1874 : Archie Graham - Essendon's First Champion

	1874 : Archie Graham - Essendon's First Champion
	One of the most unique pieces of Australian football sporting memorabilia is a cup dating back to 1874 and now calling home the Essendon Football Club Museum at Windy Hill. The trophy, dated October 1874, was originally presented to Archibald Graham as the best all round player in Essendon's first ever season - little is recorded of either the season or Archie's life, and until recently, even less of his death. The following archive is an amalgamation of two different sets of research passed on to the Essendon Museum ...

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Archie Graham

The Early Days

The Port Phillip Directory was the telephone book of its time, listing all property owners in alphabetical order with cross-references by street within each suburb where the district was sufficiently developed to enable a grid of streets to be included (the latter wasn't available for Preston until the late 1880s, but fortunately for Archie, Essendon was sufficiently settled to provide a topagraphic index from 1869 onwards).

The Directory 1874 through to 1889 listed an Archibald Graham (the family name was one of the most common in the Directory) as living firstly in Little Provost Street, Hotham (North Melbourne) and later as simply Provost Street (Melways 2A, H9). Given our previous account describing Essendon players meeting in the city and travelling to their ground in cabs (Off To The Game), the initial belief was this was our man.

But in 1881, another Archibald Graham appeared in a more likely district, listed as living in Moonee-Moonee Street, Ascot Vale (now simply Moonee Street) running between Mt. Alexander and Ascot Vale Roads (Melways Map 28 J9). The more detailed "suburb" entry shows James, Archibald and a Miss Graham (later Miss. K.) at the address.

Knowing our Archie died in 1897, a "fast-forward" to that year shows that the two Archibalds were still listed - the original at Hotham and the later (now suspected was our man) as a carrier at 54 Epsom Road, Kensington. With Archie no longer with us, the next logical step was to check the 1898 Directory to see which of the two entries disappeared - and both of them did!

A reliable index of Births, Deaths and Marriages from the time reveals that BOTH Archibalds had passed away in 1897 - the original at age 70 in Hotham West, and our man in Omeo (a known fact), aged 41 (previously unknown). From this, Archie must have been born in 1856 or early 1857, meaning he would have been 18 at most when he won Essendon's trophy in 1874 and 22 when he captained the side in 1878.

More importantly, the death records of the latter show him as a son of James Graham and the family history starts to fall into place.

From 1869, James Graham was listed as living in Mt. Alexander Road, Essendon. For the first few years, the listing was shown as just south of Brewster Street, the latter then replaced by "the N.E. railway crossing" - the Essendon line was extended to Broadmeadows in 1872-73, presumably swallowing up Brewster Street. Early records show the property three doors removed from the railway crossing, but later as Essendon grew, obviously there were some subdivisions and the number of intermediate blocks grew to five or six, including a brickyard and two or three retail-style establishments, although no trade ever appeared against James Graham's entry.

In the mid 1890s when street numbering was introduced, the address was given as 810 Mt. Alexander Road.

This entry for James Graham continues until 1881. This is the year that Archibald first appears, shown as living in Moonee-Moonee Street, Ascot Vale, running between Mt. Alexander and Ascot Vale Roads (Melways map 28 J9). The "suburban" entry shows the property as also occupied by James and Miss (later Miss K,) Graham.

Archibald in the following year was listed in Middle Street, Ascot Vale, two blocks to the south, but from 1883, the family appears to have resided at Moonee-Moonee Street.

In 1890, things changed dramatically. Archibald was listed as a carrier based at 42 Harcourt Street, North Melbourne, while "James" was shown both at Moonee-Moonee Street and back at the old site in Mt. Alexander Road. Significantly, the suburban entries show John D. Graham, listed initially as a broker, at Moonee-Moonee Street. Although it seems apparent that the family still owned the property in Mt. Alexander Road, there is no person by the name of Graham listed around that area from 1883 until 1890 (given there were still no numbers, the exact property is impossible to trace).

This was the scenario the following year except James was then shown only in Mt. Alexander Road, and John as the sole occupant at Moonee-Moonee Street. John Graham in later years was shown more specifically as an auctioneer, firstly as a partner in Martin and Graham, and later Pleasance and Graham. Archie moved the following year to the Epsom Road address where he remained before he died.

