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SOUVENIR-CHARTERS TOWERS, 1872 TO JULY, 1950

Football In  the Year 1890 and Onwards
Harry C. Speakman Was a Cheshire and International half-back. Became to Australia in 1888 with Stoddart's Famous English Rugby Team. He cap­tained Queensland for a couple of years and eventuall, arrived on the Towers about 1892. During the eight or nine years of his residence here he imparted a lot of his genius to local players, and raised the game to a high standard, which it has since maintained. "Speakie"
may be justly called "The Father of Towers Football."
T. J. Richards started his football career in 1898 in the Minor Junior grade when a lad of about fifteen. He gradually worked his way up and. in 1901 he played his first Representative game for the Towers and was a brilliant performer until 1905 when he left for South Africa where he gained his Transvaal cap in 1906. 1907 saw him playing for Britsol in fine form and securing an Honour cap. In 1908 he re-visited the Towers and captained the famous 1908 Northern Team that visited Brisbane. He subse­quently represented Queensland and later on he went to England and America with the "Wallabies" to be ac­knowledged the finest Forward in the team.
E. W. lRichards started football at the same time as his brother in 1898, in the minor-junior grade, and being a powerful and natural player he quickly came to the front and from 1900 to 1905 he represented the Towers continuously. Going to Brisbane in 1903 with the first Northern Team aS captain, he was picked for Queensland. In 1904-05 he re­presented Queensland and Australia and then went to South Africa. He returned in 1907 and again represented Queens­land and Australia where his contests on the line-out with Francis, the giant New Zealander. for possession of the ball will long be remembered.
Charters Towers Rugby Union Officials, 1911
	Late J. Wynn, A. Powell, J. Hogan,
W. J. Carse, Hon. Treas. T. Honey, E.


Bradley, J. Benham, J. W. Glenwright J. A. Benjamin, Pres., Hon. Sec. W Malley.

	Towers Representative Team, 1890
A. Mleldrum, Joe Lloyd, W. J. Hut­ton, R. Cupples, R. Roberts, R. Coupe, A. Bowry, Arthur Bowry, W. Stabler Sid Long, S. H. Thorp (Captain), W Bowry, J. Robinson, F. Fraser, W. Dunsford, F. Nelson, B. Tregear, P. Dwan, V. Sellheim.

Northern Representative Team At Brisbane, 1903
E. G. Sampson, F. Lewis, J. Schinkel, W. Curran, D. Egan, J. McKeown, T. J. Richards, J. Tippett, H. May, G.
Davis, J. Carroll, H. Marsland (Man­ager), F. W. Richards (Captain), M. Dind, R. Thompson, M. Davis, O. Olsen, S. Daddow, S. Davey.

Towers Representative Team, 1909 C. Loughery, W. Manson, J. Richards, A. Inch, J. Ford, T. Wilson, J. Benham, J. Brydon, H. Lewis, A. Carroll, T. J.
Richards, H. MIay, H. Carroll, A. Fry, W. Beasley, J. H. Tippett, Jim Healy.

	FOOTBALL, 1928
	I think Cecil Ainsley would. be looked upon as the Rusty Richards of his era.
Cecil commenced to play football in the Junior grade with the Federals in 1918. He only played half the season in Junior grade however, and went up into the Senior grade football. In 1922 he went to Brisbane and commenced play­mg. Western Suburbs. He represented Queensland from 1923-1930. In 1924 he w,en t to England as an Australian Repre­sentative player. He also visited Eng­land in 1928. Cecil Ainsley eventually
left for England where he remained from 1930 to 1935. He was not over heavy but w'eighed about 12 stone 8lbs.. playing in the five-eighth position. I happen ed to meet Cecil in Brisbane in April, 1949, and he let his thoughts go back to the old Towers and mentioned some of his old team mates' Tom Hil­,