1949 NSW AAGPS Head of the River
The 51st Annual AAGPS Rowing Championships were conducted on the Nepean River on Saturday April 12, 1949.
Record Crowd of 15,000 Sees Shore Win Head of the River (Sydney Morning Herald, 24 Apr 1949)
A record crown, estimated by the police at 15,000, lined the banks of the Nepean River at Penrith yesterday to see Shore win the G.P.S. Head of the River.
Shore led nearly all the way to beat High by a quarter of a boat’s length, with Scots and Newington dead-heating for third half a length further away. The previous record crown was 12,000 last year.
In ideal regatta weather, the first cars began to arrive at Penrith about 9:30 a.m. Before noon, all parking space near the riverbank had been taken.
The Great Western Highway to Penrith was a string of gaily decorated cars and buses. A few minor smashes, in which cars crashed into those ahead of them, also held up traffic.
By 3 o’clock the riverbank was packed for about 300 yards back from the finishing line.
Special trains and buses which ran to Penrith were also packed. The trains reached Penrith trailing ribbons and streamers. Their passengers were already barracking.
Athletic Association of the Great Public Schools of NSW
President: D Maughan KC
Vice-Presidents - Headmasters of the GPS schools
Chairman: C H Harrison
Hon Secretary: J Carrington Pope
Hon Treasurer: P H Eldershaw
Racing Officials
Umpires: C MacNamara and J R Winton
Judge: D Keys
Starter: O N Rosevear
Timekeeper: H C Kerr
Hon Secretary: C D Taylor
Rowing Sub-committee: E G Dorsch, E R Dent, A J Dunn, S Wick, A French, Rev D F Jones, Rev Bro Leonard, H O G Forster
Senior 1st Eight
Major Rennie Trophy
8:14.20
¼ length
½ length
Dead heat
1st Shore – Bow: J. Lloyd. 2: D. Meares, 3: E. Perdriau, 4: D. Lane, 5: P. Codey, 6: J. Lawrence, 7: B. Sundstrun, Str: E. Cowdery, Cox: A. Haydon
2nd Sydney High - Bow: J Clelland, 2: P Cole, 3: G Pilger, 4: R Swinbourne, 5: J Kerr, 6: J Harris, 7: K Walkerdon, Str: K Paul, Cox: G Ferris
3rd Newington
3rd The Scots College
Other competitors included
St Ignatius College - Bow: J B Sloane, 2: P W Baker, 3: B T Lyons, 4: J W Hanley, 5: JG McKinlay, 6: P G Sheldon, 7: J X Ramsay, Str: G E Anderson, Cox: J D Tysoe
Senior 1st Four
Yaralla Cup
6:10.00
1 length
½ length
1st High – Bow: J. Reddish, 2: E. Foster, 3: R. White, Str: G. Mahony, Cox: W. Wiggins, Cch: Major Des J Duffy
2nd Shore - Bow: H E Crouch, 2: R B Rutherford, 3: I M Hudson, Str: I S Hamparsum, Cox: F J Withey, Cch: Rev H T G Forster
3rd Newington - Bow: M C Tyas, 2: J E Britton, P B Britton, Str: R Thyer, Cox: H Johns, Cch: P Bruce
Other competitors
Sydney Grammar - Bow: N J Gressier, 2: J C Crocket, 3: M S Williams, Str: R M Barnes, Cox: F H Mullens, Cch: D H Younger
King's School - Bow: I M C Park, 2: B B Allen, 3: R D Simson, Str: W W Thompson, Cox: C W Bridge, Cch: L A Barlow
Scots College - Bow: J R Kennaway, 2: R Turnbull, 3: M T Walker, Str: F E Filmer, Cox: L R Reimer, Cch: Major K Freshaw
St Ignatius College - Bow: J J Hendriks, 2: P S Hunter, 3: G M Wells, Str: P J Beer, Cox: J F Robinson, Cch: P Raper
St Joseph's College - Bow: P Meppam, 2: M Ford, 3: R Krausharr, Str: B Fitzpatrick, Cox: B Hayes, Cch: S Cusack
Senior 2nd Four
6:17.80
¼ length
3 lengths
1st High – Bow: B. Mackey, 2: J. Mealey, 3: J. Nicholson, Str: J. Agnew, Cox: P. Jones
2nd Newington - Bow: D G Pingkef, 2: R J Gray, 3: G R Steer, Str: D J Collins, Cox: J N Webster, Cch: P Bruce
3rd St. Joseph’s College - Bow: J Birks, 2: J Barry, 3: R Smith, Str: P Goodyer, Cox: W Kull, Cch: S Cusack
Other competitors
Scots College - Bow: A J G Johnson, 2: A C Henderson, 3: B V McDougall, Str: R B Wright, Cox: A M Holmes, Cch: K Hawthorne
St Ignatius - Bow: B A Nader, 2: P R Cahill, 3: B N Campbell, Str: J R Burns, Cox: R L Carroll, Cch: P Raper
Sydney High - Bow: B Mackey, 2: J Mealey, 3: J Nicholson, Str: J Agnew, Cox: P Jones, Cch: Major Des J Duffy
King's School - Bow: J C Barton, 2: J L POarker, 3: R C K Carson, Str: C E B Ashley, Cox: D D Marks, Cch: L A Barlow
Sydney Grammar - Bow: N R Jones, 2: R S Bain, 3: M S Raine, Str: R D Macdermid, Cox: R D MacDonald, Cch: D H Younger
Shore School - Bow: A J C Sendall, 2: H B Brien, 3: D A Webster, Str: I R Mac Callum, Cox: L Etherington, Cch: Rev H T E Forster
Senior 3rd Four
4:35.60
2ft
¼ length
1st High – Bow: G. Woodbourne, 2: J. Arnold, 3: D. McCann, Str: C. Powell, Cox: V. Littlewood, Cch: Alan R Callaway
2nd The King’s School - Bow: J W Mason, 2: J S Warner, 3: R G Stranger, Str: M E Mort, Cox: G J Morris, Cch: E G Dorsch
3rd Shore - Bow: R A Woodhill, 2: A Suche, 3: L N D Meares, Str: W G Scammell, Cox: B T Taylor, Cch: J B Burrell
Other competitors
Scots College - Bow: J W McGregor, 2: J M Hunt, 3: I B Boyd, Str: D H Simpson, Cox: A D Murray, Cch: J O'Brien
St Ignatius College - Bow: E F Campion, 2: J J Keighery, 3: P P Lamerand, Str: P W Daniel, Cox: R J Basto, Cch: G O'Shaughnessy
St Joseph' College - Bow: R Schwager, 2: R Boland, 3: J Symons, Str: J McNamara, Cox: V Dalton, Cch: M McHugh
Sydney Grammar - Bow: A M Merrick, 2: I Forsyth, 3: G A Kench, Str: P J North, Cox: H W N Rogers, Cch: W Ludowici
Senior 4th Four
4:39.80
1 ½ lengths
½ length
Dead heat
1st The King’s School – Bow: J. Leighton-Jones, 2: E. Froggart, 3: R. Oldfield, Str: J. Bryant, Cox: F. Lemann
2nd High
3rd St. Joseph’s College
3rd Shore
Sources
1949 Regatta program sourced from Sydney High archives