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.
Footscray and Essendon Regattas 2019
Some of us started the day of Footscray thinking, ‘What on earth have I gotten myself into, this is my first regatta with Richmond I definitely can’t make a fool of myself,’ and desperately hoped that the piece of toast I was slowing working my way through contained enough energy to help the team cross the finish line at least.
When I arrived, it was comforting to hear that the other members of the team were also nervous, so at least we were all in the same boat- pun intended. We were on the water, having a warm up as the heavens opened and we were faced with the fact that the first few races of the day were going to be in the rain. Even with the questionable conditions, all squads managed to complete their first heats successfully, with many going through to the finals.
The day was an overall success with 3 third places taken out by Charlotte North-Coombes, Imogen Aitken, Kirsty Fergie, Louise Roberts-Bailey with Christine Sullivan as Cox (Female D Grade Coxed Quad Scull), Jon Roberts, Allan Randall, John Carey and Dennis Beck Coxed by Ainsley Raggatt (Male Open Coxed Four) and finally Charlotte North-Coombes in the Female D Grade Single Scull.
5 second places went to Alexander Pupko, Oliver Paterson, Cristian Udovicich and Lachlan Stewart Coxed by Ainsley Raggatt (Male D Grade Coxed Four), Sarah Houghton and Geraldine Goss (Female Open Double Scull), Charlie Burke, Michael Gehling, Kim Begelhole, Richard Healy, Allan Randall, Jon Roberts, John Carey and Dennis Beck Coxed by Christine Sullivan (Male C Grade Eight), Allan Randall, Jon Roberts, John Carey and Dennis Beck Coxed by Christine Sullivan (Male C Grade Coxed Four), and finally to Shern Timmins, Imogen Aitken, Kirsty Fergie and Louise Roberts-Bailey Coxed by Christine Sullivan (Female D Grade Coxed Four).
Sarah Houghton came away with a win in the female D grade Single Scull.
Alexander Pupko, Oliver Paterson, Cristian Udovicich, Lachlan Stewart, Diana Vernon, Sarah Hardy, Saloni Dikshit and Alysia Draper with Christine Sullivan as cox celebrated a row over in the Mixed Coxed Eight.
The crews I was a part of started and finished strong, coming second in the ladies D Coxed Quad Scull heat and winning the Mixed Coxed Eight, which was a fantastic achievement for our first race together as a team. I was pleasantly surprised in my abilities as I hadn’t competed in over three years and was very happy to find such a lovely and supportive group of teammates.
The weather cleared up and we joined the rest of the club at the tent to watch Richmond start their next race. We cheered for the black and yellow crews all the way through to the finish line for the rest of the afternoon. Even if I had only been in the club for a short while, I was very grateful for the opportunity of being a part of the team.
The final race of the day was soon upon us as we carried the coxed eight down to the water. Another successful race completed as we finished first in our category, and we hoped to bring the good luck into the next day further up the river at Essendon.
Another early start, but this time it was filled with a bit more confidence that I wasn’t going to catch a crab and that wearing the club Zootie actually looked quite cool.
I had two more races to compete in, one in a Female D Grade Coxed Quad Scull and one in the Female D Grade Coxed Four. It took us a bit to get used to coxed Four but after a few strokes our boat was well into the race. Even if we didn’t finish first in our final race of the day, there was a big sense of achievement at the end of the weekend regattas.
A second place went to Diana Vernon, Dianna Angus, Anthea Amos, Christine Sullivan, Charlie Burke, Philip Munson, Guy Ayres and Leigh Sullivan Coxed by Ainsley Raggatt in the Mixed Coxed Eight.
The crew that came away with a winner’s medal on the day was the Female Masters Coxed Four with a crew of Diana Vernon, Dianna Angus, Anthea Amos and Christine Sullivan Coxed by Charlotte North-Coombes.
Another brilliant day concluded with having a few beers after the boat unloading. I have made a lot of happy memories by being a part Richmond Rowing Club, and it has made my placement experience even more special. I hope that I can enter another regatta with the team in the future when I eventually travel back down to Melbourne.
