter, though he never left his mother and his home. Night after night he dined at the Athenaeum with Mr Porter, and so much was he appreciated that the other members entertained him too. Ultimately, after years of idleness, he had a variance with his patron because the latter would not take the exercise which Tracker had been urged to insist on. One day Porter resented Tracker’s interference, That was the end. He said, ‘Well, if you won’t do what you ought, I’m off back to toil,’ and the next morning he presented himself at the works where he had previously been employed and resumed his working as though he had never been away. It does not take much imagination to realise what a force of character was necessary after years of idleness to throw it all up and go back ‘to toil’.
He had a great fund of humour, and it was good to hear his laugh. For years he held court each evening on the corner of Bourke street and Swanston street, in front of Miller’s feather shop. Thither, after tea with his mother, to whom he was devoted, he would walk into town, and from 8 to 10 there was always a knot of half-a-dozen surrounding hem, and on that corner fore formed and cemented numerous friendships, which stood the test of years and adversity. In that circle the politics of football were freely discussed, and in the discussions the views of Tracker were always sound. He had no time for a slacker of a pointer, and he detested a man who was disloyal to his country or his club. If any such attempted to join that circle he soon found that he was not wanted; but the right soft were always welcome. Many men who never stood on the corner of any other street joined him there, and the welcome given to a newcomer was such as would induce him to come again. The ‘move on’ clause might be applied to other knots of men, but Tracker’s corner was sacred; it was invisible to the police.
His descriptions were always picturesque. Once in Tasmania a young man rushed breathless into our hotel, gasping, ‘ You fellows had better come; there’s a mob of larrikins getting to Tracker Forbes.’ Before we could move, Tracker himself walked in unperturbed. ‘What was the trouble Tracker?” asked someone “Oh, nothing,”, he replied. “What happened!” said the other. “Oh, a fool thought he could insult a woman, and there were two hits. I hit him and he hit the wall; that’s all: . We never could get any more of the story. His chivalry was always equal to his ability, and his reticence exceeded both.
Of a junior who had been brought to East Melbourne, he said, ‘no good. He’s got a chest like a chicken’s forehead’. His eyes here his ‘lamps’, his arms his ‘wings’, his clothes his ‘wardrobe’ a dress suit ‘a singing coat’ and so on. Those who knew him will recall many of his quaint sayings.
I remember when in 1890 the Essendon team visited Tasmania, We went across the Strait in the Flinders. Going down the bay Mr W.J. Smith, then hon. secretary of the Essendon club, said to him ‘Have you ever been to sea before Tracker!’ and he replied ‘Only once, that was on a raft in the West Melbourne Swamp. The swamp was in flood, and I was pushing about with a pole. All of a sudden I was a big tank being bought toward me and I said, Forbes you’re wanted’ I went to push the pole to get away, when, Lord love you, I’m in the canal. Down went the pole! over went Forbes! Wreck of the s.s.Forbes!” That night we were at dinner as we passed through the Tip, and Tracker was in the post on honour on the right hand of the captain, whose chair was right aft, almost over the screw. As the steamer dipped and tossed the screw raced and shook the vessel. The footballers were not good sailors, but Forbes was the first to realise that the cool air of the deck would be preferable, and, rising, bowing to the captain, and remarking 'Forbes, you’re wanted,' he made for the companion-way with Archie Sykes following close in his wake., Soon the bulk of the team were communing with fishes, but none of us ever had the horrors of sea sickness so lightened as on that occasion, for in between his paroxysms he was joking and upbraiding everything and everyone. Anyone who can joke in sea-sickness must have a bright soul and a cleaver, ready wit.
When I went to see him in his last illness I was shocked to see my old comrade so ill, and in answer to my query as to how he was, he replied in his old whimsical way “I’m settled; it’s Forbes last quarter,” and , drawing the window blinds aside, he added, “I’ve seen angels there several times, and sometimes they’ve been pretty near”. In a moment however, he was joking and recalling old interested and incidents and speaking of games in which we had played together and of comrades and opponents. He had a wonderful memory, and a quaint way of expressing his ideas, that always made him a most interesting companion, and I shall long cherish that last hour I had with him in what he was always pleased to call his “little tin house” in West Melbourne. When during his last illness it was suggested that he should be moved to a hospital, he firmly refused. “No”, he said, “the little tin house is good enough for me. I’ll not go.”
His funeral produced a wonderful crowd of old-timers. Among them were Jack McLaren (his old North Park captain), Bob Ming, who played with Parkside against him in the North Park days; W. R. Fleming, Alex. Dick and George Stuckey (the Essendon -captains under whom be played), C. M. Hickey, W.Cleary, Sam McMichael, J. Worrall (Fitzroy), Joe Hogan, G. Sparrow (St. Kilda), H. Purdy, W.Windley, C. Brown. Dick Gibson (South Melbourne), Joe Shaw, H.Todd, H. Alessio (North Melbourne), J. Gardiner, M. Weelan (Carlton), opponents in his palmy days, and hundreds of his old comrades and friends. Two hundred of them marched ahead of the hearse up Swanston street, for, as Frank Whitelaw said,."They -walked" for 'Dinny’ McKay, we'll walk for 'Tracker." The service at the graveside was read by an old Essendon player, the Rev. C.H.Zercho, who spoke, feelingly of his old friend, and referred to the fact that he had officiated at the graves of two great products of the East
Melbourne ground, Frank Layer and "Tracker" Forbes, whom he described as true sportsmen and great exponents of.their own particular game.
"TRACKER" FORBES. (1922, July 1). The Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946), p. 25. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article140781543
Notes
'Dinny’ McKay ‘s funeral in 1897 was one of the largest to have been held in the South Melbourne area, attended by representatives from all of the league, Association and leading junior clubs. Nearly 150 vehicles were in the cortege and it was written that the funeral took close to 30 minutes to pass any given point.
North Park won the VJFA premiership five times in a row from 1886-1890
Tracker Forbes, Alf Butler, Jack McLaren, W,Christian and George Stuckey came from North Park
Essendon toured Tasmania many times, including in 1890, 1891 and 1893 when Forbes and Wilmot were at the club.
See https://australianfootball.com/articles/view/Essendon+visits+Tasmania/280
Title: Visit of Essendon Team. Tomorrow's Big Match. Essendon's Previous Visits - The Mercury, 23-Jul-1926, p.5 http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/29452244