Charles Dunning (17 January 1878 – 6 December 1955) was a New Zealand

rugby football Rugby football is the collective name for the team sports of rugby union and rugby league. Canadian football and, to a lesser extent, American football were once considered forms of rugby football, but are seldom now referred to as such. The ...

er who was part of the professional

1907–1908 New Zealand rugby tour of Great Britain Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * 19 (film), ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * Nineteen (film), ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 sci ...

Early years

Dunning was born on 17 January 1878 in Mahurangi, north of

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

. His mother was Margaret Mackay Dunning and his father was Rufus Dunning. His sister Frankie Regina Dunning was born in 1880, a brother Arthur Rufus was born and died in 1881. A sister, Una Nicholas Irene also died within a year of birth in 1882, while another sister was born in 1883 but passed away in 1886 aged just 3. Another sister Eleanor was born in 1883, and sister Eva was born in 1884. Uriel was born in 1884 but died two years later in 1886. Dunning was a builder by trade.John Haynes ''From All Blacks to All Golds: Rugby League's Pioneers'', Christchurch, Ryan and Haynes, 1996.

Rugby football

Dunning originally played

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

for Ponsonby in 1900, before moving to Gisborne and playing there between 1903 and 1904. When he returned to Auckland, Dunning represented the region between 1905 and 1907, becoming a key member of the

Ranfurly Shield The Ranfurly Shield, colloquially known as the Log o' Wood, is a trophy in New Zealand's domestic rugby union competition. First played for in 1904, the Shield is based on a challenge system. The holding union must defend the shield in challeng ...

winning team. Dunning was selected for North Island in 1906.

Rugby league

Dunning was selected for the professional All Blacks 1907–1908 tour of Australia and Great Britain and subsequently received a life ban from the New Zealand Rugby Union. Dunning and

Billy Wynyard William Thomas Wynyard (13 September 1882 – 21 August 1932) was a New Zealand rugby football player who was part of the professional rugby league 1907–08 New Zealand rugby tour of Australia and Great Britain. Background He was the brothe ...

were the last two players to join the squad, after they had been representing Auckland against Hawke's Bay Rugby Union. He played in one test match while on tour, against

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

. On his return to New Zealand Dunning, along with

Billy Tyler William Tyler (28 May 1900 – 1974) was an English professional footballer who played as a full-back. Career Born in Prestwich, Tyler joined Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football clu ...

, helped found the Ponsonby United Rugby League club. In 1909 Dunning played for

but did not tour with the 1909 New Zealand side. Auckland touring team of 1910

However, in 1910 he captained the side against the touring

and also captained the

tour of New Zealand at the end of the year.Coffey, John and Bernie Wood ''Auckland, 100 years of rugby league, 1909–2009'', 2009. . He was part of

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

tours of Australia in

1911 A notable ongoing event was the Comparison of the Amundsen and Scott Expeditions, race for the South Pole. Events January * January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory ...

and

1912 Events January * January 1 – The Republic of China (1912–49), Republic of China is established. * January 5 – The Prague Conference (6th All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party) opens. * January 6 ...

Later years

Dunning suffered a leg injury, losing the patella in his right knee in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and walked with a stick until his death in 1955.John Coffey and Bernie Wood, ''The Kiwis: 100 Years of International Rugby League'', Hodder Moa, Auckland, 2007, p. 39.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunning, Charles 1878 births 1955 deaths New Zealand rugby league players New Zealand rugby union players Auckland rugby union players New Zealand national rugby league team players Ponsonby Ponies players Auckland rugby league team players New Zealand builders New Zealand national rugby league team captains New Zealand military personnel of World War I Footballers who switched code Rugby league props Rugby league second-rows