Maurice C H Dowd
Mercantile Rowing Club (Vic)
Maurice joined Mercantile Rowing Club in the mid 1920s and was successful in a number of maiden and junior races. Pressure of business rather cut short his active rowing career, but he greatly assisted in making many a social function a great success.
Maurice was a self made man with ties to the famous Chicago based Hickory clothing company and was a sponsor of the Miss Australia contest.
He had six children and lived in Brighton where his yacht Mistral was moored.
Declining health and business responsibilities have meant that members saw Maurice at the clubhouse rarely, but he was nevertheless keenly interested in the Club and always ready to help members.
He was very interested in civic affairs within the City of Brighton (now Bayside Council) and many charitable institutions and other organisations have to thank him for his money-raising efforts.
The obituary in the annual report of 1969-70 concluded that “The community is the poorer for the passing of such a citizen”.
Andrew Guerin (based on his obituary in the annual report)
January 2019