AUGUST 2020 NEWS Provided by your faithful correspondent Trident. Past News can be found via the links on the right of this page Above: Our esteemed and longest serving member Arthur Atkins celebrates his 103rd birthday News covered this month: • Special General Meeting unanimously approves the new constitution • Join in the Rowing Victoria active minutes challenge and see Mercs win • RA new • News hounds spot an article on Andrew McNeil • Member correspondence - Paul Schreier • Club's Foundation enforces no tobacco rule • Interesting image from 1970 Australian eight • Kayakers buy a new K4 • Latest COVID restrictions • A picture from the past found by Peter "China' O'Brien • Happy birthday Arthur Atkins • The pandemic finally closes the Club • Member profile – Roger Wilson OAM Special General Meeting approves a new constitution Published 20th August 2020 The Club broke new ground with the first video general meeting in 140 years of the Club's history. The President and another 43 members present, with another 8 others voting by proxy, unanimously approved the new constitution. Many members duly recognised the significance of being conducted on a Thursday night at 6pm when the Mercs bar would normally be open by enjoying a drink during proceedings. There was some concern expressed at the size of the Secretary's scotch and whether he would survive the meeting, let alone count the votes. The President chaired the meeting admirably dispensing with the business in 17 minutes, even after accounting for the Secretary's vote counting and the Geoff Barden questions. In the end, the President saved the Secretary the bother of counting by declaring it a unanimous decision to the acclamation of those present. Members continued in discussion after the business had been dispensed with. Mike McKay was questioned by the Moomba King Hat wearing James Tomkins. Mike responded as best he could to this comical sight and provided some insights into how well the Club is progressing. Matters completed with a vote of thanks from ex President Malcolm Batten to the coaches, athletes and administrators who have managed valiantly to maintain the Club under the very difficult lockdown situation. Join the Rowing Victoria active minutes challenge and see Mercs win Pubished 20th August 2020 From the Rowing Victoria website. Rowing Victoria recognises the challenges that all Victorians are facing during the Stage 4 Lock down due to Covid-19. We want to help our community to stay connected during this lock down by challenging our clubs and schools to stay active! Physical activity is vital for our mental health and wellbeing, which is why this challenge will be aiming to build connection and reduce feelings of isolation for all Victorians by staying active. The Rowing Victoria Active Minutes Challenge will be tracking the total minutes of each club and school within Victoria over 4 weeks to find Victoria’s most active Club/School! So, connect with your club or school and encourage everyone to stay active and log their minutes for the challenge! WHO? - Everyone!! - Rowers, Coxswains, Coaches, Parents, Staff, Volunteers *We want to encourage everyone in our community to participate. HOW? - Ergo sessions - Running - Walking - Cycling - Yoga - Pilates - Strength sessions - Just get active!! **ONE SESSION PER ENTRY** WHEN? START: 12 Noon, Saturday 15 August 2020 FINISH: 12 Noon, Sunday 13 September 2020 WHERE? Individuals will submit their scores for the challenge via the link below. WHY? GOAL: To encourage the Victorian rowing community to stay connected and active by recording their total minutes of physical activity each day on behalf of their Victorian Club or School. GUIDELINES: • A school or club may elect to nominate their Club Captain or Head of Rowing to submit data on behalf of the entire group. If you would like to do this you must email [email protected]. There is a group submission form on the event page. • You can enter your minutes daily or weekly (individual submissions must be one session, not accumulative) • Sessions must be recorded using a smart phone fitness app or fitness watch. Apps like Strava can be downloaded for free. • Participants must keep a screen shot of their session for their records and auditing purposes. Submission Link: INDIVIDUAL PARTICIPANTS SUBMIT HERE Your correspondent has put in 2 hours of ergos since 15th August. RA anti-doping policy amended Published 20th August 2020 Rowing Australia’s Anti-Doping Policy has been amended : Rowing Australia’s Anti-Doping Policy has been amended and is effective 10 August 2020. The changes bring our sport in line with the establishment of Sport Integrity Australia which will replace the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) as the National Anti-Doping Organisation (NADO) in Australia from 1 July 2020. The changes which come into effect on 10 August 2020 are: • Replacing the words Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) with Sport Integrity Australia (SIA) • Recognising the National Sports Tribunal (NST) for first instance hearings by all athletes, and appeals by non-international-level athletes, • Introducing the concept of ‘lower level athlete’ to allow greater flexibility in dealing with and sanctioning athletes below International or National level, and • Removing the Anti-Doping Rule Violation Panel. For more details please click here to ensure your up to date with all the latest changes. News hounds spot an article on Andrew McNeil Published 20th August 2020 Our eagle eyed news hounds have spotted an article in the local Warrnambool newspaper on Andrew McNeil: https://www.standard.net.au/story/6873633/a-giant-involvement- andrew-mcneil-goes-under-the-auld-pump/?cs=10266. Andrew is a staunch Mercs man and his two children are also members. To add a little colour to the local story, your correspondent spoke with Andrew. Given it was a football based story, your correspondent inquired about his footballing highlights. Andrew immediately referred to his school (St Joseph’s CBC WBool) being runners up for the regional Herald Shield final in 1989 at Waverly (VFL Park). I also gathered that he might have been a bit miffed tghat story did not cover this! A solid half back flanker apparently. Also playing in the same position, the South Warnambool U18s were also runners up in Hampden League GF in 1989. But despite his football and umpiring glory, he picked rowing over footy in 1990. "As a footballer, I made a better rower!" Warnambool boy made good, our Andrew McNeil. Member correspondence - Paul Schreier Published 20th August 2020 One of the joys of being your correspondent is receiving emails from Club members. (Fortunately emails from my peers reminiscing antics of youth are now more readily denied due to old age and poor memory.) This month I have had the pleasure of correspondence with Paul Schreier who has been resident in England for much of his life since his rowing finished in 1980s. He is an avid reader of Club news and supporter of the Club. He is a deep thinker and so maintains a great perspective on rowing over the years. He laments the false economy of Australian teams of the 1960s and 1970s where an almost tragic amateurism that must have robbed many crews of success. Year after year, one reads "the crews went to Europe with out of date Australian equipment" .. Paul continues: Anyway, the mind boggles, especially because the smaller (and poorer!) NZ was getting its crews right to the top of the sport at the same time, including a great win in the VIII in 1972. They did it again in 1982 at the world championships and one of that crew, Tony Brook, coached me at Cambridge. He was outstanding and a very good bloke too: one of those smaller types who used to get into heavyweight crews in that era through sheer bloody mindedness and determination (a al Antonie). He told me a great story once about that NZ crew build up in training in Lucerne in 1982. They were boating out of the Rotsee sheds and every time they came in from rowing the (huge) East German crew was standing at either side of the entrance to the shed, arms folded, as the Kiwis put their boat away. It was a crude attempt at an intimidating "guard of honour". Anyway, after a few days of this, the Kiwis had had enough and one of them (the smallest one) let go of the eight as they were slipping it back in to the shed. He walked up to the biggest German he could see, grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and pushed him back against the door, saying: "You know mate, we've got blokes as big as you back home. You know what we did with them?" German: "No." Kiwi: "We left them there." Game, set, match: Kiwi gold! Paul recently moved into a beautiful country residence outside Oxford where he and his wife tend a surperb garden. His wife maintains a blog which attaches photos of the garden. The latest blog is at the following address and is worth a look: https://jannaschreier.com/2020/07/31/july- 2020-in-the-garden/#more-10907. Thanks Paul for your continued interest and support of the Club. Paul as the three man of the Mercs national championship under 19 four in 1987 Club's Foundation enforces no tobacco rule Published 12th August 2020 The investment policy of the Club's Foundation enforces a no-tobacco rule with investments. A proposed investment of the Foundation was found to have 0.5% exposure to tobacco companies and so rejected. How times have changed from when tobacco companies sponsored our major regattas and Rothmans sponsored coaching education. Interesting image from 1970 Australian Eight Published 9th August 2020 Whilst we have to wear masks in 2020 for reasons of the pandemic, what was the 1970 Australian eight thinking of by wearing masks back then? The answer lies in an attempt to mirror altitude training.