BC News

Four former international rugby union stars will appear in the Dubbo Rugby Union Club knockout on Saturday.

Ten teams, including St. George, will compete in the full day knockout with top teams from the Far West, and the Riverina also taking part.

The four international players who will appear are Dubbo Geoff CHapman, Cobar centre Bruce Harland. St George captain Eddie Stapleton and his team-mate Terry C. Casey.

There will also be several State representatives, including Dubbo's Ken Murray, and a host of country representatives.

They are Temora and Young.

Young are captained by Church of England minister Mike Barbra who is reported to be a fiery front row forward, and Temora includes Tony Gellings who played in last weekend's Wallaby Tour trials.

Central West's star-studded teams Molong (the premiers) and semi-finalists Mudgee and Orange will represent the powerful Central West competition.

State representatives John Brazier and John Stegman will appear with the Molong team.

Cobar, who lost the Far West competition premiership for the first time in four years to Dubbo this year are also a pwerful team including Harland and former State players Greg Prince and Chris Forbes.

Tottenham and Trangie will field a combined side for the day and the only other Far West team in the competition will be the premiers, Dubbo.

Former Dubbo club president Alan Murdoch has induced a Wollongong side to make the long trip bringing the total nominations to 10.

Play will commence at around 9.30 am and continue throughout the day.

The original Dubbo Macquarie football team played rugby union in long pants, but according to "Telly" Samuels, who was a member of the team, they would have put it up to the present day Macquarie league boys.

Another old supporter of the team, Mr Haold Taylor, whose brother George was also in the team, assisted in identifying the players for present day rugby union coach Wally Kin.

"Telly" Samuels is the only known surviving member of that team and still lives in Dubbo.

He can recall the feats of the side in which he played as a youth 67 years ago.

He and Harold Taylor identified all of the players in the team for us with the exception of one player, whom neither could recall.

In the back row of the picture (published above) are shown the club secretary Billy Tank on the left and the Team coach Ernie Howe on the right.

Billy Tink was a member of the well known Tink family of Dubbo and Ernie Howe worked in the Dubbo Lands Office for some years but was later transferred.

Second from the left in Tom Tourle who worked in the Commercial Bank and was the father of Miss Jess Tourle of Dubbo.

Next to Tom Tourle is George Rich, a plumber whose decendants are thought to still be in Dubbo.

Harold Taylor's brother George is the tall player in the white cap.

The captain of the team, holding the ball was Jack Hives a noted sportsman of the day and a member of theHayes family who owned the cordial factory.

Dick Baird is next in line. He was a grazier who later went to the Boer War and was wounded, returning with a stiff leg and played no more football.

"Telly" Samueld, the only known surviving member of the team, now aged 90 os the father of Dubbo solicitor Bert Samuels.

Another member of a well known Dubbo family was Alf Wheeler, next to Samuels, the father of well known grazier Gordon Wheeler who first bought the old photograph to Wally King.

In the front line on the left is Bob Craig about whom we could find out nothing except that he was a very fine footballer.

Then "Bollie" Frawley another about whom little is known.

The third player is a "mystery man" - we cannot find his name.

Fourth from the left is Art Wheeler, brother of Alf and next to him Martin who was a local carrier.

Then comes one of the most noted sportsman of the team Neil Hives, who was a brother of the skipper and known as the top cricketer and footballer of the town.

With the cross on the front of his jersey is Angus Samuels, a brother of "Telly" and ob the right another about whom only his name is known - R. O'Connor.

Was this the first football team or were there others before it?