(The original belief of the Essendon Museum was that Archibald Graham had been a stock and station agent - early reearch produced no evidence of this and the entries in the Directory suggest there may have some confusion over the callings of the two brothers).

What remains unresolved is just who the James Graham residing in Mt. Alexander Road in the 1890s actually was? Archie's father or a brother?

Almost certainly the latter. James is listed at the address until 1898, but disappears in the 1899 Directory, the property later listed as belonging to a Mr. George Tuffin. A James Graham is recorded as dying in Essendon in 1898 at age 36.

The Death registration records for what is almost certainly the brothers are a little confusing as they have a single column headed "Mother's Name/Spouse's Name". Archibald's entry shows "Jane Graham", James shows "Jean Graham" - their mother's given name either mispelt at the time of recording or when the archives were transcribed into an electronic form. Or a very remote possibility is that one of the brothers could have married a woman of such a similar name, but this is needle in the haystack territoty!k

Other than the reference to Jane in the death entry there is no other evidence one way or the other to indicate whether Archie was married.

One query that remains is why Archie was buried in Omeo Cemetery instead of his remains being returned to Melbourne where presumably a family burial would have been appropriate.

James senior's likely date of death has not been identified - although the deaths of several James Grahams appear, the records don't show any likely match around the Ascot Vale/Essendon area, but of course that does not prelude him passing away somewhere else, possibly a public hospital.

Off To The Game

1874 was the current Essendon club's first (although a smaller club existed around ten years earlier) and it was to be another five seasons before they became regarded as a senior team, making the survival of items from their first year even more remarkable.

Along with an original letter to the club notifying it of his retirement, and from the club to him, indicating their reluctance to let him go, the Essendon Football Club was donated back to the club by the Graham family in later years.

Some informal discussions following a meeting of the Australian Football Heritage Group at Windy Hill in 2005 revealed that the Essendon historians knew that Archie Graham had in later years been killed after falling off his horse when returning a country race meeting, thought to have been at Omeo in the high country in Victoria's north-east, but with no idea of exactly when the accident occurred.

Some five or six months later, an email from the curator of the Museum advised that a local journalist from The Herald-Sun and related to the Graham family had discovered that Archie met his maker in 1897.

Armed with the new information, more research at the State Library of Victoria seemed appropriate, although more in hope than expectation given that it was not known exactly where Archie had been residing at the time of his demise and it seemed unlikely that any details of the accident would have reached Melbourne newspapers given the remoteness of the tiny town.

But by an amazing coincidence, a local newspaper, the "Omeo Standard" had just started up covering the surrounding district (including the well known metropolises of Swift's Creek, Bruthen and Benambra) and just three issues into its production run, a small advertisement appeared on page two for "the Annual Omeo Races" to be held early in March. The specific details of the meeting allowed a quick wind through the microfilm and within about five minutes instead of an anticipated several hours, the details of Archie's unfortunate accident finally became known after nearly 110 years.

"Two Raceday Accidents"

"Two accidents, one of which had an immediate fatal result happened on Wednesday evening. By the first, Mr. A. Graham, brother-in-law of Mr. Kittson, who has been spending a few days in Omeo was killed".

"In company with Messrs Lyght and Lowenhardt, he left the racecourse directly the Shire Handicap had been run and they traveled together for some distance beyond Hinnomunje. Then Mr. Lyght, whose horse could not keep up with the others dropped behind. Messrs Lowenhardt and Graham went on together till nearing Shady Cutting where the former pulled up to speak to one of the Kings of the Gibbo".

"Graham went slowly ahead when his horse suddenly bolted. Lowenhardt called out to him to pull up but as he did not, trotted after him. About a quarter of a mile on the Omeo side of the cutting, he came up to Graham, who was lying on the ground apparently thrown from his horse. There were two distinct marks on the road for a distance of about 15 yards or 20 yards as if he had been dragged on his shoulders".

"Mr. Lowenhardt dismounted but found the man dead. Shortly after, Mr. Lyght came in view and Lowenhardt coo-ed to him to hurry up. When he arrived it was decided that Lowenhardt having the faster horse should go back to the racecourse for the police and a doctor. This he did, Mr. Lyght staying by the body. In the meantime, Mr. W. J. McCoy came up with his van and also stayed. Three quarters of an hour later, Dr. Fenton and Trooper Strain arrived, but finding nothing could be done, the body was lifted into the van and taken into Omeo where an inquest will be held this afternoon". (Omeo Standard, Friday, March 19 1897)

Archie Graham was buried the following Saturday in the Omeo Cemetery, the service conducted by the Rev. R. McLean. A magisterial inquiry was conducted by the acting coroner, Mr. T. Easton the day before the funeral and received a deposition from Dr. Fenton stating that Graham's skull had been fractured and his neck broken. Lyght and Lowenhardt also gave evidence and a verdict of accidental death officially recorded.

