Charlie Doyle OAM

Charles Francis Doyle was a serving officer in the Royal Australian Air Force in Japan in 1947 when he was introduced to basketball. On being posted to Townsville in 1949, he joined the Cathedral Team competing in the Catholic YCW Competition.

From 1949 to 1952 Charlie was coach of the Townsville men’s representative team and of many teams across all grades. In 1951, the Townsville Men’s Amateur basketball Association Executive obtained a lease of an area in Corcoran Park, which became the home of Townsville Basketball until 1975. Charlie coached several teams in the resulting competition.

Between 1952 and 1965 Charlie was transferred to a number of RAAF bases in Australia, including Townsville, and Manus Island. Charlie’s brief return to Townsville in the mid-1950’s saw him appointed as assistant coach of the Queensland men’s team in 1955 and coach of the Queensland men’s team in 1958. Charlie was discharged from the RAAF in 1965 and settled permanently in Townsville.

Between 1966 and 1980, Charlie filled a multiplicity of roles in basketball in Townsville and North Queensland, including team coach, club coach, Townsville coach, North Queensland coach, Secretary/Treasurer and President of Bouncers Club, President of the Townsville Minor Junior Association, President of the Townsville Minor Junior Referees’ Association, President of North Queensland Basketball Association.

In about 1966, to assist in the rejuvenation of Townsville’s junior basketball program, Charlie visited the Hermit Park State School to offer coaching. Basketball courts were constructed at the school and Hermit Park became The Basketball School.  In 1984, Charlie organised a school’s program from which players were encouraged to join the basketball clubs. The school program took off, so much that the clubs were unable to cater for all of the children wishing to join. The primary school basketball program eventually grew to over 5,000 participants with Charlie often coaching eight classes each day.

Townsville Junior Basketball blossomed to over 150 teams by the time that Charlie retired (again) in 1990. However, he continued to offer basketball coaching at primary school level for some years.Charlie Doyle’s programs produced many of the North Queensland and State players who were the “backbone” of teams when inter-Zone and inter-State championships were still played, and even produced an NBL coach.

Charlie is a Life Member of North Queensland Basketball, Townsville Basketball, and Bouncers Basketball Club. In the Australia Day Honours’ List in 1990, Charles Francis Doyle was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for services to Junior Basketball.Sadly, Charlie Doyle OAM passed away on the 3rd September 2016 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame posthumously. His lifetime of commitment to basketball makes Charlie Doyle a very worthy member of the Class of 2016 Queensland Basketball Hall of Fame.

Read about Charlie’s Career in his own words here.