To celebrate the Richmond Football Club’s 140^th birthday today, Graeme Charles - the great grandson of the club’s founder James Charles – visited Tigerland to be photographed with the entire playing group, and CEO Shane Dunne.

It was on this date in 1885 that James Charles the Richmond Cricket Club committeeman - who worked at the Glasgow Book Warehouse - founded the footy club at the Royal Hotel on Punt Road.

Throughout the early history of the club, Charles was photographed at major anniversaries of the birth, with the then current club secretary/CEO.

Here he is below (on the right, at age 59) with the 1910 secretary Andrew Manzie, celebrating the 25^th anniversary of the club’s founding.

And in 1934, here’s Charles, then aged 83, photographed on the club’s 50^th anniversary with then secretary John “Jack” Smith.

(Around that stage the club were incorrectly recognising 1884 as the founding year).

The tradition sadly stopped five years later when Charles died on December 20, 1939.

So, in preparation for the club’s 140^th anniversary year, Rhett Bartlett thought it might be nice to reignite the photo tradition, and organised for Graeme Charles to step into his great grandfather’s shoes.

And so, in this article's lead image, Graeme Charles, the great-grandson of our founder, was photographed with current CEO Shane Dunne on the 140^th anniversary of the club’s birth.

Shortly after, Graeme was introduced to the entire playing list who gave him an almighty Tiger ‘roar’ when he sat for a group photo.