Without being critical of the Standard's quality of reporting, their second line, "Mr. A. Graham, brother-in-law of Mr. Kittson, who has been spending a few days in Omeo was killed" is open to interpretation as to whether it was Graham or Kittson who was the visitor "spending a few days in Omeo".   A little further examination of the paper's later issues reveals Kittson was a local and just where Archie Graham called home is still a mystery. The "Kings of the Gibbo" were a family of settlers on the Gibbo River around 40 kilometres to the north

Given Essendon's role as a new and junior club in 1874, there was no acknowledgment of Graham's demise in any of the Melbourne newspapers and a limited amount of further research in trying to uncover his whereabouts between 1875 and 1897 (or exactly why he "reluctantly" left the Essendon club have proved fruitless.

As Graham was believed to have been a stock and station agent, some additional research went into reviewing :The Weekly Times" of the era, but there is no obvious reference to either the fatality (news of which probably never reached Melbourne) or to his business activities, either in general reports or in any of the many advertisements for stock or rural properties carried by the newspaper.

Although it is not certain whether it also originated from the Graham family. the Museum also holds a photograph of the 1874 team, one of the oldest surviving of an Australian football club.

Contemporary notes surviving from 1874 record that Essendon's colours where black with a red sash and the photograph reveals that the guernsey adopted is virtually identical to today's design - obviously without logos and numbers, and with a slightly thinner sash.   Other discussions following the Heritage Group meeting determined that the Essendon jumper is the longest surviving football jumper design in Australia, and given the Australian game was the first football code in the world to play under a formal set of rules, perhaps it can lay claim to being the oldest internationally as well!

Perhaps something for the A.F.L. to think about as they continue to insist on clubs having "alternate strips" under the risk of heavy fines!

Getting To The Game

"In the early days of the Essendon club, they did not know how to pose".

"But they had good times.   Likewise they wore headgear somewhat of a fashion different from that sported by the present members of the Same Old brigade. The players would be greeted with a merry ha! ha! if they were to arrive at a match today in tall hats and the high sugar-loaf boxers which were the vogue when the photograph from which the accompanying sketch was made was taken 45 years ago".

" The photograph, faded and fragile, was forwarded to me by Mr. W. Jacks of Sycamore Street, Caulfield. He stated that it is one of the pioneers of the Essendon Club. Reading from left to right they are Messrs. W. Jacks, Alex. McCracken, George Miller, Harry Heath, John McCracken, Archie Graham (who was captain at that time), S. O'Dell, Fred Peake and Alex. Forrester. Mr. Alex. McCracken was connected to the club up to the time of his passing in August, 1915".

"Mr. Jacks in a note accompanying the picture explains that the two reclining in the front are Fred Peake, brother of an old time famous organist, and Alex Forrester, brother of Mr. Charles Forrester, auctioneer of Queen Street and at one time a well-known Melbourne player".

"At the time the photograph was taken", adds Mr. Jacks, "our ground was a vacant allotment close to the house of Mr. McCracken senior at Kensington and as we had no dressing rooms, we used to put on our clothes at the Bush Inn at the corner of Little Collins and Elizabeth Streets and go out the ground in cabs. There was plenty of melody both going and coming, particularly coming home as at half time we were always invited to McCracken's house to sample the beer which was handed round in white mugs".

"However, no one took extreme advantage of this hospitality. We were then in a comparatively small way but when we beat Carlton behind the University, it was noticeable we held our chins a little higher. However, after that, we never looked back".

"I myself although an ardent supporter of Essendon and frequently played, took more interest in aquatics and two years later stroked the crew that won the opening of the season …" (The Herald, May 4 1913, page 5)

(The Bush Inn was a substantial building of over 50 rooms and with accomodation for over 100 people, and as the name suggests, was much favoured by the country folk of the day when visiting Melbourne. The hotel at the time was run by a family by the name of Prendergast and there is no obvious connection between the establishment and the Essendon club)

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