A Comprehensive History of Australian Rowing

May 2023

Another busy month on the Australian Rowing History website. 

The migration from the old site to the new site continued with the remainder of the international events coming across during May. We took this opportunity to update both the World University Championships and the Australians in The Boat Race chapters. The latter is an ongoing project as we are also adding rowing profiles of those involved. The only chapter now remaining on the old site is the Interstate Championships and work has commenced to bring it across. Again, thank you to our web designer Hope Stewart for her invaluable work on the migrations. Her skill and expertise is making this massive job achievable, and the end result, superb.

Thank you to those providing information for the new SA Schools Head of the River chapter which is beginning to take shape. Other results and information were added as usual, as were many rower profiles. Thank you to readers who initiated many of these changes with their suggestions.

April 2023

April was a big month for updates to the international pages with the big task being the transfer of the World Under 23 Championships from the old site to the main site. Thank you to Hope Stewart our web designer for her great work on this project. It is no small task.

As always, more rower profiles have been added and readers have provided additions throughout the site. Thank you.

Work has commenced on the South Australian Schools Regatta and copies of results and programs are welcomed.

February and March 2023

Not only have February and March been busy months on the water, they have also been so on the history websites. The number of rower profiles now exceed 1500 and many chapters are being updated with not only 2023 results, but also past results as they have become available. We continue to receive updates on a daily basis from helpful members of the rowing community. This helps the depth and breadth of the site. The online museum grows with documents added regularly. For example in March, the annual reports of the Mercantile Rowing Club were added. 

Finally the Australian Rowing Images website galleries grow with both historical and current galleries added monthly. Specifically on current regattas, the 2023 Australian Championships, Australian Henley, APS Heads of the River and Head of the Schoolgirls regattas are added. 

January 2023

January 2023 was a busy month for the site with numerous additions. The focus this month were pioneers of the sport in Queensland and Victoria. Nearly 100 new rowing profiles were added in the month including more members of the famous early boatbuilding family of James Edwards. James Edwards was an early Melbourne boatbuilder whose business grew to national prominence in the nineteenth century and continued through into the twentieth century with the next generation. Prominent amongst the seven sons are champion professional sculler and the leader of the Edwards brothers, Robert Edwards, and coach Syd Edwards. Of varying rowing success were the other brothers, Charles Edwards, Herbert Edwards, Fred Edwards, Arthur Edwards, and Frank Edwards. A 1930s newspaper article is republished in the profile of the Edwards Family. Rower and Ballarat historian Kate Elliott has kindly volunteered to update the Ballarat Head of the Lake with the first 20 years completed. 2022 results continue to be added to the site including the National Championships, and plenty of other updates provided by readers included.

December 2022

There has been much undertaken since previous reports, specifically many new rower profiles have been added. The work of Steve Roll is highlighted as he has toiled away providing rower details with fully documented references to assist those who follow the present authors. Whilst many more profiles are yet to be added, over 1400 have now been published. 

Also, more items have been added to the on-line museum and the associated website, Australian Rowing Museum has images added daily. All these projects are progressing well.

October 2022

Again there has been much activity this month adding images to the partner site to this Australian Rowing History website, namely the Australian Rowing Images website. Whilst still under construction, there are already about 30,000 images already loaded with many more being added weekly.

Back to this website, more items have been added to the online museum this month including the commencement of adding copies of Australian Rowing Championship programs. This is a big but important project. These historic artefacts tell an important story and need to be made available to the Australian rowing public.

September 2022

There has been much activity this month with the launch of the partner site to this rowing history website, namely the Australian Rowing Images website. Whilst still under construction, there are plenty of images already available on the site with many more being added weekly.

Australian Rowing Images specialises in making available both historical and current rowing images to the rowing community. The collection includes the Hebfotos images from the Late Guy Hebblewhite and Cynthia Judd, collections provided by other rowing enthusiasts, older images free of copyright, and more recently the images from our team of photographers. The images are sorted by event, then year, and then generally in chronological order. Enjoy.

Back to this website, more items have been added to the online museum this month including the Interstate Championships Trophies and many other commemorative medallions and pins.

August 2022

Despite an absence of announcements, many interesting additions have been made:

• Much effort has been put into rower profiles this month with many interesting stories added.
  • Firstly more Olympic rower profiles
  • Sadly more profiles of rowers who have passed away
• The establishment of the on-line museum with the following initial exhibitions
  • 1919 King's Cup winners medallion
  • 1969 King's Cup 50th commemoration medallion
  • Interstate Championships medallions
  • 1926 publication - The Australian Oarsmen 
  • Henley on Yarra Challenge Cups
  • Claymore Trophy