RECENTLY featured on this website was a photograph of Carlton’s touring party for the 1919 post-season footy trip to Whittlesea’s Cascades.

Featured in the photo were players, trainers and committeemen aboard Minerva and Lancia automobiles outside AG Baldwin’s Commercial Hotel in nearby South Morang.

Now, two more footy trip images of yesteryear – both of them sourced from the football club’s substantial archive – can be shown.

The first photograph can be sourced to the Premiership year of 1914, on what is thought to be Carlton’s end-of-season footy trip to Adelaide.

It’s thought to have been taken in King William Street in the Adelaide CBD, in front of the carriages of a broad gauge steam locomotion train which then ran through the city streets .

The visiting Carlton players are featured proudly sporting their boater hats complete with dark navy hatbands upon which the famous white interlocking letters are emblazoned. They pose for the camera in a four-horse coach operated by the local firmGraves, Hill & Co. Ltd. – amongst them Paddy O’Brien (standing at the back on the far left) and Charlie Fisher, who would later captain the club, standing at the far right.

O’Brien, the great uncle of the former North Melbourne and Carlton full-back Mick Martyn, was considered amongst the Blues’ best afield out of a back pocket in the six-point Grand Final victory over South Melbourne in ’14, while Fisher, recruited to the club from Kyabram that year, savoured Premiership success from a forward pocket as a capable foil for the full-forward Gordon Green.

The footy trip is acknowledged by the then Carlton President John Gardiner in the 1914 Annual Report as follows;

After winning the grand final and the Premiership, an invitation to visit Adelaide to play the Premiers there (Port Adelaide) was received from the South Australian Football League, and accepted by your Club. Several office-bearers and 18 of the players left for that city, again under the management of the Secretary, Mr. J. Clinton. Although we were defeated (it was an extremely hot and windy day), those who made the trip had an enjoyable time. We were entertained by the South Australian League and the Port Adelaide Club in various ways. The theatre night on Saturday and the drag drive to the Hills on the Sunday were especially pleasant. The club wish to thank Messrs. J. Hodge, F. Marlow, J. Barry, F.F. Ward and J.J. woods, and other members of the south Australian League for their kindness and efforts to make the holiday an enjoyable one.

A large group photo of the touring party was presented to the South Australian League, which acknowledged the gift with thanks.

At the conclusion of the trip a presentation was made to the Manager for his excellent supervision and splendid efforts to make the trip successful.

The Blues' post-season trip to Gippsland.  

The second image is thought to have been taken on a post-season trip to the Gippsland region the previous year. Pictured in the foreground alongside the horse sporting his flat cap is George Bruce, a member of each of Carlton’s hat trick Premiership teams of 1906, ’07 and ’08.

A few weeks before this photo was taken, Bruce, the then secretary, appeared in his 181^st and final senior match for the club.

Standing at Bruce’s immediate left is Paddy O’Brien, then in his first season with the club.

Photographed standing either side of the next horse is Harry Haughton, who would represent Carlton in the 1914 and ’15 Grand Final triumphs, and Vin Gardiner, Carlton’s dual Premiership player and the club’s leading goalkicker in seven seasons including 1913, holding the reins.

Standing behind Gardiner is Alf Baud, who would be part of the Blues’ 1914 and ’15 back-to-back Premiership triumphs –’15 as captain – before serving King and Country in The Great War.

The 1914 Carlton Premiership captain Billy Dick can be seen leaning from the coach’s seat at the far right.

The Carlton President David Bell, together with George Bruce, offered the following account of the Gippsland trip in the Carlton Football Club’s 1913 Annual Report;

At the termination of the season your team had a very enjoyable holiday trip around the Gippsland Lakes, visiting Sale, Cunninghame and Bairnsdale. From Cunninghame, a visit was paid to Lake Tyers, a beautiful spot, where, after a motor launch rip around the lake, the team visited the Aboriginal Mission Station. Here, after indulging in boomerang-throwing, the players entertained the aboriginals at a concert at which a couple of natives assisted. This was greatly enjoyed by all. The team had many enjoyable trips from Cunninghame, probably the most pleasant was the one up the Tambo River.

Two matches were played at Cunninghame, one of which was against the aboriginals, who had walked eight miles to the playing arena, and several of them proved first-class players. It is pleasing to record the form shown by several of our young recruits was most promising.

In return for the hospitality meted out by the townsfolk, your players gave a concert in aid of the Bulmer memorial fund. The late Rev. Bulmer was superintendent of the mission station for 40 years. At the concert, a sum of £15 17s. 6d. was raised. Your team possesses artists with splendid vocal talents, Messrs. F. Hanna and J. Bacquie being highly favoured in that respect.

The next visit was to Bairnsdale, where we played another match and spent a couple o days sightseeing and visiting the beauty spots. From Bairnsdale, the team returned home after a lost enjoyable trip.

Many beautiful photographs were obtained by J.E. Clinton, who very kindly presented your Club with a handsome framed group of views. This is to be hung in the committee-room as a memento of the tour, and you Committee tendered to the donor a hearty vote of thanks.

The management of the trip was entrusted to Mr. T. F. Cooke, who carried out his duties with much tact and forethought. He arranged an itinerary which only previous experience could have made possible. The Committee had much pleasure in passing him a hearty vote of thanks for the able manner in which he carried out the duties of Manager. The players presented him with a service of plate as a slight token  of the regard in which they hold him.