Sydney Rowing Club
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| Motto | Mens Sana in Corpore Sano |
|---|---|
| Location | Abbotsford,Sydney,Australia |
| Home water | Parramatta River,Sydney Harbour |
| Founded | 6 March 1870 |
| Affiliations | NSW Rowing Association |
| Website | www.sydneyrowingclub.com.au |
Sydney Rowing Clubis the oldest rowing club in New South Wales, Australia formed in 1870. It has occupied its current site onPort Jackson'sParramatta RiveratAbbotsford Pointsince 1874. The club has a focus on its high performance and elite rowing programs and as of the 2021 Olympic Games, sixty-eight rowers from the club had competed at the Olympic Games rowing in one hundred and two of the seats raced by Australian Olympic crews. Over one hundred club members have achieved national selection.[1]
Club history
[edit]A group of sportsmen interested in the advancement of amateur rowing met at the Oxford Hotel in Sydney on 6 March 1870 and the Sydney Rowing club was born.George Thorntona former mayor of Sydney was the club's first President. Its first club house was on a site adjacent to the currentSydney Opera HouseatBennelong Point.That clubhouse was opened in August 1870 by His Excellency,the 4th Earl Belmore,the thenGovernor of New South Wales.[1]
The club was founded on the principle of amateurism under the notion popular at the time, that manual labourers being as they were paid for their effort and toil had an unfair advantage in races involving physical exertion. When the New South Wales Rowing Association was formed in the 1870s with some of the SRC directors as driving forces, races were to be conducted by bona-fide amateurs only.[2]The colours of the Sydney Rowing Club were initially blue and white. They were altered to light blue before 1886. The club motto, "Mens sana in corpore sano"(" A healthy mind in a healthy body ") was adopted at the very outset while the club's crest was adopted in 1910.[3]
In 1874 the club's Directors arranged for the purchase of a property known as the Red Cow Inn on the point at Abbotsford, seven miles up river fromCircular Quay.The Inn had abundant accommodation being located at the end of Great North Road where it met the ferry from Bedlam Point (Gladesville). The site was initially a training and recreation "branch" facility with accommodation for members to stop-over. In 1888 the club received notice from the Government to quit its site at Circular Quay and secured another site on the western side of Woolloomooloo Bay between Mrs Macquarie's Chair and the Domain Baths, where the headquarters of the Club remained until 1947.[1]
The branch site had been significantly developed in the interim 70-year period and in 1947 the boatshed at Woolloomooloo was dismantled and rebuilt at Abottsford which marked the relocation of all club facilities to Abbotsford.
Competition history & representative success
[edit]
For eight successive years from 1880 to 1888 the SRC won the New South Wales Rowing Association's premiership pennant, a run that wouldn't be matched until 1929 by theMosman Rowing Club.[4]The Association's premiership was again won continuously from 1903/04 to 1908/09 and when a junior pennant was introduced in 1908/09 that was won too.
Bobby Pearcewas the dominant world sculler from the late 20s and along withHerb Turnerat the national level in the early 30s, they established Sydney's credentials as a force in single sculls.Merv Woodcontinued to shine the club's light in sculling in the 40s and 50s.
Following World War II, Australian Olympic teams increased in size; the rowing squad began to send larger crews & boats and Sydney club rowers contributed significantly to representative squads up till the mid 1970s and to a lesser extent ever since.
Sydney andLeichhardtmen made up the entire contingent of the squad of thirteen who travelled toHelsinki 1952with Sydney contributing nine of those athletes. This pattern continued in the next two decades with an entire Sydney coxed four ofAlf Duval,Alan Grover,Mick Allan, John Campbell and Gary Herford selected to compete atTokyo 1964under coachPhil Cayzerwho a few years later recruited a number of national senior rowers to join Duval, Grover,Joe FazioandMichael Morganat Sydney to create the men's eight for the1968 Summer Olympics.Eight of the sixteen man squad forMunich 1972plus coach Allan Callaway were from the club followed by five of the twelve man squad forMontreal 1976plus coach Morgan and team officialJohn Coates.[5]
FromAmsterdam 1928untilTokyo 2020the Sydney club had at least one representative in every Australian Olympic rowing squad with the single exception ofBarcelona 1992.[5]
Club Presidents
[edit]- George Thorntonwas the club's first President from 1870 till his death in 1901.
- Quarton Levitt Deloitte called the foundation meeting of the club in 1870 and was its first Captain from 1870 till 1901. He replaced George Thornton as the club's second President in 1901 holding that position till 1928.
- Clarrie Smith became the club's third President in 1928, 59 years after it was first formed. He had been a top oarsman of the 1890s and a subsequent club stalwart.
- Andrew Sneddon (1935 to 46) a General Manager of theAMP Societyand a member since 1902.
- Harry Kerr (1946 to 1954) who had in his career competed forMercantile,Leichhardtand SRC.
- Fred Meares (1954 to 1964).
- George ParlbyOAM(1964 to 1970).
- Ernie ChapmanOAM(1975 to 1978) and (1979–95), an Olympic medallist.
- Ossie Rosevear (1978–79), a world-class regatta and racing official.
- Ian Clubb(1995–97), an Olympian.
- Keith JamesonOAM(1997-)
Members
[edit]
Membership of the club was male-only until 1993, when the Club decided that it would allow women to become members.
