A Centenary of Rowing Regattas–
Murray Rowing Association

Table of Contents

Introduction

1. A Hectic Birth
2. Early Years on the Lake
3. Maturity and its Problems
4. Early Years of Amateur Status
5. 1911 Jubilee Regatta
6. The Lost Years and Thereafter
7. An Explanation

Appendices

1. Grand Challenge Races
2. 1873 Programme
3. Regatta Day by Keith Cammeron
4. Grand Challenge Fours Winners
5. Presidents
6. Conclusion

Photo galleries

1. 1911
2. 1920
3. 2009
4. 2013

 

Appendix 4 - Grand Challenge Four Winners

Winners of the Grand Challenge Race until the event was abandoned in 1930. To win a Challenge, a crew had to win two races. In the early years when there were only a few entries by local Clubs, the race would be run at least twice for a crew to gain the necessary two wins. As the number of entries increased, heats had to be run so a boat naturally had to win both heat and Challenge final to secure the Prize and this constituted the two wins. After the change to outriggers in the 1920's, the Senior Four became the main race in conformity with the usual amateur programme and the Challenge Fours Race became outmoded and redundant, disappearing after 1930 as a Challenge Race with heats merely duplicated a Senior Fours Race with heats. Another reason for the waning interest in the Challenge Race was that, without the incentive of financial gain after the assumption of amateur status in 1892, this Challenge Race gradually became meaningless.

At the inception of the Race, although towns are named by the winners, there were no Clubs represented. For example, Chiltern, an older (1858) goldfield than Rutherglen and represented at the first Regatta in 1860 by the winning boat "White Squall", would not have had a Rowing Club. It is obvious that, at first, a boat represented a group of men who had a financial interest in racing their particular boat. It was, only later, presumably in the late 1860's or early 1870's, that the Wahgunyah, Rutherglen, and later still, Corowa Clubs were formed.

Year	Club	Year	Club
1860	Chiltern	1896	Echuca East
1861	Rutherglen	1897	Lake
1862	Rutherglen	1898	Lake
1863	Rutherglen	1899	Not Held
1864	Wahgunyah	1900	Lake Moodemere
1865	Rutherglen	1901	Lake
1866	Rutherglen	1902	Lake
1867	Rutherglen	1903	Not Held
1868	Rutherglen	1904	Lake
1869	Wahgunyah	1905	Lake
1870	Wahgunyah	1906	Rutherglen
1871	Rutherglen	1907	Corowa
1872	Rutherglen	1908	Corowa
1873	Rutherglen	1909	Eaglehawk
1874	Rutherglen	1910	Lake
1875	Not held.	1911	Lake
1876	Wahgunyah	1912	Lake
1877	Wahgunyah	1913	Wahgunyah
1878	Rutherglen	1914	Wahgunyah
1879	Rutherglen	1915	Wahgunyah
1880	Rutherglen	1916	Lake
1881	Wahgunyah	1917	Wagga
1882	Wahgunyah	1918	Corowa
1883	Wahgunyah	1919	Corowa
1884	Wahgunyah	1920	Corowa
1885	Wahgunyah	1921	Wahgunyah
1886	Rutherglen	1922	Wahgunyah
1887	Rutherglen	1923	Shepparton
1888	Wahgunyah	1924	Melbourne
1889	Lake	1925	Wahgunyah
1890	Lake	1926	Parks
1841	Lake	1927	Nagambie
1892	Lake	1928	Nagambie
1893	Lake	1929	Rutherglen Lake
1894	Rutherglen	1930	Nagambie
1895	Echuca East

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