Alysia Draper
Victorian State Championships 2019
After a long season of training, the Victorian State Championships were held on 3 and 4 March 2019. Richmond were well represented across the day. With temperatures pushing 37 in the afternoon, the new tent was greatly appreciated and looked the envy of all clubs. However the heat was accompanied with strong winds in the morning making conditions tricky, especially for the smaller boats.
The heats of the women’s D grade singles were Richmond’s first events of the day. Competition was strong with 28 entries across 4 heats. Kate Riley, Rosie Dickson-Hoyle and Gypsy Shepherd were all competitive in their races with Rosie progressing from her heat to the final. As a recently joined member it was great to see Kate also backing this up later in the day in the C grade single.
As the morning progressed Dana Hill, Sarah Houghton, Geraldine Goss, Zoe Maxwell and cox Charlotte North-Coombes, took out Richmond’s first win of the day in the D grade women’s 4. A great effort in tough conditions with them leading throughout.
The men’s crews were up next with Alan Randall and Jon Roberts stepping up to compete in the men’s C grade pair. Competitive throughout they finished 4th in a strong field.
The men’s D grade 4 were up next, after a restart Andrew Yuile, Dennis Beck, Michael Calvert and John Carey, coxed by Derek Begg, finished strongly but just outside the medals in 4th place.
Michelle Joy and Kate Dyball finished Richmond’s involvement in the morning session in the A grade women’s double. Leading throughout in the 2km event Michelle and Kate brought home gold with a outstanding performance in this high quality event.
After a well-earned lunch break we were back in action with the events coming thick and fast. Sarah Houghton, Geraldine Goss, Zoe Maxwell, Kate Dyball and cox Michelle Joy represented the club in the heat of the highly competitive C Grade quad.
This was quickly followed by the D grade double with 2 crews of Gypsy and Rosie and Dana Hill and Louise Roberts-Bailey representing Richmond. Gypsy and Rosie won their heat, finishing just outside the medals with a 4th place finish in the final.
Allan Randall, John Carey, Dennis Beck, Andrew Yuile, and cox Charlotte North-Coombes were up next in the C Grade Four. Another strong field saw the crew finish just outside the medals again in 4th place.
The D grade women’s quad was up next Louise Roberts-Bailey, Dana Hill, Rosie Dickson-Hoyle, Gypsy Shepherd and cox: Charlotte North-Coombes made it through their heat into the final. In what felt like a theme for the day, the crew rowed well, but finished just outside the medals in fourth place.
Andrew Yuile and John Carey faced off against a Power House crew in the D Grade pair, taking out the gold medal by just under a second in a close race.
Dennis Beck was back in action in a single, competing in the C grade single late in the day.
The final medal for the day went to Sarah Houghton, Geraldine Goss, Kate Dyball, Michelle Joy and cox Derek Begg, in the B grade quad. Progressing well through their heat, they finished third in the final to pick up the bronze.
Overall a great performance by all involved, with huge thanks to our supporters and coaches that turned up on the day.
The "50 x 50" Project
For those of you who have competed at a regatta over the past decade, you are only too aware of the value that our well-loved tent brings us. Whether it is the heat, or rain, the tent is one of our most valued assets. A decade ago, it was also one of our best promotional items, with Richmond proudly displaying the best tent at any regatta we attended. Since then, most other clubs have followed Richmond’s lead and now have more impressive tents. And over the years, Richmond’s well-loved tent is starting to show the impact of all that love.
Richmond is a club on the go, with plans for fleet turnover and membership growth. And we need to demonstrate this to the rest of the rowing committee by attending regattas; by wining on water, and being the most impressive off-water. By having a tent which shows everyone at a regatta that we are a club to be reckoned with; a club not only with the resources to have the best, but also knows that looking after our members at a regatta is smart and provides us with the best opportunity to win on water.
But a tent like this isn’t cheap – and we don’t want to compromise of the awesomeness of a new tent. The committee has agreed that next year’s funding goal will be to replace our tent, but I don’t want to wait until the end of next season before seeing a new tent. I’m hoping that we can get a start on raising a few dollars so we can convince the club to purchase the tent sooner than later. If we can quickly raise half the cost of a new tent, then this should be enough to warrant purchasing the tent for the start of the season, with the promise that we can raise the remaining during the rest of the year.
