When Dianne Daly recently lifted the lid on a long-forgotten tin tucked under a bed at her home in Macleod, she could not have imagined that the contents within would yield a 100 year-old kindred connection with the Carlton Football Club.

Folded neatly under the lid were three Carlton letterheads dated June 15 and August 2, 1925 and June 18, 1926. The hand-written documents, each signed by the then Club secretary and champion centre half-forward Horrie Clover, were addressed to Les Abikhair (Dianne’s father), formally inviting him to head to Melbourne from his home in the northern Victorian town of Rushworth and try his luck at Princes Park.

In the first letter, Clover, whose illustrious 147-game playing career was put on hold in ’25 due to illness, writes:

“Dear Sir,

Having heard very favourable reports of your prowess on the football field from members of our Committee who were in your district recently, I have much pleasure in extending to you a very cordial invitation to come to Carlton and have a run with the club.

Judging by the favourable reports I have heard of your ability you should make a name for yourself in league football and you will be given every opportunity of earning that distinction at Carlton.

Hoping to hear from you at your earliest convenience.

I remain,

Yours faithfully,

H.R. Clover”

In the third letter of June 1926, Clover commends Les for agreeing to meet on his next trip to Melbourne, and notes:

“I agree with you in your opinion that you have your career as a footballer before you and there is no need for any great hurry on your part to make your debut in League football, but when you feel disposed to have a game in the League i shall be pleased to make all possible arrangements for your comfort and welfare here and see that you have every opportunity to make good.”

The fact that Les’s name cannot be found in Carlton’s senior or reserve grade lists corroborated Dianne’s observation that Clover’s letters were a complete revelation to her.

“I couldn’t honestly tell you what I was looking for when I found these letters. They were folded up in an envelope and when I opened the envelope I said ‘What have we here?’,” Dianne said.

“It’s such a long time ago, and Dad was only 54 when he died in 1962. I did ask my older brother if Dad joined Carlton, and he said Dad told him he did come down to train, but did his cartilage.

“Dad’s younger brother Dick played 60 games for Hawthorn and another 60 for North.”

Les Abikhair hailed from the northern Victorian goldmining town of Rushworth where his parents – Lebanese migrants Abraham and ‘Rosie’ (nee Malouf) Abikhair - ran the general store. He was one of nine children (seven sons and two daughters) born in Rushworth in December 1908, meaning he would have been a tender 16 year-old at the time he received the first of Clover’s invitations.

Les met and married the Scottish-born Elizabeth Kirkwood, and together they raised four children - Eileen, Margaret, Ray and Dianne.       

Dianne can remember her father furthering his childhood love of pigeons in becoming a breeder of specialist birds for the 500-mile race.

“He actually built the Ivanhoe Homing Pigeon Club and he knew Bill Lawry who was also famously racing pigeons.”

It was Dianne’s daughter Karalyn who kindly notified Carlton of her mother’s recent discovery of Horrie’s letters to Les.

“Given their age and connection to Carlton’s history, we thought the club archives may be interested to know of their discovery,” Karalyn said.

“It has been fascinating for our family to uncover this small piece of football history, and we felt it may also hold some historical significance for the club.”

If you have an item of historic significance to Carlton that may be worthy of inclusion in the Club’s archive, please contact the Carlton historian – tony.debolfo@carltonfc.com.au