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Australian Rowing History

Past Additions & Updates to This Website

September 2024

The focus this month of the Australian Rowing Images website was on 1983 regattas. The Hebfotos images from 1983 Australian Championships in Perth were added, as were the 1983 SA Head of the River regatta, 1983 Australian senior and under 23 team photos, and finally, 1983 SA club regattas. Many other smaller collections were also enhanced with additional images. The site now contains 70,000 historic rowing images covering over 400 regattas.

Despite this month focusing on 1983, we undertook the update of the combined 2024 Olympic and Paralympic page with the Paralympic results. Also given the growth in importance of coastal rowing and beach sprints, a new chapter has been added to the history, the Australian Coastal Rowing and Beach Sprints Championships.

We were fortunate to gain access to the superbly produced 150th anniversary history of the Yarra Yarra Rowing Club in Melbourne which can be found through this link.

More rower profiles were constructed for the site as usual.

Finally, we have started collecting and adding RA annual reports to the site with the first 30 odd reports starting the collection. These are important research documents and already one request for more reports has been received.

August 2024

Despite our August focus being on 1982 regattas, current international regattas also took our attention with results flowing in and added to the site - Paris Olympic Games, 2024 World Championships, 2024 World Under 23 Championships and World Under 19 Championships.

As mentioned our focus this month was on 1982 regattas. Regatta programs and images were added. Specifically, images were added from the 1982 Australian Championships, the December 1982 Victorian Championships and local South Australian regattas in the second half of that year. If you raced in those years, follow these links to find your photos.

We were fortunate to have Dr Phil Sharp locate a 1950 history of the UTS Haberfield Rowing Club written by Kevyn Webb which has been added to the site to help commemorate that club's forthcoming centenary in 2025. It is a thorough early history of that club.

The Australian Rowing Images website continued to grow with a further 5,000 images added from the Hebfotos collection from the early 1980s. A historical photographic record of over 400 important regattas has now been created on the Australian Rowing Images website to provide a pictorial history to complement this Australian Rowing History website. On a more current regatta, images from the 2024 Australian Coastal Championships were also added. 

July 2024

A focus on the Australian Rowing Images website this month saw hundreds more historical Interstate Rowing Championships images be added through to and including 1980. We are now in the Hebfotos era. 

We were fortunate to receive a collection from the family of the late Western Australian and Victorian rower Terry Davies, which has added considerably to the mid 1950s to mid 1960s era. Early Australian Universities Championship images were also added. This site now has over 60,000 historical rowing images published covering some 350 regattas/events.

Full regatta programs of the Australian Rowing Championships have been added to this site to 1980 as we add the images from these regattas.

Rower profiles continue to grow with historical members of the UTS Haberfield Rowing Club being added thanks to the arrival of a 1950 history of that club written by Kevyn Webb. Thank you to Dr Phil Sharp for a copy of this history. This history will eventually be reproduced on this site.

Due to the great research of Kate Elliott, we were also able to add many more details to the Ballarat Head of the Lake chapter with the 1930's decade updated. This work is ongoing. Kate is the resident Ballarat rowing historian whose books on rowing in that region are significant and thorough publications.

And the great work on the SA Schools Head of the River continued with names added through to 1993.

June 2024

Much occurring on this site as usual. 

Rower profiles continue to grow in number as we break through 1900 completed. Thank you to Jim Skidmore of Yarra Yarra Rowing Club who has contributed many profiles of his fellow club members. Also thanks to Steve Roll who continues his work on the profiles. On average, each profile takes a day to produce from researching, documenting, creating a webpage for each rower, adding images and all completed in a searchable manner so that they can be found. If we assume 230 working days in a year, that is about 8 years of work on rower profiles alone. Readers will be pleased to know that thousands more profiles are in various stages of development.

A new chapter written by the Late Graham Pilger on Sydney Boys High School rowing post WWII through to 1960 makes interesting reading. Also linked to the site this month is the Tamar Rowing Club's Snapshot book thanks to the author Jim Guy.

