Charles Thomas Challenger (9 December 1917 – 28 November 1996) was an
Australian rules football
Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...
er who played with
Essendon Essendon may refer to:
Australia
*Electoral district of Essendon
*Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington
*Essendon, Victoria
**Essendon railway station
**Essendon Airport
*Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League
United King ...
in the
Victorian Football League
The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...
(VFL).
Family
He married Margaret Ellen Donohue in 1960.
Football
Brunswick (VFA)
In April 1937, he was cleared from
Plenty Rovers in the
Diamond Valley Football League to the Brunswick Second XVIII. Although not part of the regular home-and-away VFA season, Challenger played a match with the Brunswick First XVIII, in which he was declared Brunswick's "most effective player", against the
Ballarat Imperial Football Club
The Ballarat Imperial Football Club was an Australian rules football club which formerly competed in the Ballarat Football League. The club was one of the most successful teams in the league, winning 17 premierships before it was dissolved in 19 ...
in September 1937.
He played his first senior VFA home-and-away match for Brunswick, against Coburg, on 16 April 1938; and, at the end of his first senior season, he was declared the club's "most improved player".
He played in two VFA Grand finals:
* 1938: as a wing-man (kicking 2 goals) in
Brunswick's 19-17 (131) victory over Brighton 14.14 (98).
* 1939: as a back-pocket in
Brunswick's nine point loss to Williamstown, 14.11 (95) to 14.20 (104).
Essendon (VFL)
On 21 March 1940 he trained for the first time with Essendon. He was cleared to Essendon in April 1940.
He only played in two First XVIII games for Essendon, both on the half-forward flank:
against Fitzroy on 18 May 1940, and
against Hawthorn on 25 May 1940.
Brunswick (VFA)
He was cleared back to Brunswick from Essendon in July 1940, and played his first senior match in his second time at Brunswick, in the back-pocket, against Coburg on 6 July 1940.
Military service
He served in the Australian Army during
World War II.
Sportsmen with 15th Inf., ''The Sporting Globe'', (Wednesday, 19 August 1942), p.13.
/ref>
Notes
References
World War Two Nominal Roll: Private Charles Thomas Challenger (VXZ137813), ''Department of Veterans' Affairs''.
* B883, VXZ137813: World War Two Service Record: Private Charles Thomas Challenger (VXZ137813), ''National Archives of Australia''.
*
* Maplestone, M., ''Flying Higher: History of the Essendon Football Club 1872–1996'', Essendon Football Club, (Melbourne), 1996.
External links
*
*
Charlie Challenger, at ''The VFA Project''.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Challenger, Charlie
1917 births
1996 deaths
Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state)
Essendon Football Club players
Brunswick Football Club players
Australian Army personnel of World War II
Australian rules footballers from Fremantle