SA Schools Head of the River Winners of the Boys First Eight
Whilst the boy's first eights have raced from 1922, they have raced for the Gosse Shield since 1932.
The SA Head of the River website reports:
Presented in 1932 by the late Sir James Gosse and his family as a perpetual trophy.
The Gosse Shield was presented for the first time in 1932 by James H Gosse (1876-1952), son of William Christie Gosse, the government-appointed surveyor who documented Uluru (Ayers Rock) in 1873.
James and his brother William Hay Gosse (1875-1918 killed in action an WWI) both rowed at St Peter’s College.
James rowed in the First Four in 1895 and 1896 (before the advent of eight-oared schoolboy crews). He went on to row for South Australia in 1902-05 and was the President of the Adelaide Rowing Club. As well as playing football for the Norwood Football Club as a ruckman (1894-1905), he captained Norwood in 1905 as well as the State Team. He was President of Norwood Football Club from 1920-39 and SANFL President from 1945 until his death in 1952.
Sir James Hay Gosse was knighted in 1947 with acknowledgement to his commerce and philanthropy commitment in South Australia. He was chairman of George Wills, Bank of SA, Adelaide Steamship Company, Executor Trustee & Agency Company. He was President of the Port Adelaide Racing Club, Adelaide Chamber of Commerce, and Royal Zoological Society of SA. His philanthropy extended to being on the State Flora and Fauna Board where he spent considerable time and effort in the development of Flinders Chase on Kangaroo Island. He was also a member of the School of Governors.
The results of the men's first fours, then first eights, follow. The abbreviations index is at the foot of the table.
Year | Winner | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | Time | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The first school boy races in Adelaide in fours | |||||||||
1893 | AHS | PAC | Not known | Port River | |||||
1894 | SPC | PAC | 6:54 | Port River | |||||
1895 | SPC | PAC | 6:32 | Port River | |||||
1896 | SPC | PAC | 6:57 | Port River | |||||
Modern era in eights and regarded as the commencement of the Head of the River | |||||||||
1922 | AHS | SPC | Not known | Port River | |||||
1923 | SPC | AHS | Not known | Port River | |||||
1924 | SPC | AHS | 7:07.8 | Port River 1 mile | |||||
1925 | SPC | AHS | Not known | Torrens Lake ½ mile | |||||
1926 | SPC | AHS | Not known | Torrens Lake | |||||
1927 Apr | SPC | AHS | Not known |
| |||||
1927 Dec | SPC | SC | AHS | Not known | Torrens Lake | ||||
1928 Apr | SPC | SC | AHS | Not known | Torrens Lake | ||||
1928 Dec | SC | SPC | AHS | Not known | Torrens Lake | ||||
1929 Apr | SPC | SC | AHS | Not known | Torrens Lake | ||||
1929 Dec | SC | AHS | Not known | Torrens Lake | |||||
1930 Apr | SPC | SC | PAC AHS RHS | Not known | Torrens Lake | ||||
1930 Dec | SC | SPC | PAC AHS | Not known | Torrens Lake | ||||
1931 Apr | SPC | SC | PAC AHS | 3:04.0 | Torrens Lake | ||||
1931 Dec | SPC | Not known | Torrens Lake | ||||||
1932 | PAC | AHS | SPC SC | 3:01.3 | Torrens Lake | ||||
1933 | PAC | AHS | SPC SC | 3:09.5 | Torrens Lake | ||||
1934 | SPC | SC | SPC AHS | 3:01.5 | Torrens Lake | ||||
1935 | SPC | PAC | AHS SC | 3:04.35 | Torrens Lake | ||||
1936 | SPC | AHS | PAC SC | 3:04.5 | Torrens Lake | ||||
1937 | PAC | SC | SPC AHS | 2:59.25 | Torrens Lake | ||||
1938 | PAC | SPC | AHS SC | 3:08.0 | Torrens Lake | ||||
