Contents 26 Thanks Julian Bewick 26 A History Lesson Mike Smith Editorial MCSBC 4 A Good Balance? Julian Bewick 29 Girls Victoria Warner 5 Pauline Grimwade 29 Senior Boys Joshua Stupples Vintage Years 30 2014 Joshua Black 6 1951 Notes by Director of Rowing Matt Wells 8 1952 31 Saltford 11 1953 32 Regular Reports 14 1954 32 House Regatta 16 1953/54 60th Anniversay Reunion 33 Stratford and Marlow 16 Notes Charles Grimwade 17 Memories Charles Grimwade Cover 18 Multi-Tasking at Henley Ken Gibson Front Rowing on the Ganges Articles 18 Coaching in India - March 2013 2 top 1953/4 Reunion Godfrey Bishop bottom Novices on the Swimming Pool 20 Reflections from the Landing Stage 35 top The 1st 4x with their new boat Mike Lawrence bottom Girls crew at the house Regatta 22 The Bumps Sam Fawcett Back 23 A New Boathouse Julian Bewick top J15 4x pushing out at NSR 24 Why I Row Alex Manley bottom 1st 4x- on Home Waters 24 What is Rowing to You? Konstantin Goncharov Editor Julian Bewick 25 A note of Thanks Toby Johnson Cover Design Joe Short (1st VIII 1990) 25 Celebrate Good Times Printer Ralph Allen Press Legs 10! MCSBC Appeal Take her Home! • funds raised to date through donations - £531,208 • funds pledged and expected by December 2013 - £60,000 • total received and pledged - £591,208 • this will cover cost of refurbishment of boathouse at Dundas (£100k), construction of boathouse at Saltford (£400k) and make a contribution of £91,000 to the endowment fund (target £250,000 which will help to supplement the funds contributed by the school to annual running costs) • total fundraising target for project - £750,000 • this leaves ~ £160,000 still to find • if 200 members each gave £30 per month for 2 years, we would reach our target figure. • donations can be sent to Development Office or gift form downloaded from the school website • work has started at Saltford All Contributions will be gratefully received 3 3 A Good Balance? The chances are that when you first picked up this newsletter, you skimmed through from cover to cover, looking at the pictures. What next? Some say they read everything; others read just a few articles. The pictures in this edition will no doubt please the skimmers; but the substance is in the text. Articles may be long, and pages of text with no illustrations may be daunting. There are parallels with rowing: the occasional excitement of racing is what supporters may want to watch or hear about; but persistent training over days, months and years is a very major part of the sport. Such training brought success in the early 1950s. The article Vintage Years may be long and repetitive, which in a sense mirrors the sport being described, but it is nevertheless worth reading. Sixty years ago, life ran at a different pace and with different emphases. There is no question of trying to turn the clock back, but perhaps we can learn something from a different age. On the surface, the notes written then, which are quoted extensively in the article, describe the run-up to and racing at Henley. But what comes out of them is the description of a world which is probably unfamiliar to the reader. The crew which reached the final at Henley in 1952 used a heavy clinker boat for its last outing at school. Of course, such boats are no longer built, and all but beginners now use what in the 1950s would have been called light ships or fine boats. High priority is now given to academic work and exams, so it may seem strange that the crew rowing at Henley would train there for a week before racing and at the same time be taking important A-level exams. What comes across from the notes written in the 1950s is that both examinations and preparation for racing were treated with a lighter touch than they are nowadays. Both activities were important to those taking part, but each was tackled without fuss. To this day, the commitment needed to undertake rowing training is seen by some to jeopardise academic progress. Others quote research which leads to the conclusion that physical exercise taken regularly and on the same day as important work improves performance. Examination grades can be raised by as much as 10%. No doubt the debate will continue. Henley Final - 1952 Julian Bewick - October 2013 Henley Final - 1952 4 Pauline Grimwade On a murky September evening in the mid-1960s, a new member of the staff arrived to find the School still deserted after the holidays, so his first impressions were rather gloomy. However, he soon found his way to Pauline's kitchen at Binmead, finding a warm welcome and, of course home- made cakes. That first meeting with Pauline and her family