JUNE 2021 NEWS Provided by your faithful correspondent Trident. Past News can be found via the links on the right of this page News covered this month: • School Holiday Rowing Camp • Rowing history story from Paul Schreier in the UK • Olympic celebrations - keep these dates free • Fun run Sunday 25 July closes Boathouse Drive • Beware of slippery staging • Restrictions ease a little more • Congratulations to our Olympic Team Members • John Harry OAM • Our underage Australian team members receive their uniforms • Lockdown Latest - 10th June • Notice of Yarra River works - 9 June • The Bitter Impacts of Lockdown 4 • Winter Sculling • Lighting requirements for boats • Inaugural Australian Coastal Rowing Championsips announced • Congratulations to our senior Australian team members • Club rowing takes off • Coastal rowing at Mercs • Changing room lockers are now available for rental • Drink wine to help the Club, now that is an idea • Member profiles - Newcomb and Wraith School Holiday Rowing Camp Published 12th May 2021 School Holiday Rowing Camp Monday June 28th- Thursday July 1st Keep active this school holidays, and return to the riverbank, with Mercantile Rowing Club’s School Holiday Rowing Camps. Led by Mercantile Head Coach Mike McKay (Oarsome Foursome, Dual Olympic Gold Medallist) and delivered by national and state team coaches, the camp will help participants improve their technique and skills in a fun and structured program, as well as meet new friends ahead of the upcoming school rowing season. This four-day program combines on-water sessions with off-water education with a host of expert guest speakers including Drew Ginn (Oarsome Foursome, Triple Olympic Gold Medallist). The camp includes breakfast daily, and is best suited to students in Year 10 and Year 11 – rowers and coxes - with at least one season of school rowing experience. The camp program includes: - Daily on-water session in crew boats, with Mercantile High Performance Coaches - Off-water activities, including strength and conditioning, team games, and ergos - Specialist education sessions on nutrition, injury prevention, study, study/sport balance - National Sports Museum Tour at the Melbourne Cricket Ground - Mini-regatta, Presentations, and BBQ on the final day of the camp - Breakfast daily - Camp Training T-Shirt Key Camp Details Dates: Monday June 28th- Thursday July 1st Times: 8:30pm – 3:30pm each camp day. Where: Mercantile Rowing Club, Boathouse Drive, Melbourne Who: Year 10 and Year 11 students – rowers and coxes Cost: $550 per person (includes breakfast daily and camp t-shirt) To register your interest click here for camp 1. Registrations close on Sunday 20th June unless sold out prior. For all other enquiries, please contact Meghan Hester on [email protected] Rowing history story from Paul Schreier in the UK Published 17th June 2021 Club member Paul Schreier (World Junior Championships 1987) and rowing history buff and come up with yet another great rowing history story. Whilst many people will say "so what", it brings in elements of some of Australia's greatest sporting, Olympic and business moments. We have added links to the rowing profiles of key people in the story. Read on. I've got another rowing story for you from over here, with an Australian link. I was corresponding with a man called William Drake, whose father, Sir Eric, was the CEO and Chairman of BP in the early 70s. [Editor: One of the original directors of BP was William D'Arcy, the former President of Rockhampton Rowing Club QLD, who funded the exploration of oil in the Middle East and was successful. Given what has happened in the Middle East since, he can be lauded or vilified. Regardless, he is probably one of Australia's most influencial citizens.] Anyway, Eric had been up at Pembroke, Cambridge in the 1930s. As you may know, there were two Australians at Pembroke at the time, Lewis Luxton and Bill Sambell, who both rowed for Cambridge, won the Boat Race in 1932, then the Grand at Henley, and were selected for Britain at the Los Angeles Olympics, finishing fourth. Luxton and Sambell had been at school together at Melbourne Grammar and went straight to Cambridge as undergraduates. Anyway, William Drake showed me a photo of his father’s trophy oar from Pembroke College in 1931, when Pembroke were head in the May Bumps, and there they both are: These days we might not think much of a Cambridge college first boat but it is worth remembering that in those days, it was not unusual for a college crew to be selected for the Olympics. Indeed, as late as 1951, a Cambridge college crew, Lady Margaret Boat Club, won the Grand at Henley. (Again, there was an Australian in the crew, Brian Lloyd, but that’s another story.) Back to Luxton and Sambell, the latter won a race at