1939 | SC | PAC | SPC AHS | 3:02.1 | Torrens Lake | ||||
1940 | SC/PAC | 3:00.5 | |||||||
1941 | PAC | 3:02.0 | |||||||
1942 | PAC | NTT | |||||||
1943 | SC | NTT | |||||||
1944 | SC | 2:57.0 | |||||||
1945 | SPC | 2:57.5 | |||||||
1946 | SPC | 2:59.0 | |||||||
1947 | SPC | 2:55.5 | |||||||
1948 | Regatta cancelled due to the poliomyelitis epidemic | ||||||||
1949 | SPC | 2:58.0 | |||||||
1950 | Regatta cancelled due to the poliomyelitis epidemic | ||||||||
1951 | SPC | 2:58.0 | |||||||
1952 | SPC | 3:04.25 | |||||||
1953 | SPC | 3:01.0 | |||||||
1954 | SC | 2:54.0 | |||||||
1955 | SPC | 3:00.5 | |||||||
1956 | SPC | 2:55.5 | |||||||
1957 | SPC | 3:07.5 | |||||||
1958 | AHS | 2:57.5 | |||||||
1959 | SPC | 2:54.5 | |||||||
1960 | SPC | 2:55.35 | |||||||
1961 | PGS | 2:57.5 | |||||||
1962 | SPC | 3:00.5 | |||||||
1963 | KC | 2:58.0 | |||||||
1964 | SPC | 2:47.0 | |||||||
1965 | SPC | 2:50.0 | |||||||
1966 | KC | 2:48.0 | |||||||
1967 | KC | 5:14.5 | Port Adelaide | ||||||
1968 | PGS | 2:46.0 | |||||||
1969 | PGS | 2:44.0 | |||||||
1970 | PGS | 2:48.5 | |||||||
1971 | PGS | 2:45.0 | |||||||
1972 | SPC | 3:00.5 | |||||||
1973 | SPC | 2:53.5 | |||||||
1974 | SPC | 2:47.5 | |||||||
1975 | SPC | 2:46.0 | |||||||
1976 | SPC | 2:54.5 | |||||||
1977 | PGS | 4:40.0 | West Lakes 1500m | ||||||
1978 | PGS | 4:35.0 | |||||||
1979 | PAC | 4:57.5 | |||||||
1980 | CBC | 5:09.5 | |||||||
1981 | SPC | 5:09.5 | |||||||
1982 | SPC | 5:06.0 | |||||||
1983 | PEM | 4:50.0 | |||||||
1984 | PAC | 4:56.0 | |||||||
1985 | SPC | 4:36.1 | |||||||
1986 | SPC | 4:31.0 | |||||||
1987 | UHS | 4:39.0 | |||||||
1988 | PEM | 4:31.0 | |||||||
1989 | CBC | 4:41.6 | |||||||
1990 | SPC | 6:06.0 | 2000m | ||||||
1991 | SPC | 6:06.2 | |||||||
1992 | SPC | 6:15.0 | |||||||
1993 | PAC | 6:05.0 | |||||||
1994 | SPC | 5:58.0 | |||||||
1995 | SC | 6:09.0 | |||||||
1996 | SPC | 6:07.0 | |||||||
1997 | SPC | 6:07.0 | |||||||
1998 | SPC | 6:01.0 | |||||||
1999 | PAC | 5:54.0 | |||||||
2000 | SPC | 6:02.0 | |||||||
2001 | PAC | 5:55.0 | |||||||
2002 | PAC | 6:13.88 | |||||||
2003 | SPC | 6:05.00 | |||||||
2004 | PAC | 6:02.61 | |||||||
2005 | SPC | 6:44.14 | |||||||
2006 | SPC | 5:56.04 | |||||||
2007 | SPC | 6:00.63 | |||||||
2008 | SPC | 6:09.66 | |||||||
2009 | SPC | 6:01.95 | |||||||
2010 | SPC | SC | PAC | NMHS | PEM | PGS | 5:58.92 | ||
2011 | SPC | PAC | SC | PEM | CBC | PGS | 6:54.18 | ||
2012 | PAC | SPC | SC | PGS | PEM | CBC | 6:07.81 | ||
2013 | PAC | SPC | PEM | SC | CBC | UHS | 6:03.25 | ||
2014 | PAC | SPC | SC | UHS | CBC | PEM | 6:35.63 | ||
2015 | SC | PAC | SPC | PGS | UHS | PEM | 6:03.93 | ||
2016 | SPC | 6:01.59 | |||||||
2017 | SPC | PAC | SC | CBC | PGS | PEM | 6:04.11 | ||
2018 | SPC | PEM | UHS | SC | PAC | PGS | 7:11.71 | ||
2019 | SPC | PAC | PGS | SC | UHS | NMHS | 6:07.29 | ||
2020 | SPC | SC | PAC | PEM | NMHS | PGS | 6:22.73 | ||
2021 | SPC | PAC | SC | NMHS | PEM | AHS | 6:06.23 | ||
2022 | SPC | PAC | SC | NMHS | PGS | PEM | 5:57.81 | ||
2023 | SPC | PAC | SC | NMHS | PEM | CBC | 6:03.59 |
Abbreviations
AHS - Adelaide High School
CBC - Christian Brothers College
KC - King's College (later name changed to Pembroke School)
NMHS - Norwood-Morialta High School
PAC - Prince Alfred College
PGS - Pulteney Grammar School
PEM - Pembroke School
SC - Scotch College
SPC - St Peter's College
UHS - Unley High School
Sources
The same sources detailed on the home page for this SA schools Heads of the River chapter.