History of Rowing in the ACT

Celebrating 60 years

11. Capital Lakes Rowing Club

Capital Lakes Rowing Club (CLRC) was incorporated in March 1999, with a vision to provide for all categories of rowing including training junior and disabled athletes.

The club’s founders focused strongly on providing opportunities for those juniors who were not catered for in school rowing programs.

The club has grown steadily with strong programs for masters rowing socially and competitively, a keen junior squad and para rowers supported by club volunteers. A strong cohort of coaches, masters, parents and associates has driven successes at ACT, NSW and national level, and representation of Australia overseas.

A club star is Nikki Ayers who, with rowing partner Jed Altschwager, won gold medals in the 2023 World Rowing Championships and 2024 Paris Paralympics. Nikki learned to row at CLRC after injury ended her rugby career. She quickly demonstrated her skill and determination and moved to ACTAS to develop her rowing prowess. “CLRC was very inclusive,” she says. “The club welcomed me and gave me my start.”

Many CLRC members are social rowers who rarely engage in competition. Others have scored notable wins in local and interstate competitions including the Col Panton marathon. Club members have made regular expeditions to events such as the Wentworth RC’s annual Flying Doctor Rowathon, through Sydney Harbour in coastal boats, and occasionally overseas.

In its early days, CLRC found a home in a Nissen hut in Kingston that had housed several fledgeling clubs. Then, the club was associated with both Lake Tuggeranong and Lake Ginninderra (UC) rowing, hence the plural “Lakes” in its name. After three years in the very basic, dirt floored Nissen hut, CLRC relocated to “temporary” accommodation on the Kingston Foreshore for 15 years while awaiting its own permanent home.

The club’s initial fleet was “a beg, borrow or buy” effort funded through contributions from early coaches, rowers and parents along with sponsorship and support from other local clubs, politicians, businessmen and organisations still visible in the names of some of its boats. The fleet continues to be expanded and replaced by members’ donations and by grants and club funds. Club volunteers have long maintained and repaired boats, oars and safety/coaching boats and motors.

Occupation of its fine club shed at Grevillea Park in March 2017 has created an even stronger rowing environment. Its location on the southern shore of East Basin is near other water sports including the Dragon Boat facility.

The club founders’ vision has seen hundreds of boys and girls trained in a sport they would otherwise not have had the chance to enjoy and to excel at.

And it has given many men and women with a wide range of disabilities, who would not have had the opportunity to row, the opportunity to get out onto the lake to take on a challenging sport safely and under careful supervision.

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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.