And how can we do this? Given that we have had 75 different individuals represent Richmond over the past year, if they all made a small tax deductible donation to our Fleet Renewal Fund at the Australia Sports Foundation, then we will be well on our way. The ASF is a brilliant program which allows sporting clubs like Richmond to raise money via tax deductible donations. Richmond has been running our Fleet Renewal Appeal now for a number of years, and has been vital for the renewal of the club’s fleet in the past.
So, how about a target of 50 people donating $50 each (remember, that is Tax deductible) as a start. This will raise us $2,500 towards a new tent, which will be more than half way. We get half way, and then we can convince the club to order the new tent at the start of the season instead of the end.
So let’s do it! I’m launching the “50 x 50” Project – to goal to raise $2,500 by 30 June for Richmond to have the most impressive tent at a regatta next season! Help the club today by donating $50 at https://asf.org.au/projects/richmond-rowing-club/new-club-tent/.
Remember its tax deductible so you are welcome to donate a little more if you can!
Thank You!
Tim Evans
Head of Rowing
Strategic Planning Session – 7 July 2018
As a club, through the quieter Winter months, it is important we reflect upon the season gone and look towards the 2018/19 season. To do this we plan to hold 2 feedback/planning sessions:
- Rowing season review – Tim will be running a post rowing season feedback session on Thursday 14th June from 6.30pm to 7.30pm to bring all our rowers together to consider our rowing successes and areas to target for improvement next season.
- Strategic planning session – I will be facilitating a short strategic planning session. This will be more focused on the non rowing aspects of the club given we are a community managed volunteer organisation .
I would like to invite all our members to attend this strategic planning session to be held on Saturday 7th July at the boathouse from 10am-12pm. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been a member, what experiences you have or what you think you can contribute everyone is welcome (even if you don’t say a word) and its an ideal time to just find out a little more about what makes Richmond the club it is and how you can contribute to it.
We’re aiming to keep it very focused and to encourage lots of people to attend it won’t take up your whole weekend – just a few hours on Saturday morning after Winter sculling. In advance of the session here is some background for our discussion, both the mission statement and the 5 year club objectives which were agree during last years planning session.
Firstly RRC’s mission statement:
“Richmond Rowing Club has a long proud history as an active and competitive, volunteer managed rowing club. We will continue to provide opportunities to participate, develop and compete in an inclusive, friendly environment, balancing lifestyle and rowing.”
5 year objectives for the club set in 2017:
- Membership Growth – Grow to over 200 members in five years
- Demonstrate Club Success on the Water – Place in the top 5 of the RV Club Champion premiership
- Member Engagement – Engage members through vibrant off water events and a culture of volunteering
- Governance and Finance – To be able to independently finance fleet renewal and building improvement
The focus of the session will on Membership Growth and Member Engagement, considering what we have achieved over the past year, what we want to achieve in coming years along with how we will do it. Hopefully coming out of the session we will be able to formulate goals, objectives and action plans to help us achieve them.
Any questions, comments, suggestions let me know, [email protected]
RRC adopts Rowing Victoria’s Child Safe Policy
On 1st January 2017, The Child Safe Standards were made law. The Standards now apply to all sporting organizations that operate and provide sporting services to children within Victoria.
It is important we understand our obligations to be a child safe club, specifically given our ongoing relationship with MLC, our tenant. RRC will not tolerate abuse of any sort whether that is within the club itself or in the boathouse or at rowing events. As a result the Committee has adopted Rowing Victoria’s Child Safe Policy and Child Safe Code of Conduct and would like to take this opportunity to communicate it to the members.
Rowing Victoria Child Safe Policy
Rowing Victoria Child Safe Code of Conduct
The aim of Rowing Victoria Child Safe Policy and the Code of Conduct is to protect children and reduce any opportunities for abuse or harm to occur, and if allegations are raised in relation to child abuse, to ensure that the allegations are properly addressed.
All Richmond Rowing Club Members are responsible for promoting the safety and wellbeing of children and young people by adhering to the RRC Code of Conduct, the RV Child Safe Policy and the RV Child Safe Code of Conduct.
