Boston, heritage and masters

Bit of a random blog post for you today: Heritage, Boston and masters!

Firstly let's get into the Boston event. Kevin Wall rowed in an LTA boat for Balmain Rowing Club, he's pictured above in his spiffy Balmain jacket although truth be told, we can't wait to see him back in the cardinal and gold.

Pictured from left, Bill Hutton, Peter Klemm, Peter Panizza and Darryl Salisbury (did you mean to stand in height order guys?) competed in the men's coxed four event and placed a pretty good 12th. I think.

We're very sad the guys won't be with us for Friday's annual dinner but we are sure to drink a toast (or five) to them in recognition of being the athletes to travel the furtherest for this event.

On to more media stuff: I (PBR) did an interview on Saturday for the Perth Heritage open day. A huge thanks to everyone who helped out - particularly Su Guy who I forgot to thank on Facbeook. Dee, Vossy and the team were particularly chuffed to meet Graham Norton, who at 89 is still going strong and had rowed "back in the day". He is in at least two photographs that are in the River Room and Dee assured him he was quite the spunk back when he was rowing.

And finally, here's a collection of 50 of Dean's best photographs from World Masters. It was an absolutely fantastic trip for the 12 WARCers who took part, but it really was Dean Neal who made this happen, from lining up the boats to recording the whole thing so we have a memento of the journey.

Viva la WARC.

A little bit more about our heritage grant

From left: WARC Life member Clem Williams, Vice President Jessica Donnelly, Heritage Council chair Marion Fulker, Heritage Minister Albert Jacob and WARC President Peta Rule with the "Wimmera" MQR single scull and Su Guy's "Hanz Off" Croker oars.

Representatives from some of the 43 organisations to recieve a heritage grant attended the announcement of the grants at the WA Rowing Club on Wednesday, October 15.

This is what Vice President Jessica Donnelly had to say:

Clem Williams, as he appeared in the West today. Read the story here

Since then, I've (PBR) fielded phone calls and emails from all sorts of different people saying how happy they were to hear about the grant, and offering assistance and advice. I'd particularly like to thank Amalia Long who wrote the successful application (thanks champ!) and Clem Williams who was such a spectacularly good sport and appeared in photographs and all sorts of things.

You can hear Clem's interview with Paul Murray on 6PR here:

Of course, with great luck comes great responsibility. This heritage grant comes with quite a few requirements so in reality, this is the start of a process, and not the end.

We look forward to bringing you more updates on our work to build new slips at WARC.

Major grant a life saver for the WA Rowing Club

The following is a press statement issued by the WA Rowing Club today, Tuesday October 15:

• WA’s oldest rowing club to receive much-needed funding boost
• $57,828 grant will be used to replace a rowing boat launch deck
• Rowing will now be able to continue in Perth’s central business district

The State Government’s 2014-15 Heritage Grants Program has given WA’s oldest rowing club a last-minute reprieve from closure.

West Australian Rowing Club Vice President, Jessica Donnelly, said today the 146-year-old sporting institution had been granted $57,828 for a new project to replace the Club’s aging rowing boat launch deck, which had reached the end of its useful life.

“I can say without a shadow of a doubt, without this grant the WA Rowing Club would be at risk of closure as the deck has become increasingly hazardous to our athletes,” Miss Donnelly said.

“The deck was last replaced during a major refurbishment in 1990s and it has been repaired many times due to high tides and rough storms. This year, however, it has deteriorated more rapidly due to age and our athletes are at risk every time they launch a boat.”

The Club has already started planning and fundraising for the new deck, which will include a design that will allow swimmers to easily enter the water from it.

“The rowing deck is also the starting point for the annual BHP Billiton Aquatic Super Series open water swim, so it is important to us that it not only caters for our rowers, but also for other users such as swimmers and triathletes,” Miss Donnelly said.

The WA Rowing Club was founded in 1868 and the current clubhouse was built in 1905. The Club for current Australian representative Hannah Vermeersch.

Life Member Clem Williams said  the building, which was designed by member Felix Whitwell at the turn of the 19th century, had been an important part of the Perth landscape for generations.

“Many West Australians would be familiar with this club, even if they don’t know the name of it. Perhaps they’ve celebrated weddings or a birthday, or participated in the annual Lord Mayor’s Cup regatta,” Mr Williams said.

“It has been here on Perth’s foreshore for almost 150 years so has certainly stood the test of time. The building itself was condemned during the 1960s and again in the 1990s, yet both times was painstakingly renovated by volunteers, most of whom were club members. This project will be no different, with club members planning to put in a great deal of the elbow grease needed to get this new deck completed.”

