We are continuing our fleet renewal program and will be naming our new Women’s Eight after the RRC AGM which starts at 10am on Saturday, 27 July. We look forward to seeing as many members present as possible, the running order for the day will be:
10am – AGM
10.30am – Boat naming
11am – club races
12 onwards – BBQ and bar
As part of our fleet renewal program to make space for newer boats we donated one of our older single sculls to the Bendigo Rowing Club last year. We have received many thanks for Bendigo for this donation and they have in turn spent time refurbishing the boat.
I was pleased to receive a letter from the Bendigo Rowing Club, thanking us for this donation and also letting me know that they intend to name the boat after our current Head of Rowing Tim Evans.
As most of you will know Tim has a deep connection with both clubs, having been introduced to rowing in Bendigo by one of their life members Denis Nihill. Tim has also rowed successfully for Richmond for a number of years, served on our Committee in multiple roles and is a Life Member of Richmond Rowing Club.
The Tim Evans will be formally named following the BRC AGM to be held at 11am, Sunday 28 July at Lake Weeroona, Bendigo. Tim will be present and I will also attend to represent the club. The Bendigo Rowing Club has also invited any members of Richmond Rowing Club who would like to attend. Please let me know and I will pass on the details.
In their correspondence with me the Bendigo Rowing Club has also recognised our participation in the annual Bendigo Sprint Regatta and they look forward to seeing us this year again. Highlighting the number of former Bendigo rowers who have continued their rowing on relocation to Melbourne by joining our club, they also hope that the naming of the boat will further strengthen the connection that exists between our clubs.
Congratulations to Tim on this honour from his hometown club!!
Presentation Night 2019
A great night was had by all at the Richmond Rowing Club 2018/19 Presentation Night. Thank you to all of the RRC members and guests who came along to celebrate another successful season. As always it was great to see so many new and old faces present on the night.
We congratulated our Male and Female Club and Masters rowers of the year. These prestigious awards are determined through participation and success at regattas, club races and club time trials. The winners on the evening were:
- Mal Scott Award – Male Club Rower of the Year – John Carey
- John Sawyer – Female Club Rower of the Year – Geraldine Goss
- Male Masters Rower of the Year – Leigh Sullivan and Philip Munson
- Female Masters Rower of the Year – Diana Vernon and Anthea Amos
The Don Edwards, Cox of the year award was presented to Charlotte North-Coombes.
The President’s Award was presented to Steven Sheppard, reflecting on his dedication to Richmond Rowing Club and the sport of rowing in Victoria as a level 2 BRO. Stephen is regularly representing our club at Regattas to ensure their smooth and safe running.
The Hendley Family Mixed Quad Time Trial was presented by Rod Hendley to Kate Dyball, John Carey, Dennis Beck, Geraldine Goss and Charlotte North-Coombes (coxswain).
The male coxed four Round the Island time trial was won by Alan Randall, Jon Roberts, John Carey, Dennis Beck and Charlotte North-Coombes (coxswain).
The female coxed four Round the Island time trial was won by Michelle Joy, Kate Dyball, Karen Doggett, Geraldine Goss and Derek Begg (coxswain).
The Jim Barton Males Tub Single time trial was won by John Carey and the Jim Barton Female Tub Single time trial was won by Geraldine Goss.
A number of other awards were presented on the night including:
- Best and Furriest – Rosie Dickson-Hoyle
- Eye of the Tiger Award – Steven Sheppard and Ben Bowen
- Captains Award – Steven Sheppard
Thank you to all those who contributed to such a good night including Tim Evans our MC for the evening and Kim Begelhole for sharing pictures and videos from the season.
We celebrated our Victorian State Championship winners in 2019, pictures of these crews were unveiled which will be displayed in the club. The crews were:
- Female D Grade coxed 4: Dana Hill, Sarah Houghton, Geraldine Goss, Zoe Maxwell and Charlotte North-Coombes (coxswain)
- Male D Grade pair: John Carey and Andrew Yuile
- Female A Grade double: Kate Dyball and Michelle Joy
We also celebrated Ray Dennis who represented Richmond at the recent National Masters Championships. Amongst many medals Ray brought home 3 Gold medals in composite crews, Male Masters J Double, Male J-M Pair and the Male J-M Coxed 4.
