Charlie McMurtrie traveled to Western Australia as a youth to seek his fortune in gold mining. While there he played for Kalgoorlie in 1898 against Perth and Fremantle. He returned to the Orange district after several years and played with the Waratah Club, when he was selected for the Wallabies tour of the British Isles and France in 1908-09. During that tour he played in the 1908 London Olympics, winning a gold medal, although he missed many tour matches with injuries. Ironically, he only played in the Olympic match when he replaced Paddy Moran, who had dislocated his shoulder.
On his return to Australia McMurtrie moved to professional rugby league, as did many of his teammates. In rugby league he played for the Balmain Tigers, and in 1911 he was selected for the Australian tour of Great Britain, making him a dual-code rugby international. He played rugby league for five years and then returned to gold mining. McMurtrie was very successful in that field and died a wealthy man in 1951, at 73-years-old.
Australasia
Australia