FACT FILE:

• The West Australian Rowing Club hosts the only rowing regatta in Perth’s central business district, the Lord Mayor’s Cup in February each year
• The club’s oldest member, Alan Salisbury, 81, last week won a gold medal at the World Rowing Masters Regatta in Ballarat
• On October 19, the Club will be participating in Perth Heritage Days from 10am to 4pm
• For  pictures, a full history of the club or for the next Learn to Row course dates, visit warowingclub.org

For interviews or media opportunities, please call Peta Rule, 0428 923 661

Pulling a Genie (and a trailer)

This is the car that will be towing more than $200,000 worth of carbon across the nation for the World Rowing Masters Regatta in Ballarat. Thank you, Genie Exhaust.

The Western Australian Masters Rowing fraternity in general and the West Australian Rowing club in particular – would like to thank Genie Exhausts WA for their amazing generosity, in supplying a tow-vehicle for the rowing contingent heading to the World Rowing Masters Regatta, to be staged in Ballarat, Victoria – this weekend.

“What can I say, thanks so much to Genie Exhausts WA for their support,” said trip co-ordinator Dean Neal.

“To Tony & Gillian Argentino… words cannot adequately express our gratitude for their amazing generosity.”

Tony's "Hitman" supercharged car

You can find Genie Exhausts WA at:

60 Norma Road

Myaree WA 6154

Phone (08) 9330 6900

genie-exhausts.com.au

Tony Argentino is a popular Drag Racer, known for his iconic ‘Hitman’ Supercharged car, that is a family favourite around Australia.

“I saw there was a need for a car from Dean and his rowing friends and we are just happy to help out,” Gillian said in response to their fantastic support.

For well over 30-years, Genie Exhausts WA has been and is Perth’s number one choice for:

• Exhaust components and systems
• Dyno testing
• Mechanical repairs and servicing
• Performance work
• Diagnostic services
• Custom exhaust fabrication
• Cold air inductions
• Zoomies
• Custom Headers

…for all makes and models!

We will feature the distinctive Red Genie Exhausts WA Holden Colorado Ute as it criss-crosses the country in the coming days on our 3000km adventure to Ballarat.

AGM: October 1

The ad in the West Australian advising of WARC's upcominb AGM

Download the agenda for the 2014 AGM of the WA Rowing Club

6pm: Boat naming of the two new fours

6.30pm: Annual General Meeting, including

1. Tabling of financial documents 
2. Voting on the Life Members criteria and the finance policy
3. Elections

7pm: Celebratory drinks at Lucky Shag

In preparation, please download the agenda.

Nominations have been received for:

• President: Peta Rule
• Vice Presidents: Peter Klemm and Jessica Donnelly
• Captain: Nick Wakeford
• Vice Captains: Sam Hughes (men) and Janelle Austin (women)
• Secretary: Michael Smith
• Treasurer: Kirsty Augustson
• Assistant Treasurer: Philippa Midler 
• Committee members: Matt Cochran, Amelia De Long, Janet Smith, Dean Neal
• See nomination documents here

You may also wish to refer to the constitution here.

The amazing George Rogers

We were contacted by Mrs Groves this week, who called the Club to say she had a photograph of some rowers from WARC, which included George Rogers. I swung past Mrs Groves' house yesterday pick up the photograph, and gotta say the inner rowing nerd in me was immediately pretty excited. Check out the pic (sorry about the light - without removing the image from the frame it's hard to properly reproduce).

Firstly, I love the woolen shorts on these guys. Secondly, HOW ADORABLE IS THE COXSWAIN!?? And thirdly, whoever our man P. Smith is, he is proving for time immemorial that if you put a bloke in front of a camera, he will flex with every inch of his might to get some good gun definition.

Our resident lay historian Warren Anderson tells me this photograph was probably from the 1930s and he'll see what else he can dig up by way of detail.

The reason I'm writing this blog post, however is the bloke on the left is the indefatigable George Rogers. George joined WARC in 1907 when he was about 22 - or at least, so the Guy Negus history claims. Just think: The club house would have been new back then.

George rowed at WARC from 1907 until at least 1952 when he won the Perth to Freo at the age of 67. Bloody overachiever. Reminds me a bit of Alan Salisbury.

Negus reckons George invented the Perth to Freo in 1940, so guess that's an event we can claim as our own. George went on to be considered a bit of a medical marvel, his physical prowess attracted the attention of the Sydney University Department of Physiology,  who said at the age of 65, George was probably "equal to about 75 per cent of what you recorded as a young man at your very best."