Given the Rowing Victoria requirement for all Boat Race Officials (BRO’s) to have current Working with Children Check certificates we also encourage all our members to obtain Working with Children Checks. We are required to provide a BRO for every regatta we attend as a club, so we cannot ignore this requirement. They are available free at the following website, once complete please provide the details to our Secretary ([email protected]) for including on our membership database.
http://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/
We have also considered and implemented Rowing Victoria’s Child Safe Policy (Standards) as follows:
Standard 1: Strategies to embed an organizational culture of child safety, especially through, but not limited to, effective leadership arrangements – The RRC Committee has adopted Rowing Victoria’s Child Safe Policy and Child Safe Code of Conduct. We encourage our coaches to obtain Working with Children Checks. In the situation where we have active under 18 members we require there to be a family member or coach with a Working with Children Check present at all times.
Standard 2: A child safe policy or statement of commitment to child safety – RRC has adopted the RV Child Safe Policy
Standard 3: A code of conduct that establishes clear expectations for appropriate behaviour with children – RRC’s Code of Conduct and the RV Child Safe Code of Conduct establishes this expectation.
Standard 4: Screening, supervision, training and other human resources practices that reduce the risk of child abuse by new and existing personnel – We encourage our coaches to obtain Working with Children Checks. In the situation where we have active under 18 members we require there to be a family member or coach with a Working with Children Check present at all times
Standard 5: Processes for responding to and reporting suspected child abuse – RRC has adopted the RV Child Safe Policy which addressed this requirement
Standard 6: Strategies to identify and reduce or remove risks of child abuse – RRC encourages our coaches to obtain Working with Children Checks. In the situation where we have active under 18 members we require there to be a family member or coach with a Working with Children Check present at all times.
Standard 7: Strategies to promote the participation and empowerment of children – We have adopted the RV Child Safety Policy. We have also partnered with MLC as our tenant, who promote participation in rowing to children.
2017-2018 Presentation Night – Tickets now available
2017-2018 Presentation Night – Saturday 26th May – from 7:00pm
Well folks, it’s that time of the year again. The 2017-2018 Richmond Rowing Club presentation night! As the season draws to an end, we can look back fondly on all that has happened, the races we have rowed in, the ergos we have growled at and the circuit training sessions we have grimaced in. What better place to do that, than at the presentation night.
The night will be themed, Gold’n Yellow & BLING! So in order to get in, you must dress to impress with that in mind. Partners, friends and relatives all welcome.
Held again at the club house, it is your opportunity to join with your fellow rowers and celebrate a cracking season. There will be a sumptuous three course meal and the bar will be open for drinks. There will be a short video shown that will feature many of us, and the question will be answered….what noise does a rower make! We will have people to honour, awards to present, rowers and coxes and time trial winners to recognise and, of course, our hard working and diligent coaches to thank.
So mark the date in your calendar, and click on this link to get to the Try-booking page to secure your tickets now. Tickets will be $45 each, same price as last year – what a bargain!
Take note – ticket bookings will close on Monday 21st May so that we can provide numbers to the caterers.
Hope to see you all there.
Kim Begelhole
Buy your RRC Christmas tickets now!
Ticket sales for RRC Christmas club races and lunch close end of day Wednesday 13 December (tomorrow) if you want to have food for your lunch.
Friends and Family are welcome to come enjoy some Xmas cheer and cheer some club racing.
WHEN: Sunday 17th December
Club races from 9:45am, Christmas BBQ from 12pm
BBQ Price: includes Gourmet BBQ and Salads (please advise Barry Campbell of any dietary requirements at time of booking)
$25 per person Tickets can be purchased via Trybooking: https://www.trybooking.com/338721
Drinks: RRC Bar open post club races –Drinks at bar prices
We look forward to seeing you there!
Busy time for venue hire
It’s that busy time of year again when we earn money to purchase new equipment and generally support the rowing club.
We recognise that this comes at some inconvenience to members but believe that the benefits it brings are worth this.
We charge hirers commercial rates for using the boathouse so please help us present professionally by:
- Using the rear stairs only for access to the boathouse
- Staying out of the corridor when a function is in progress
- Leaving the bathrooms in a clean state after training
During functions members continue to have access to the changerooms and gym.
Thanks,
Lucy
Fobs
If your fob ends with 79, 77, 66, 65, 54 or 49 please contact Lucy, the Facilities Coordinator by email: [email protected] . These fobs have been turned off as the system does not list a user. We will turn them on again as soon as we know who has them.
Thanks,
Lucy