Notable past members include:
- Australia's firstPrime MinisterEdmund Bartonwas a foundation member of the club.
- Sir James Reading Fairfax (1834–1919), son of newspaper scionJohn Fairfax.
- AB "Banjo" Paterson,a member in the early 1880s and wrote his poem "On the Water" based on his rowing interest.
- SirSamuel Hordernof the firmAnthony Hordern & Sonswas a club Vice-President and donated an eight in 1893.
- CaptainKeith Heritage,Australia's first volunteer for theAIFat the outbreak ofWWI.Twice a national champion (M8+) and aGrand Challenge Cupwinner.
- Sgt. Albert "Gig" Smedley, the coxswain of the victorious AIF men's eight at the 1919 Royal Peace Regatta held following the end ofWorld War I.
- John Coates,[1]manager of the Australian Olympic team atMontreal 1976andLos Angeles 1984,member of theAustralian Olympic Committeesince 1982 and member of theInternational Olympic Committee(IOC) since 2001.
- Kendall Brodie,first female coxswain of an Australian men's eight and 2018 winner of theGrand Challenge Cup.
Olympic representative members include:
- Sydney Middleton,John Ryrie,Roger FitzhardingeOlympic competitorsStockholm 1912.[5]
- Bobby Pearcedual Olympic gold medallistAmsterdam 1928&Los Angeles 1932.[5]
- Merv Wood,who competed at four Olympics winning one gold, one silver and one bronze and who carried the Australian flag at two Olympic Games.[5]
- Bill Dixon and Herbert Turner competed in the men's double scull at the1936 Berlin Olympics.[5]
- Phil Cayzer,Ernie Chapman,Bob TinningandTom ChessellOlympic bronze medallistsHelsinki 1952.[5]
- Vic Middleton,Don Palmer,John RogersandMurray RileyOlympic competitorsHelsinki 1952.[5]
- Alf Duval,Joe Faziowere Olympic silver medallistsMexico City 1968.[5]
- Michael MorganandAlan Groverwere Olympic silver medallists in the VIII atMexico City 1968and were in the Australian VIII which competed atMunich 1972while Morgan coached the VIII atMontreal 1976.[5]
- Mick Allan,John CampbellandGary Herfordcompeted with Duval and Grover in a 4+ atTokyo 1964.[5]
- Gary Pearcecompeted atMexico City 1968and atMunich 1972.[5]
- John Ranchand John Nickson and coach Alan Callaway were competitors atMexico City 1968.[5]
- Rob Pavercompeted in the Australian VIII atMunich 1972andMontreal 1976.[5]
- Kim Mackneyand Chris Stevens were in the coxless pair atMunich 1972whileRichard Curtin&Bryan Curtinwere in the men's VIII.[5]
- Islay Leecompeted atMontreal 1976and in the Australian men's VIII atMoscow 1980.[5]
- Ian Clubb,Stuart CarterandTed Halewere competitors atMontreal 1976.[5]
- Steve Handleycompeted in the Australian men's VIII atMoscow 1980.[5]
- Jim Striderowed in the coxless pair atLos Angeles 1984.[5]
- Dale Catersoncoxed the Australian men's VIII atSeoul 1988after having won gold in Australian VIIIs at the 1986 Commonwealth Games and the 1986 World Championships.[5]
- Rob Jahrlingcompeted atAtlanta 1996,won silver in the men's VIII atSydney 2000,competed atAthens 2004.[5]
- Robert WalkerandRichard Wearnewere competitors atAtlanta 1996.[5]
- Daniel BurkeandAlastair GordonOlympic silver medallists andMatthew Longa bronze medallist at theSydney 2000.[5]
- Jodi Wintercompeted at theSydney 2000and at theAthens 2004.[5]
- Kristina Larsencompeted in the Australian women's VIII at theSydney 2000.[5]
- Katie Foulkescompeted at theAthens 2004.[5]
- James ChapmanOlympic competitor and Silver MedalistBeijing 2008&London 2012.[5]
- Tess GerrandOlympic competitorLondon 2012.
- Spencer Turrin,Alexander LloydandChristopher MorganOlympic competitorsRio 2016.
- Turrin andJoshua HickswereTokyo 2020Olympic champions in the M4-.
World champions include:
- Edward Trickett,the first Australian to be declared world champion in any sport winning theWorld Sculling Championship27 June 1876.
- Bobby Pearceworld professional sculling champion 1933-38.
- Dominic Grimm2010 World Champion in M2+.
- Philip Adams and Louis Snelson 2011 Junior World Champions in M4+.[6]
- Spencer TurrinandJoshua Hicksback-to-back World Champions in M4- in 2017 and 2018.
Honours
[edit]Henley Royal Regatta
[edit]| Year | Races won |
|---|---|
| 1912 | Grand Challenge Cup |
| 2005 | Fawley Challenge Cup |
| 2009 | Wyfold Challenge Cup |
| 2011 | Fawley Challenge Cup |
| 2015 | Britannia Challenge Cup |
| 2019 | Wyfold Challenge Cup |
References
[edit]Footnotes
[edit]Bibliography
[edit]- May, Alan (1970)Centennial History of the Sydney Rowing Club,Sydney Rowing Club (reproduced onGuerin-Foster)