RFC JANUARY 1885
Births, Batsman, Bosisto, and a Branded cow.
A forensic deep dive, month by month, into the Richmond Football Club from 1885 onwards.
Bringing you up to date:
On page 28 of the 1989 landmark Richmond history book Tigerland (by Brian Hansen), a large column asks ‘Was there a Richmond before Richmond’.
Quite correctly it presents evidence of the 1860 Richmond club playing Melbourne on July 7 1860, but then strangely says
“no further mention is made of a Richmond team until ... 25 years later…”
Hansen and his team only had microfilm and previous publications on the club’s history to work from - not like how we can these days using Trove - so they overlooked the 1871-76, 1878, and 1882-83 junior clubs called Richmond, and the short lived 1883 senior club called Richmond.
The latter lasted only three months once it was realised an inadequate number of senior matches could be scheduled.
Two years later, it would all come together in 1885 with the current club as we know it. Here we go …!
Thursday January 1, 1885
Bill Mahoney (RFC 1906-11, 1913-15, 1920) is born in Geelong.
133 years later - in 2018 - he would be one of 4 posthumous recipients of a Richmond Life Membership.1
As a rover he had few equals in the League.
- Sun News Pictorial obit in 1939.
Thursday January 1, 1885
Tommy Horan becomes the first and only Richmond footballer to ever captain the Australian cricket team, when he leads his side against England at the MCG. Horan would play for Richmond in 1888. England win by 10 wicket in four days.
But was Richmond’s 1888 player T Horan really the Australian cricketer? He would have been 34 years 65 days old on his Richmond debut. Further investigation planned.2
Thursday January 1, 1885
Discussions between the Richmond Cricket Club and the Melbourne Football Club, concerning the latter’s proposed tenancy at the RCG, dissolve.
(It would eventually happen however, from 1942-1946, due to World War II military occupation of the MCG).
Wednesday January 7, 1885
Eliza Bosisto dies aged 603. Married to Joseph the current Richmond Cricket Club President who is to be appointed Patron of the RFC club at its foundation meeting in 44 days time.
The Town Hall flag and Richmond Cricket Ground flag are flown at half mast, and shops on the main streets partially close.
Monday January 19th
A “red, white Cow branded S H rump, ear slit” strays/is lost from the Richmond Cricket Ground. A reward is offered for its return and the detainer to be prosecuted. (it was still missing as of January 27th).
Further reading: (to be clickable once each page is done)
1885 - February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December.
Mahoney joined Maurice Rioli, Jimmy Parker, and George Bennett as Life Members at 2018 AGM. It was the first time since Frank Wright’s 1907 induction that all recipients on the one night were posthumous.
Peculiarly Horan’s football career doesn’t get a mention in his death notices in 1916. The eminent researcher Mark Pennings lists T. Horan in his Origins of Australian Football Volume 5, with 5-7 Richmond games, and having previously played with South Melbourne/Hotham/Albert Park/Carlton. MCC Deputy Librarian Trevor Ruddell (one of the best historians out there) lists him as playing April 14, May 12, May 26, June 23, July 14.
Melbourne Punch May 24 1888 writes that the Australian cricket team “set sail from Melbourne on Wednesday - without Moses or Horan” so he was still in the country at the time of his Richmond career..
”Horan, South Melbourne” is listed as a new player for Richmond in Weekly Times May 5 1888. All reports on Trove for 1888 season only lists the player as Horan, no first name. If such a famous sportsman was also playing Association Football surely they would have referenced him better. I suspect the yet to be digitised Richmond Guardian, and Richmond Australian will provide the necessary evidence.
Eliza co-founded and was treasurer of the East Melbourne and Richmond Ladies Benevolent Society. Obituaries back in the day were rather descriptive regarding the subject’s passing - “she died from fatty degeneration of the heart, a general break up of the system having also resulted.”
Her funeral procession stretched for half-a-mile.
Joseph Bosisto soldiered on during his grief - continuing his work as RCC President, as a member of the Legislative Assembly, and president for the upcoming Commission of the London Colonial Exhibition of 1886, just to name a few. He would attend the birth of the RFC in February.
Thank you for your dedication to our wonderful club and its long history.