Canterbury Rowing Club Had A Notable Crew In 1900

Press, Volume C, Issue 29563, 12 July 1961, Page 13

Canterbury Rowing Club Had A Notable Crew In 1900

TTEMORIES of the days when the Canterbury Rowing Club was the strongest in the country were revived by Mr W. A. O’Callaghan. of Hawera. a member of one of the most noted crews in the club’s long history. Mr O’Callaghan. at present revisiting Christchurch, is the only surviving member of the crew that won the New Zealand fours title in 1900, as well as many championship and non-championship events in a number of centres. The crew, in fact, won practically every race in which It started.

Mr O'Callaghan was No. 3 in the famous crew. The bow was H. S. Ayers—later to become one of New Zealand's best coaches—the stroke was Hardy Johnson and the No. 2 was A. T. Bendall.

Rivalry It was with a wry grin that Mr O’Callaghan recalled a light-hearted rivalry that existed between Bendall and himself and the other two members of the crew. Ayers and Hardy Johnson had won the national double sculls title and referred to the others as the “weak members of the crew.”

Determined to prove themselves, Bendall and O'Callaghan entered in the double sculls at a big Wellington regatta and put in some hard training together. But after building up a lead of two lengths on their rivals, they had the misfortune to foul a pile and capsized. Ayers and Johnson avoided the danger

and rowed on to win the race. But there was never any more talk about “the weak members.” Mr O'Callaghan's rowing weight in those days was 13st 31b. He was the heaviest member of the four. Bendall. a stockily-built man of about 12st 10lb, sometimes rowed with him as a pair oar crew. After leaving Christchurch for Hawera in 1902, Mr O’Callaghan gave up rowing altogether. But the sport had one last call on him two or three months later—a call that enabled him to win the last race in which he rowed.

Frank Cowlishaw, who had taken Mr O'Callaghan’s place in the Canterbury Club’s crew, fell sick shortly before the New Zealand championship regatta at Wanganui. Mr O’Callaghan agreed to step into the breach and rowed No. 2 in the fours. Canterbury was narrowly beaten tn the final by a Kawatere crew, but later in the regatta won a race for al! non-cham-pionship winners by four feet Mr O’Callaghan does not follow rowing with the same excitement these days. But mention of the sport is sufficient to bring a gleam to his eyes.