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Home > Rowing Profiles > Draper, Bryan S

Bryan S Draper OAM

Torrens Rowing Club (SA)

Bryan Stanhope Draper OAM

Bryan is one of the giants of both South Australian and Australian rowing, both figuratively and in reality. Not only a significant rower, coach and administrator of the sport, Bryan is a tall and strong individual, well suited to the sport. As will become obvious to anyone who meets Bryan, he has a very serious side, hard working, loyal, modest and principled. This sits comfortably alongside his great sense of humour, all of which makes him such a success in our sport.

It is clear that he has a strong belief in the beneficial qualities that rowing brings to a person and which makes rowing such a rewarding sport. His every role in the sport was motivated by the betterment of the sport and not himself. This was tested with his role on the 1997 World Masters Regatta Organising Committee given that he holds the view that he believes masters rowers should spend more time coaching young people rather than rowing themselves. His upbringing was in an earlier era and to his great credit, he has clearly adapted both himself and the sport he has managed to changing times, even if occasionally frustrated by it and some of the people in it.

At Torrens Rowing Club, Bryan was a champion rower, then coach. He held important positions on committees, being Secretary for many years. He represented SA many times in the King’s Cup both as a rower and coach, and won innumerable SA Championship fours and eights. It is no surprise that he was elected a life member of his club in 1961.

His greatest work was to follow at the State, National and International levels as an umpire and administrator. Again he was elected an honorary life member of the South Australian Rowing Association for his work. His life has been dominated by well over 40 years of devoted service to the sport.

So how did it all start?

“By chance, in 1950, at age 20, a fellow bank clerk took me over to the Savings Bank of SA to meet Jack Bollen (Vaughn’s dad) who was head coach at Torrens. Jack was well known throughout rowing in SA. I jumped at the chance to try the sport.” Despite the boathouse of Torrens being basic and gloomy, the facilities only just adequate, the sight of the sleek wooden rowing boats and oars got him hooked immediately.

Bryan learned his craft on the Torrens River in a tub four under club captain Bruce Roberts and soon enough the chance to race arose, albeit initially unsuccessfully. The rise through the ranks was rapid and by 1952, and to his surprise, Bryan was selected into the SA King’s Cup crew. His eyes were widened to the wider sport, and to the fact that the “sleek” equipment at Torrens was not up to scratch. Fortunately, this situation changed under Laurie Baulderstone as Captain with Ray Carter as Vice-Captain. With much fundraising new equipment came and so did more senior oarsmen.

At the same time, Bryan took on the onerous task of the secretaryship of the club. In Bryan’s words, ”the one who opens all the correspondence and knows where all the skeletons are buried!”

1957 South Australian crew with Bryan in seven seat
Photo from the regatta program

After a successful senior rowing career, Bryan married but then took up coaching. He enjoyed reasonable success with good results locally, taking Junior rowers into senior ranks. Despite coaching at all levels, Bryan enjoyed coaching the development rowers. He gained particular pleasure from seeing his proteges going onto to the higher levels of the sport. In the early 1960s, Torrens became the main force in senior rowing in SA.

By 1962, he was the SA King’s Cup crew coach. He lamented that “Our crews were clearly too small and too inexperienced when rowing against the top Australian competition.”

To assist his coaching, Bryan read widely using mainly English rowing texts as his references. He proudly noted that “Torrens, meanwhile went from strength to strength in most facets of rowing, both in SA and Australian rowing. The exception being in men’s eight, where Torrens’ dominance of local SA races was not reflected Australia wide.”

Comfortable in the knowledge that Torrens was in a good position, Bryan’s skills were next sought by the South Australian Rowing Association. Bryan reflected that at SARA, “things were not quite so rosy. There were no headquarters, no paid officials, not even a typewriter. The whole structure was kept afloat by a dedicated band of long-suffering, part-time volunteers – worth their weight in gold.”

In his typical thorough way, Bryan set about bringing the Association to order and modernising both the activities and thinking. During his time as honorary secretary, the opportunity for a course at West Lakes arose. Bryan gives great credit to others in his description of this development, but it is clear that he was a driving force behind it. Specifically, Bryan credits the connections of members of the Resting Rowers Consortium with getting early access to the plans of the development and ensuring that a rowing course formed part of them. SARA gained ownership of land at the finish line, and Bryan believes that the cost was borne mainly by Alan Southcott. He adds that: “Constant vigilance, aided by Alex Ramsay, the Minister in charge of the SA Housing Trust, ensured the finished course was near to the actual plans. Alan Ramsay kept the developer to their commitments. The first race on this great new course was in 1977.” Whilst the naming of the course after Alan Ramsay was good recognition for the politician who supported SA Rowing get what was promised, many in SA rowing, including Bryan, would have equally wanted the course named after Alan Southcott.

By way of history for the readers, the developer Delfin purchased a large tract of sand hills and swamps to create the new suburb of West Lakes. Obviously the swamps needed to be dredged out and the sand from dredging was needed to create ground for houses. One of the requirements for the development was to provide areas for sport. Given the above, a rowing course was a mutually beneficial solution. Obviously during construction, Delfin wanted to make changes to the rowing course to better meet their commercial needs. Alex Ramsay was called upon to keep Delfin to their original commitments so that a quality course resulted.