The development of the South Australian schools chapter continues apace with much more detail from 1971 to 1982 added this month. The following years will be somewhat easier as more programs are available to us.

Updates continue on other chapters with more 2024 regattas being added.

Australian Rowing Images website - Nadine Morrison has shared her 2023 and 2024 Trans Tasman images, and Michael Sim has shared with us rowing images of his father, himself and his children. Also more Hebfotos covered regattas have been added as have many images from early Intercolonial and Interstate Championships. Enjoy

May 2024

This month brief club histories of the important Tamar Rowing Club in Launceston and the defunct Southern Rowing Club from Victoria were added.

Updates to many chapters continued as usual with a focus this month on updating the Tasmanian schools regatta from 1955 to 1969. 

Of course many more rower profiles were added. Jim Skidmore continues to provide profiles of Yarra Yarra Rowing Club members and we are always seeking more from other willing authors.

Finally, thank you to all those people who provide additional information for inclusion on the site. There are too many to mention and obviously this history improves with such assistance. We also call upon readers to send in their photos for inclusion.

The Australian Rowing Images website added a comprehensive set of photos from the 2024 Australian Masters Championships as well as more past Australian Rowing Championships and under age Australian teams.

April 2024

Despite no recent posts to this section, an enormous amount of work has been done to update the many chapters on this site. This work is continuing.

Also, we continue to add both historical and current images to the photography partner site of this history site: www.australianrowingimages.com.

September and October 2023

No new chapters were added last month but as usual there were plenty of updates to existing and of course rower profiles added.

The images for 1991 National Championships are currently being added to www.australianrowingimages.com site.

August 2023

This month the site largely spent time filling in gaps in past events. Fortunately, readers continue to send in additions/corrections which are greatly appreciated. Please continue this important work. Whilst the focus was on updating various parts of the site, some important additions were made. 

Kate Elliott continued her prodigious rowing history output with the Begonia City Ladies Rowing Club history. This short lived club merged with Ballarat City Rowing Club with the amalgamation of the men's and women's rowing associations in the late 1970s. It is also a personal story for Kate as through this club, she joined the sport, learnt her rowing craft and even met her husband. Beyond the specific story of this Club, Kate has also provides insights into women's rowing in Ballarat and beyond. Typical of her style, it is thoroughly illustrated with newspaper articles and images to enhance the readers comprehension of the period. It is another important thread in our sport's rich historical tapestry. 

We also have added as a document, the Y Rowing Club 1965–2005 history, an updated history to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the rebirth of the YWCA Rowing Club. This history has been reproduced with the permission of the Club and provides a great insight into the rebirth of the historic YWCA Rowing Club and its evolution into the currently named Y Rowing Club. Not only does it cover the history of this club, but it also provides background to the growth of women's rowing in Victoria. Yet another important historical thread in our rich rowing history.

June 2023

June was another productive month for the Australian Rowing History website.

Readers responded well to the revised chapters on Australians in The Boat Race and the World University competitions with more information. These chapters have been enhanced by these important contributions. 

The big news this month has been the addition of a new chapter on senior Australian teams who have been selected in Other International Competitions, not otherwise covered on the site. This long overdue chapter covers captures events regarded as the pinnacle event that year for that division. For example, when the World Championships were not conducted annually, (or in case of women’s rowing, pre 1974 before they had World Championship status), the European Championships which were the de facto World Championships in those years, with an excellent depth of field and holding FISA Continental Championship status. Similarly we wanted to capture Canadian Henley regattas for lightweight women before FISA created championships status for that division in 1985. These are all important Australian senior crews. Other events have also been included. There are bound to be gaps and reader assistance would again be welcomed.

Finally, Rower Profiles have broken the 1,600 barrier and this chapter continues to be by far the most popular part of the site. Again reader contributions and enhancements are welcomed.

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 are 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.

Website by Hope Stewart—Website Design & Management