Rowing Victoria is one of the oldest (or oldest) national or colonial sporting association in the world. There are plenty of sporting clubs which are older, and plenty of areas where rowing commenced at an earlier date than in Victoria. But no country or colony to the author's knowledge has an older rowing association.
In September 1876, the Victorian Rowing Association, as it was then known, took over the amateur rowing regatta responsibilities including regatta conduct and rules from the Melbourne Regatta Committee, and also the responsibility for selection and financing of the Victorian Intercolonial crew and sculler. The old Melbourne Regatta Committee had assumed too many Colony wide responsibilities than it was prepared to accept. It was happy to be taken over by a new body which was prepared to accept this wide set of responsibilities. It can therefore be argued that Rowing Victoria commenced in 1860 with the formation of the Melbourne Regatta Committee given that it took over that body which was used as the governing body for amateur rowing in the colony.
The newly formed Victorian Rowing Association took on three major tasks, control and operation of amateur rowing and regattas, selecting and financing the Victorian Intercolonial eight, and being a Parliament for representatives of the rowing clubs in the Colony of Victoria. Interestingly, the current Rowing Victoria spends nearly all its efforts on the same matters, albeit with a wider brief than in 1876.
This history intends to go beyond the confines of a history of Rowing Victoria Inc and provide more of a history of rowing in Victoria. The appendices will record the office bearers, premierships winners and the like, but the commentary will delve into the major events in the sport of rowing in Victoria. A separate area on this website will cover Victorian State Championships.
Given the need to put information out in the rowing world, the history will be iterative. First the appendices, then an outline of the chapters, then filling in the details. Once pages are completed the "under construction" notice at the top of each page will disappear.
This is an important rowing and social history.
Andrew Guerin
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