was followed by many years of welcome support, friendship and hospitality. Sometimes a school environment can be impersonal and daunting, but Pauline was always a good neighbour - one of those rare people who provide the human touch with warmth, kindness and shrewd, unassuming advice. Pauline died last May, aged 92, after a long illness. She came to Monkton in 1949, having been founder-Matron at Hazelgrove Prep school amongst other varied nursing posts. She not only ran the surgery, with daily visits from the School Doctor, but also the large Sanatorium, the school laundry, the sewing room and the troop of admirable cleaning ladies. After five years, she gave this up to marry Charles Grimwade, and became a respected and much-loved Housemaster's wife. Her nursing skills were also invaluable as she took charge of the crews' physical well-being on two mammoth 1st VIII training trips, one year from Putney to Oxford, and the next a repeat in the opposite direction, as well as expeditions to regattas at Muhlheim and Copenhagen. When Charles made the mistake of leaving Monkton to breed racehorses, she took on that new challenge, even driving the horsebox. Following his retirement to the village of Halse, she became greatly loved by the villagers, as was witnessed by the vast number who attended her funeral, along with many O.M.s, and the many letters and cards of condolence which her family received. She had a deep faith, and wanted her passing to be marked by a bright service of thanksgiving for her life so she asked for 'no mourning, but all to wear bright clothes'. So the Church was a mass of bright colour - a fitting farewell as she returned to her Lord and Saviour. JMB MCSBC competing at Bagsvaerd, Copenhagen in 1968. bow Steven Mayo-Smith, Mark Clare,Steve Ashton, David Kyle, James Chase, Clive Sinclair, Robert Morris, str Roger Wotton, cox Andrew Tapley, Coach Charles Grimwade, Support Pauline Grimwade Vintage Years -- 1951 -- 1952 -- 1953 -- 1954 This article was squeezed out of last year's newsletter by the London Olympics 2012. 60 years earlier, Monkton reached a final at Henley for the first and only time in its history; semi-finals were reached in 1951, 1953 and 1954, achievements which deserve to be remembered. The bulk of the article is taken from the Boat Club minute book. Press cuttings are printed in bold italic, and [annotations by the Editor appear in square brackets]. 5 5 1951 up [sic]. This will help the run of the boat and conserve energies and add to pace. Crew : JH Ducker, MTG Bone, JB Chaplin, MS Atkins, RGH Walker, AHP Scott-Mitchell, PM (9pm received a phone call from the Bursar Jordan, RM Giles, C Hastings : average weight authorising placing orders for new boats) 11 st 8 lb (FLOREAT REMIGERES MONKTONIENSES!) ... Monkton Combe also have five old May the Phoenix be our symbol. colours, but only three of them - AGH Walker MTG Bone, and JB Chaplin - have kept their [www.bluefriars.org.uk/news/2003/fire03.htm places in the crew. Much will depend on their is an article about the fire in the 2003 newsletter] development during the final fortnight of training, but if their work on their home waters is any guide they may become quite a Saturday, 30 June fast crew. Out at 12 midday after 2½ hour exams. Wednesday, 27 June Paddling seemed smoother and solid and we Final outing on Home Waters. Started off attempted to keep the blades better covered, to well and continued with good rhythm and blade draw it out more and to make the finish more work. Finished off with a half course - better than solid. We rowed a Barrier in rather a slow time - on Monday. 2:8 - and then paddled and light with one start off Fawley home. At 5.45pm we went out again to Thursday, 28 June do a course, cox and coach having been to the Owing to exams it was not possible to get draw which gave us Portora Royal School. Quite afloat until 8:30pm. In the evening cool we had lively paddling on the way down with one start at an enjoyable outing. Rating generally 25 without 40. We were to have Royal Chester to pace us in effort. One or two starts at 39/40. Blade work from Fawley. We again did the Barrier in about sounded crisp, possibly disarmingly so, as the 2:8 and Chester picked us up just as we had our quiet emphasised the sound of the blades Fawley 10, but the silent ten misfired and this entering the water. must be attended to. The second part of the Friday, 29 June course seemed better than the first, and the ten At 8:45am receive the news by phone that off the Funfair produced something and we the big boat house had been burnt down during appeared to race it in quite well.