The slides presented on the evening can be found at RRC Presentation Night 2019.pdf
Save the date – RRC training camp – 13-15 September 2019
RRC’s Spring Training camp date has been locked in over the weekend of 13-15 September 2019 at Nagambie.
Consistent with last year we have booked accommodation at the Nagambie Leisure Park on the nights of 13 and 14 September. For those attending we will have on water sessions on 14 and 15 September on both the regatta course and river. If you can get the day off work on 13 September, there will be the opportunity for some additional casual sessions also.
Full details to follow soon. Lock the date in your diary – it’s a great reason to start your Winter training now !!!
2019 RRC AGM – Saturday 27th July
Richmond Rowing Club’s Annual General Meeting will be held at the clubhouse on the morning of Saturday 27th July. The meeting will start at 10am followed by club races and a BBQ.
At the AGM all Committee members stand down and positions are available for club members to stand for election to the RRC Committee for the coming year. Generally the incoming Committee is a blend of new and experienced members. To present yourself for election, you are required to have been a member of the club for more than 2 years and be willing to help out with the club’s organisation. If you are interested, feel free to chat to any of the current Committee members to get some more background information. The Committee positions are:
- President
- Vice-President
- Treasurer
- Secretary
- Head of Rowing
- Captain of Boats
- Fundraising Coordinator
- Facilities Coordinator
- Ordinary Member (two ordinary member positions are available which assist with a number of areas including New Member Coordination and Learn To Row Coordination)
During the AGM, outgoing Committee members will briefly go through some of the highlights of the year, as well as a summary of the club’s financial situation and the main achievements compared to the goals we set out last year. This usually takes less than an hour and we warmly invite all members of the club to attend.
If you wish to present yourself for election, please complete a nomination form (found on the documents page of our website) and submit it to the secretary at least 14 days prior to the meeting (BEFORE 12th July).
Please show your support for the Committee and your Club by attending the AGM.
Nomination for Office Bearer – July 2019
Last chance for RRC presentation night tickets
This years RRC Presentation Night is just over a week away on Friday 31st May at 7pm.
It’s the ideal time to come together and celebrate all that is great about our special club. Annual awards including rowers and coxswain of the year will be presented. Club races and time trial winners will also be announced so make sure you’re there to receive your awards!
Tickets are on sale now at Trybooking. Bring along your partner or friends for what will be a special night at the clubhouse.
Yarra River clean up event
The Yarra Riverkeeper’s Association has organised an event on Sunday 26th May, to clean-up the river around the boathouses and remove any rubbish from its banks. This is a fabulous opportunity for us to show that we care about our river, and to support a great environmental cause.
RRC will be donating a Learn to Row spot as one of the prizes, and it would be brilliant to see our members participating in the event on the day.
If interested, meet in front of MUBC @10am on Sunday 26th.
You can sign up to the event on facebook here
End of financial year fundraising opportunity
Tax time is rapidly approaching and if you are looking for a good cause to obtain a tax deductible donation then please consider donating to the RRC ASF project for a new Concept 2 ERG bike.
We have been able to enhance the gym over the past couple of years with new ergos, PM5 monitors and a great weights set up. We felt it was time to also add a new stationary bike also to add some variety to training options and aid injury recovery.
The Concept 2 ERG bike use the same flywheel and PM5 monitor as the current Concept 2 rowing Ergos making it easy to use and monitor your workout. The ERG bike is also great for recovery sessions and will be a welcome addition to the gym.
All donations over $2 through ASF are tax deductible, so if you make your donation before 30 June 2019 you will be able to include it on your 2019 tax return. You will be able to contribute to the club and reduce your tax liability at the same time.
Here is the link to make it happen…..
ergo-bike-for-rrc-gym
Time to think about the Winter Sculling season…..
Whilst many will be thinking its the end of the rowing season, of turning towards the lighted inn, their evening rest and sleep to meet. Other hardy souls at RRC will be following the row that goes on and on, pursuing it with eager oars where many boats and paddlers will meet. (Apologies to JRR Tolkein.)
