History of Rowing in the ACT

Celebrating 60 years

1. The History of Rowing in the ACT

Rowing in Canberra has a rich and storied history, shaped by the efforts of individuals who laid the foundation for the community and facilities that Rowing ACT members enjoy today.

The origins of ACT rowing go back to March 1961, when the first call to create an association for rowing in the ACT was made. With the National Capital Development Commission (NCDC) including designs for a regatta course and rowing facilities in the plan for Lake Burley Griffin, rowing began to establish itself in the nation’s capital. A meeting with the NSW Rowing Association in November 1963 resulted in a decision to form the ACT Rowing Association.

The first constitution of the association was adopted in March 1964, with only the small matter of filling the lake to resolve. A matter of weeks later, in mid-April 1964, following drought-breaking rain, Lake Burley Griffin finally filled. The rain came just in time for the National Championships and 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games selections, marking a connection between our sport of rowing and Lake Burley Griffin that continues to this day.

Since that pivotal event, many milestones have played a crucial role in the steady growth and development of rowing in the ACT, with most of them linked to the schools and clubs that make up our association.

For today’s rowing community to appreciate the rich history of the sport in our region, we’ve invited ACT clubs and schools to share a brief history of their organisations. These stories are featured in this year’s annual report.

We hope you enjoy reading about the legacy of our beloved sport.

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Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information provided, errors may exist. Please send advice of any errors or inaccuracies by email to:

Also your comments, suggestions and photos are sought to enhance this site.

The idea for this history originated from the Olympic Rowing and World Senior Rowing Championship histories written by Andrew Guerin and Margot Foster in 1991, 1992 & 1993 for the Australian team handbooks. Andrew Guerin developed and extended these histories to the current format in 2004 for publication in 2004 and then expanded the site.

Steve Roll has been an invaluable contributor to the website in locating errors and finding Christian names of rowers. His superb work is acknowledged.

© Andrew Guerin – 2004
These contents of this history are copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted by the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission. However given that the purpose of the history is to assist rowers and rowing clubs, written permission is not required for non-commercial usage by rowers and rowing clubs provided acknowledgement is made.

Disclaimer: Whilst extensive efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of the information supplied, the editors take no responsibility for any loss or damage whatsoever arising from inaccuracies contained in this work.