George even met the Queen.

The point of this is, I would like to think if George was still around, he'd be pretty stoked with what our club has become. It's more than 100 years since he first walked through the door, and we continue to follow in his footsteps of excellence at any age.

I reckon he'd be pretty amazed - not least at the erg score Dee Sammut just clocked. Kinda wish he was around so he could see it.

Sentenced to Life

Many rowing clubs throughout the world have a set criteria for life members. Despite a fair bit of research, I've not been able to uncover an existing set of criteria for WARC that would assist our Life Members Committee to select new inductees to the fold. The current process for inducting new life members at WARC is that the Life Members Committee tables its nomination to the WARC Committee meeting prior to the AGM for ratification, and the life member is then inducted at the AGM with a two-thirds majority vote of all present. Members can make recommendations to the Life Members Committee as well.

You may recall at the 2013 AGM, we introduced this process via the Life Members policy, detailed here. 

To date, there has been no set or understood criteria to help guide the Life Members Committee in this process. With a bit of research, we have drafted the following criteria, which has been agreed on by the Life Members Committee.

If suitable, this criteria will be voted upon at the upcoming AGM on Wednesday, October 1 at 6pm. 75 per cent of those present at the AGM will need to vote in favour of this new criteria for it to be adopted.

Note: Under Rule 19 of the WARC constitution, new rules must be circulated at least seven days before the AGM. It is my view this blog post and circulation via our newsletter satisfies this requirement.

DRAFT LIFE MEMBER CRITERIA

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A Life Membership is bestowed upon a member who has always put their efforts towards supporting and building the club first and foremost, and whose presence has been a driving force for the betterment of WARC and the sport of rowing generally.

Criteria include:

1. 10 years membership at WARC
2. Exceptional competitive achievement for the club at local/state/international representation.
3. Exceptional administrative achievement
4. Exceptional contribution to the sport of rowing generally

A candidate must satisfy point 1, and a minimum of two other criteria.

“Exceptional” may include:

(2a)  Achieving a State title, being part of a WA crew at a national level, and/or potential international representation on the Australian team. It may include an athlete who has competed at a consistent high level over many seasons representing WARC.

(3a)  Committee representation for at least 5 years, with leadership demonstrated in administrative change and new systems. It may also take into account:

• Committee members who have ensured the best interest of the club have always been central to decisions,
• Committee members who have actively upheld Club Rules
• Committee members who have contributed significantly to fundraising efforts

(4a) Recognition for introducing new members and coaches to the Club

(4b)  Recognised achievement in umpiring, administration, or other service by Rowing WA can be taken into consideration but is not a primary reason for life membership.

ENDS.

We need to talk about Kevin

BY PBR

I first heard about Kevin Wall when I was interviewing another rowing legend, also called Kevin: Kevin O'Brien, father of current Australian national performance director Chris O'Brien.

"Are you still coaching?" I asked, wondering if, at 83, O'Brien senior had slowed down a little from the cantankerous bugger I'd known as a teenager. Knowing a few other 83-year-old rowing legends (Irvine, Salisbury), I suspected probably not.

"Yes, I'm coaching a 41-year-old woman who who has just been selected to go to Boston for para-rowing. She's in a crew with an Irish bloke who's rowing out in Perth - Kevin Wall - perhaps you've heard of him?"

(You can read about Narelle here)

I regretfully answered that I had not. Of course, that was about to change for me, and for everyone else at WARC.

Kevin joined WARC about a month ago from Bunbury where he had been rowing in 2011 and preparing for a chance at London Paralympic Games. This yarn suggests our man missed out by the narrowest of margins on that chance to represent his native Ireland. He's now been picked up in an Australian team for the Boston Head of the Charles with Balmain Rowing Club, which could put him the running for Rio - this time in the green and gold.

Of course, he won't be the only part of the WARC family in Boston, Kev's doubles partner from Bunbury Peter Klemm will be there with Pete Panizza, past President Sten Campbell and Billl Hutton.

(This article also tells how Kevin rescued a father and son in a dangerous capsized boat incident. It would seem he's a handy man to have around.)

From my perspective as President, Kevin is the sorta bloke you pray to recruit.

• He's Irish - and we've hosted a whole bunch of those.
• He's picked up a few good wins.
• He's handy with a paintball rifle (or so I'm told), and
• He's driven to row at the highest level.

With that in mind, we'll be looking to keep you in the loop on Kev's campaign to Boston - and ultimately Rio.