VALE CHARLES ‘CHILLA’ WILSON, WALLABY #424

Sep 5 • General News, International • 1275 Views • Comments Off on VALE CHARLES ‘CHILLA’ WILSON, WALLABY #424

The Australian Rugby community is mourning the death of Wallaby #424 Charles Roy ‘Chilla’ Wilson, who passed away on Friday 2 September aged 85.

The former flanker played for Australia twelve times (including four Test matches) and captained the side in eleven of those occasions.

Wilson was born in Ashgrove in Brisbane’s North on 4th May 1931, and learnt his rugby trade at Marist College Ashgrove before he moved to the great Queensland rugby nursery, Brisbane Grammar.

At the University of Queensland, he studied Medicine and joined the University’s rugby club, with whom he won five Premierships.

Chilla was first selected for the Queensland team in 1952, and made his second appearance some four years later when he played on the wing.

Wilson served two years as an Army Medical Officer, and while playing rugby for the Army in 1957, he earned the call-up for his first Test for Australia against the touring All Blacks. He became the 424th Wallaby. While he failed to hold onto his spot in the squad following this game, he returned to the Queensland team where he was promoted to the captaincy.

In 1958, he got his second chance with the Wallabies – this time as captain. He led an inexperienced squad which exceeded expectations, winning six of the matches on tour including a gritty 6-3 win over the All Blacks in the second Test.

He was described by former Wallabies and Queensland team mate, Des Connor, as “a fearless breakaway who got to the ball first and put his body on the line. He was also an enormous copy-book tackler”.

In the early 1960s Wilson moved to the United Kingdom to study, and when he returned he linked up with Wests Rugby Club in Brisbane and took on the role of captain-coach. He later became Queensland Manager and a state selector in 1968. He proved ideally suited to team and player administration and managed all of the Wallabies fruitful 1980s campaigns, including the 1984 Grand Slam and the 1986 Bledisloe Cup win in New Zealand.

ARU CEO Bill Pulver said: “Charles ‘Chilla’ Wilson will go down in history as a character who helped shape rugby in this country.

“His impressive Test career during the amateur era of our game, highlighted his commitment to our game and the gold jersey. His achievements off the field remain remarkable to this day, especially his contribution to the Wallabies last successful Grand Slam tour in 1984, as team manager.

“Our thoughts are with the Wilson family at this time. Rugby has lost one of its greats.”

The funeral of Charles ‘Chilla’ Wilson will be held at 11.00am at the Great Hall at the Brisbane Grammar School on Gregory Terrace on Thursday 8th September. The wake will follow at the University of Queensland Rugby Club at St Lucia on the University of Queensland campus.