An under recognised role of Bryan during construction was to ensure that the buildings at the finish line were constructed and gaining government support to do this work. A deal was reached with the government whereby the SA Rowing Association provided the materials and the government through an unemployment scheme would provide the labour and construction services. An excellent government supervisor ensured that a good result was attained.

The boathouse nearing completion

The West Lakes course has been a great benefit to the sport of rowing in SA.

Chairmanship of the SARA Board and then Presidency followed.

As one might expect with a person of the calibre of Bryan, national rowing administration followed. Initially this was as an important member of the 1990 World Championships Organising Committee and SA Councillor to Rowing Australia.

1989 World Championships in Bled - 1990 Organising Committee delegation with Bryan back row second from left

The 1990 World Championships were a challenging endeavour and Bryan was allocated the responsibilities for volunteers, accreditation, accommodation for most countries and return boat transportation for northern hemisphere crews, a condition of Tasmania getting the championships. Whilst all these tasks were significant challenges, the last task was a minefield which Bryan navigated superbly.

With hindsight, and only now an amusing story, Bryan was threatened after the 1990 championships by an angry local. Bryan had established a process for locals to host international teams. One local decided to go outside that process and demanded hosting rights to a team which had already been allocated to another. Bryan confirmed the original allocation. After the championships and whilst clearing up at the course, police arrived to immediately take Bryan “off the island” as the local who missed out on hosting a team was making threats against him and brandishing a revolver. Whilst Bryan immediately returned home, the police apprehended the angry local and found that she only had a cigarette lighter in the shape of a gun!

As expected, highest level national administration brought yet more modernisation and a new set of challenges, including the transition to a standard management and Board structure for Rowing Australia. At that stage, Rowing Australia met usually only annually and the office bearers did not have the necessary decision making authority. As Deputy Chairman, Bryan was heavily involved in successfully achieving the changed structure from idea formation whilst at 1990 World Championships, to implementation. In his usual modest ways, he states that David Schier and Margot Foster were not given sufficient credit for this important change which occurred with indifference from key people.

Preparing government funding submissions with management included hosting an international event at West Lakes, the FISA Masters regatta. This bid, headed by Bryan, was successful in 1991 and took place in 1997. It was considered by many that Bryan should have been the president of Rowing Australia given his competence and experience at all levels of the sport.

Bryan hard at work at 1997 World Masters Regatta

Seeing that the sport of rowing should be more involved in the SA Olympic Council given it was a beneficiary, and with encouragement by AOC President and rower John Coates, Bryan stepped up again for this organisation with great effect. This work included successful fundraising and treasury work.

This marked the end of some forty continuous and deep years of service to the sport and Bryan retired from formal administration. This has not stopped him volunteering at major regattas and assisting Torrens Rowing Club.

Bryan as a volunteer at 2000 Olympic Games

His son Matt continues the family tradition as a rower, international coach and now events expert with World Rowing.

Bryan has made a superb contribution to rowing and is a legend of our sport.

Known rowing history

1950 – Joined Torrens Rowing Club

1952 – Interstate Championships, King’s Cup, four seat SA crew - Sixth

1953 – Interstate Championships, King’s Cup, four seat SA crew - Fifth

1954 – Interstate Championships, King’s Cup, five seat SA crew - Sixth

1957-59 – SA Championship Men’s Four, three seat – First

1957 – Interstate Championships, King’s Cup, seven seat SA crew - Fourth

1958 – Interstate Championships, King’s Cup, six seat SA crew - Sixth

1959 – Interstate Championships, King’s Cup, seven seat SA crew - Fifth

1961 – Elected life member of Torrens Rowing Club

1963 – Interstate Championships, King’s Cup, coach SA crew – Eliminated in repechage

1964 – Interstate Championships, King’s Cup, coach SA crew – Eliminated in repechage

1974 – Interstate Championships, SA Youth Eight coach – eliminated in repechage

1978 – South Australian Rowing Foundation Member

1979 onwards – South Australian Rowing Association, Hon Secretary

1981 – Elected as a life member of the South Australian Rowing Association

1983 – Australian Rowing Championships, jury member

1984 – Elected life member of South Australia Rowing Association

1985 – Australian Rowing Championships, jury member

1986 – Australian Rowing Championships, jury member

1987 – Australian Rowing Championships, jury member

1989-91 – SA Councillor on Rowing Australia

1990 – Australian Rowing Championships, jury member

1990-92 – Board member Rowing Australia – Deputy Chairman 1991 and 1992

1990 – Organising Committee member of 1990 World Championships organising committee

1991 – RA delegate to FISA

1992 – Australian Rowing Championships, jury member

1992-94 – SA Olympic Council

1992 – Awarded Medal of the Order of Australia in recognition of service to the sport of rowing, particularly through the SA Olympic Council

1993 – SA Head of the River – jury member

1997 – FISA Masters Regatta organising committee

2000 – Volunteer, 2000 Olympic Games

2013-14 – Volunteer World Cup 1 Regattas at Penrith

 

Andrew Guerin
September 2025

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