Victorian Football Association
Carlton Vice Captain & Acting Captain: 1893.
Committee; 1903-1909 approx.
Games: 109 senior, plus 30-40 with Melbourne, plus many other matches and state games.
Goals: 3
Career; 1887-1893, 1894
DOB : September 03 1865
DOD : June 13 1940*, Mundaring W.A.
1885 CharlesThomas Coulson attended Scotch College Melbourne in 1881 he was recruited from the Avenue Football Club to Melbourne.
The Avenue a Parkville based club was formed in March 1883.
Both Charlie and Albert Coulson played for Melbourne. Albert 1884 -1886 and Charlie 1885 - 1886
May 2 1885, they played in the opening round against Carlton.
1887 CFC Annual Report C. Coulson scored 1 goal during the season.
Trove, Melbourne Punch June 02 p9 1887
1888 Gave the Blues splendid service.
(The Carlton Story H.Buggy and H.Bell p64)
Played in the Carlton vs England match at the M.C.G. June 23.
1889 Among the best players for season in defence.
1891 C. Coulson presented with an illuminated address for long service to the club, at the Carlton general meeting held Wednesday 25th. March.
1891 Contributed to the success of the team.
(Centenary Souvenir of Carlton Football Club p19)
1893 Coulson retired from football.
The responsibilities of the captaincy became a burden.
Due to Carlton's captain Dan Hutchison long absence, Coulson had to shoulder most the leadership duties of a club that was on the slide.
His final game was the loss to St.Kilda on July 1.
Or was it?
A player named Ramsay debuted for Carlton on July 29 1893 against Geelong.
The Carlton Gazette in their review of the game said Ramsay was an old Carlton player with a new name.
The Argus in their review of the match said Ramsay played as good as Carlton stalwart Charles Coulson on the back line.
In 1893 the Victorian team toured Tasmania and played the Southern Tasmanian team in Hobart on June 07.
C. Coulson was the vice captain of the Victorian team.
The match was drawn Vics 6.8 - 6.11
At a reception for the team a few days before, the Tasmanian News wrote about players transferring to other clubs and going interstate, and it said;
".........The game was one which was a favorite of all. Vice-Captain Coulson had contemplated leaving at one time, he said, but no sooner did he catch the sight of a football than he felt the old spirit too strong for him to combat against, and had to bow to it and go in again for the game with renewed vigor."
(Trove: Tasmanian News June 07 p2)
(24 November 2014 and Blueseum was contacted by a descendant of a Fred Ramsay. The relative said that Fred was born in Carlton around 1871 and later went to Brisbane where he became an umpire. He believes that Fred may have been the "Ramsay" mentioned above.)
1893 CFC Annual Report Coulson scored 5 goals during the season.
1896 June 20
A player named Coulson was playing on the half-forward flank for the Perth club Rovers against West Perth.
1916 September 18
In Perth, a patriotic match to raise funds for the war Victoria vs Rest of Australia.
Former Carlton players who took part;
W. Walton (vice-captain), Barney Murphy captain, A. 'Dick' Gellatley, C. Coulson, Jack Geddes, Tom Aram.
1919 September 19
The West Australian newspaper published a list of players playing in an "old players" match in the Old Brigade Carnival, in Perth.
The two teams are the Victorians and Rest of Australia.
C. Coulson, A. Gellatly and B. Murphy are named in the "old" Victorian side.
1929 February 09
-* "Another real old-timer in Charles Coulson, of Carlton, has also left these shores. He was a member of the famous Coulson family that have left its marks in Carlton football history. When Carlton had that famous team in the 90's C. Coulson was an able and hard-working committee-man, always to the fore so as Carlton was concerned." (Australasian p33)
1929 July 13 The Daily News, Perth (p4)
Charles provides a picture of George Coulthard and describes him thus: "Those who had the opportunity of seeing Coulthard and other champions in action would unhestitatlngly award the distinction to Coulthard of being 'the daddy of them all,' Mr. Coulson believes."
1929 July 27 Mirror, Perth (p4)
"Not generally known amongst trotting fans that the dad of the reinsman Charlie Coulson is identical with the famous Carlton half back of the early nineties. Though not a tall man, Charlie Coulson was brilliant high mark and his utter fearlessness combined with his come-through dashes made him a great favourite with the crowds. With Ted Sutton in the goals, and stellars like Danny Hutcheson, Peter Williams, Billy Walton and Jack McOwan beating off the attacks, it was no wonder Carlton in those days had such a brilliant defence - the strongest in the opinion of the late Essendon champion Dr. "Ned" Officer that he had ever seen in his life. And what a clinking centre line was Carlton's with that dazzling trio "Carbine" Simpson, the fastest winger of his time, Billy Strickland, fourteen years pivot with Carlton and four years also with Collingwood and Jack King, a speedy flanker."
Charles died in Mundaring Western Australia on 13 June 1940 aged 74.
Charles Thomas Coulson is buried at Karrakatta Cemetery in Perth (Anglican section ZA plot 0037)
Unfortunately in August 2016 Charlies' grave could not be located.
Charles Coulson, brother? of Albert Coulson.
A letter from "Pivot" to the editor of The Herald June 20 1888 (p3).
"... which of the brothers Coulson played for Carlton Football Club all through last season?"
"Answer- Albert Coulson. C. Coulson only played now and then.
But they are not brothers."
There is a significant house at 159 Park Drive Parkville constructed in 1887 for Charles Coulson. Same person or relation?
https://federationhome.com/2018/04/29/parkville-golden-mile/
Links
Articles: 1888: Carlton v England | Carlton in NSW, 1890Blueseum: Pre VFL Players | Pre VFL Vice Captains | Coulson's Blueseum Image Gallery