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australian rowers profiles and history

Kathy Lloyd

Ballarat City Rowing Club (VIC), Melbourne University Ladies Rowing Club (VIC), Lake Eildon Rowing Club (VIC), Black Swan Rowing Club

Kathy passed away on the 27/01/2025 after a sudden and aggressive return of her cancer. Having managed to overcome it twice before, this time it was not to be. Although through her various treatments and operations she kept on training and rowing. Rowing was her “happy place” and even at the end all she wanted to do was launch her scull on “her” lake and go for a row.

Kathy started rowing in 1981 as a 17 year old. She joined the Ballarat City Rowing Club and learned to row under coach Danny Elliott. She quickly became an integral part of our small, tight-knit club contributing significantly both on and off the water. She started winning races in 1982 winning her Novice pairs. Significantly she stroked the club’s first women’s 8 also in 1982 showing her strength and her ability and her innate affinity with stroke seat!

In 1984 she started sculling in her coach’s scull and again quickly won her way through to Senior ranks. The club won the VRA Champion Women’s Club of Victoria in 1984, 1985 and 1987. Kathy was a significant contributor to these Premierships as the club won them with only 9-10 women competing. In 1987 the club was the Champion Club of Victoria achieving an outstanding 94 wins with 25 members. Kathy also served as Treasurer of the club from 1986-1988.

A collage of images prepared by Kate Elliott

In 1989 she moved to Melbourne for work and joined Melbourne University Ladies Rowing Club. She also served as Treasurer there for one year. She was selected to row for Victoria in the women’s interstate scull at the Australian Championships at Wellington Dam, WA. However, a cyclone named “Ned” denied her and many other rowers the opportunity to race that year.

In 1990 she had an outstanding season rowing as a lightweight and winning 2 Australian Championships under legendary coach Brian Dalton. The wins were in the lightweight pair with Pam Westendorf and the lightweight four.

Kathy Lloyd on the left with MUBC

This led to her selection for the Australian team to compete at the FISA World Championships held at the beautiful Lake Barrington in July 1990. She was selected in the Lightweight women’s four and later became the emergency. Although she didn’t get an opportunity to race, she still had to weigh in every day just in case. The four won a silver medal.

After the World Championships Kathy and Pam Westendorf competed at the Goodwill Games in Seattle from July 20-August 5 where they raced in a pair. They then went on to St. Catherine’s in Canada, and rowing in the Australian colours in the elite fours, won the gold medal and as MUBC won gold in the Senior fours. Kathy also sculled at this regatta-her one and only international sculling race.

By 1991 the toll of making lightweight and the full-time training load plus a full-time job led to Kathy feeling she needed a break. She didn’t step back into a boat until 2011 when her daughter Holly started rowing at Ballarat Grammar School. In 2016 her younger daughters Erin and Georgie started rowing at Ballarat City Rowing Club with Kathy’s old coach Danny Elliott. Kathy walked back into the club in August 2016. To us, her older club mates, it felt like she had come “home”.

From 2016-2023 she competed in regattas, she coached crews, and served as Captain, Vice-Captain, Treasurer and Secretary of the club. She raced at many local regattas winning many races. She competed at State Masters Championships and National Masters Championships from 2017-2023 winning multiple medals at each event. She trialled for and was selected to race in the Victorian Women’s Masters eight for 3 years. She made many friends in the Masters rowing community and enjoyed racing and training with them often travelling to Melbourne to row in an eight on the Yarra. She also won the annual club award for the most successful rower, Danny Elliott perpetual trophy, from 2018 to 2022.

Kathy rowed what would be her last race at the Head of the Yarra on the 23/12/2024 winning the women’s Masters F8 rowing in the Lake Eildon RC colors.

Kathy loved nothing more than to launch out onto the peaceful waters of Lake Wendouree in her scull and just enjoy the rowing. She made her contribution to women’s rowing in Ballarat, Victoria and Australia and was the consummate club person pitching in and doing whatever needed doing. She was a loyal and valued member of the old BCRC and she was my friend.

We will miss her greatly.

Kate Elliott
January 2025

Published in Rowing Victoria's e-news on 31st January 2025

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