Australian Henley in 1934 with London Rowing Club. Here’s the oar: Finally, I was at a dinner a while back in a country inn in Wiltshire, the night before going shooting. As I looked at the walls of the room, I noticed this: It’s a white cricket sweater with the initials ‘LL’. As I looked closer I could see the faded silk strip around the collar, now white but originally light blue. I recognised it as a Cambridge blues rowing jumper. There was more. A zephyr: A waistcoat; A Blazer A Leander Club zephyr: And, finally, 1932 Olympic team gear: The ‘LL’ is Lewis Luxton and the clothing is his Cambridge, Leander and GB Olympic kit. I knew a few of the Luxtons from my time at school. Anyway, I asked the waitress if the inn, the Beckford Arms, had any connections with the Luxton family. It turns out Charlie Luxton is the owner, and he is Lewis’ grandson. So it is that the 1930s rowing kit of an Australian ends up in an Inn in Wiltshire. Lewis, of course, was an instrumental organiser of the 1956 Olympics which his father, Harold, had played a major part in winning, by one vote, from Buenos Aires. Olympic celebrations - keep these dates free Pubished 27th June 2021 The Olympic Games are only a month away so now is the time to plan your celebrations at Mercs. The OLYMPIC ROWING PROGRAM of events can be found through this link. Join us at the Club to enjoy the racing on the big screen. Saturday morning 24th July - breakfast from 9am at the Club watching the races. See Jess Morrison do the unbelievable - race the heats of the women's pair and four just two hours apart and the replay of Amanda's heat from Thursday. If Amanda's heat does not go well, we will also see her in the repechage. Thursday night 29th July - row and bar open from 7pm to watch replays of the weeks racing. Then the big one - Friday morning 30th July 9am Mercantile Olympic Brunch. Viewing of the eights finals at 10.05 and 10.25am. This is day to take off work and see Angus Widdicombe stroke the men's eight and Kat Werry the women's eight with James Rook steering. For those who are young, or at least young at heart, there is an athletes Olympic party on Saturday 31st July from 7pm. Our Olympic Rowing Team Fun run 25th July closes Boathouse Drive Published 20th June 2021 Run Melbourne, which is a community health, & fitness event, is to be held in Melbourne on Sunday, 25 July 2021. Boathouse Drive is locked off from 4.30am to 9.30am. Please find the following information attached 2021 Run Melbourne Event Notification with Road Closure Overview and Course Overview. Beware of slippery staging Published 18th June 2021 Message from Rowing Victoria which we endorse. Due to the recent heavy rainfall and high water levels on the Yarra River, a significant amount of sediment has been deposited on the Princes Bridge staging. Rowing Victoria recommends caution and wishes to advise you that Parks Victoria have been notified and will be cleaning the staging when conditions allow. Stay Safe, stay Rowing. Restrictions ease a little more Published 16th June 2021 As from Thursday midnight, the restrictions ease a little more. What does this mean? • Movement between metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria is now unrestricted. • Maximum Club capacity no more than 300 indoors at the density quotient of 1 person per 4sqm. • Maximum group size is 50 people indoors, e.g., 50 x people in gym, 50 x people in bar area. • Competition is permitted - winter sculling re-commences • Face masks must be worn indoors except when exercising. • Face masks must be worn indoors including when retrieving equipment/ boats and recommended outdoors where 1.5 metres physical distancing cannot be maintained. Face masks not required on water. • The State Gov't QR codes are to be used for check in at the club. • Practice good hygiene measures including washing and disinfecting shared equipment.as wellas row and race Congratulations to our Olympic Team Members Published 14th June 2021 Congratulations to our Club members who have been selected inot the Olympic Rowing Team: • Amanda Bateman - W2x • Ria Thompson - W4x • Jess Morrison - W2 and W4 • Kat Werry - W8 • James Rook - W8 • Angus Widdicombe - M8 The full team is as follows: Olympic Name Event Age Suburb State Postcode Games Amanda Bateman W2x 24 Debut Beaumaris VIC 3193 Tara Rigney W2x 22 Debut Roseville NSW 2069 Ria Thompson W4x 23 Debut Woodend VIC 3442 Rowena Meredith W4x 26 Debut Mosman NSW 2088 Harriet Hudson W4x 23 Debut Warwick QLD 4370 Caitlin Cronin W4x 26 Debut Ashgrove QLD 4060 Jessica Morrison W2- and W4- 29 2nd (2016) Brighton VIC 3186 Annabelle McIntyre W2- and W4- 24 Debut Fremantle WA 6160 Rosemary Popa W4- 29 Debut Toorak VIC 3142 Lucy Stephan W4- 29 2nd (2016) Nhill VIC 3480 Olympia Aldersey W8+ 28 2nd (2016) Hyde