Yes it’s nearly time for the Winter Sculling 2019 series. If you are not familiar with how it works, check out the website for race details, times (Saturday mornings through June, July and August), distances, rules and locations .
If you might be interested and need some inspiration, speak to Charlotte North-Coombes who won the Ramsbottom Trophy last year or Aline Dejaegher who was fastest female around the island in a tub last year.
RRC has a limited number of sculls available for members to use in the Winter Sculling Series including three Regulation (tub) sculls. It is possible to share fleet across events and the organisers will stagger entries where participants indicate they are sharing a boat with another rower entered.
Please advise the Captain via email ([email protected]) before 20 May if you are considering entering the Winter Sculling series so that fleet can be allocated or where necessary sourced from other clubs or schools. For example anyone wishing to use the Tiger Shark for Winter Sculling will be sharing the boat with the Captain.
Those members with their own boats should also advise the Captain if they are entering the series as we may be required to provide a trailer to away events if we have a high number of participants from RRC.
The Winter Sculling season also needs help from volunteers to act as marshalls and help out. So if you don’t feel like rowing every week, how about volunteering one week. Check out the details here:
Thanks
Barry Campbell
RRC 2018/19 Presentation Night – Tickets on sale now!!!
This years RRC Presentation Night is now only a few weeks away on Friday 31st May at 7pm. So pack away the zootie and dress to impress as we celebrate all the achievements of our club members for the last year.
We’ll be honouring all of these along with our Annual awards including rowers and coxswain of the year. Club races and time trial winners will also be announced so make sure you’re there to receive your awards!
This evening is also the perfect opportunity to thank everyone who has made the year possible including coaches, coxes and volunteers. It’s the ideal time to come together and celebrate all that is great about our special club and the friends we have there.
Early bird tickets including a three course meal for $50. Tickets purchased after Friday 10th May will increase to $70 per person. Drinks will be available to purchase at the bar.
Tickets are on sale now at Trybooking. Bring along your partner or friends for what will be a special night at the clubhouse.
Club races and our latest boat naming
Club Races
Fast and furious – with lots of splash – is how four eights competed in Sunday’s Club Races. Around 20% of the competitors were in their first club races and it was great to see our DS members joining in and experiencing some racing. After the heats, crews competed in an A Final and B Final.
The winning team of the A Final was Andrew Yuile, John Carey. Alan Randall, Leigh Sullivan, Kim Begelhole, Cristian Udovicich, Imogen Aitken and Kate Riley, coxed by Stef Dudczig.
Our selectors of crews did a pretty good job, but then tried to outfox us with the use of French on the starter’s line! Derek managed to video the finals so if you want to see your form check out the Facebook posts.
BBQ
It was great to see lots of our current Learn to Row group enjoying the BBQ and deck with the rest of the club. It won’t be too long before they’re rowing in the next Club Races!
The Development Squad under the leadership of Sarah Hardy organized a fabulous BBQ. And Sarah even co-opted Matt (hubby) and Bridgette (daughter) to help out on the BBQ while we were all racing. Thanks to the salad providers… Pavel, Alysia, Emma & Matt, Amy and Sarah Hardy. Sarah even provided homemade vege/vegan burgers – yummy! The DS (including Oliver & Mikey G) also did a great job setting up the tables and cleaning up afterwards and photographing the day.
Bar server thanks go to Ally, Kathy, Dennis, Gypsy, John C, Amy and Kim B. And thanks to Gypsy for coordinating the bar.
Boat Naming
We were pleased to name the latest acquisition to our fleet – a secondhand midweight single. (It’s a Wintech 2016 Club Trainer 75-85kg ACW honeycomb kevlar/fiberglass – for those interested in the technical details).
The committee has discussed over the past year the possibility of acknowledging and honoring the traditional owners of land on which our boathouse stands and the waterways on which we row.
What better way than naming a boat which is regularly in view of our members and other river users as well as to visitors to Melbourne.
The Boonwurrung elders have given us permission to use the word “Gurrong” – which means canoe in Boonwurrung language – on this, our newest fleet acquisition.
Kathy Macrow
