ROWING IN WELLINGTON

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1543, 25 September 1901, Page 43

ROWING IN WELLINGTON

HISTORY OF THE SPORT.

A THRIVING PASTIME.

As with the history, of; all great colonial sporting pastimes, rowing in Wellington has from an insignificant beginning developed with marvellous rapidity; The founders of Wellington brought with them from the Old Country a keen love of British ''sport, and this they cherished and advanced, at a time when they were ’ giving their best thought to the more important work of nationmaking. Just as it should be, the two movements grew and flourished hand in hand, until, at the present time, this city—of which the promoters of the New Zealand Association laid the foundation stone some sixty years ago—has modern rowing institutions of which many a more important centre might well be proud. , . , For many years before the establishment of a club in Wellington, rowing races formed a prominent part of the sports annually held in connection with the Anniversary Day celebrations, then the principal day of the year among the colonists. The races, however, were principally confined to contests between the sailors in port, and were rowed in ships’ gigs. The first races took place along the Te Aro beach, anu, ,ater, from and to Bethune and Hunter’s «wharf. Some of the most exciting of the early contests were between Maoris in their canoes. In those days horse racing took place at the same time, on Te Aro flat, while picnic parties held games along the beach, THE STAR CLUB. Gradually a few enthusiastic amateurs entered into the contests, and later on acquired a few boats of a type quite antiquated and cumbersome compared to the “shells” of the present day. Thus the sport slowly progressed till the beginning of the year 1867, when it was decided, at a meeting called for the purpose, to establish a rowing club, the boats which were the property of the of the meeting—Faugh-a-Bal-lagh, Empire City, Rua Lura, and a whaleboat —to form the nucleus of the club’s plant. It is interesting to note that the Faugh a-Ballagh and Empire City (which were old-style in-rigger boats) were valued at £25 each, and the whaleboat was considered to be worth £ls. The Rua Lura, at the time k new pug, was taken at cost price. The membership fee of the club —which was named the “Star Regatta Club” —was fixed at £5, with an annual subscription of £l. At the first general meeting Captain Sharp was elected president, and Mr J. F. Hoggard and Captain R. Johnson vice-presidents. Mr Edmond Cook was appointed commodore, and Messrs L. Buck H. Owen, R. Cook and E. Cook captains. Mr J. C. Boddington undertook the duties of honorary secretary and treasurer, the working committee . consisting of Messrs R. Kirton, E. C. Donovan, H. Owen and John Hoggard. As soon as the club was properly formed, steps were taken to build a suitable boat-shed, and this was accomplished four months later. The building, which can be well remembered by all old residents, was ereoted at a point on Lambton quay, near the corner of Bolton street. It was built partly over the water, as the harbour side of the quay was then beach. The enthusiasts of those days included (besides the officials already named) such men—-then in the prime of youth—as Mes s rs A. T. Bothamley, McTavish, Walter Grey, Parsons, Batkin, Warburton, A; Grimstone, W. Widdop, C. P. Pewles, C. Willeston, T. Taylor, J. Plirnmer, Jas. Ame s , H. Otterson, Ed. Stafford, 0. Wakefield (one of the club’s first secretaries), F. Olivier, Heywood, T. Lennox, Roskruge, P. J. Beetham, D. M-c Dean, Hackworth and W. Graves. Those men—though their shed was small and their plant likewise—were fired with enthusiasm, and did work in their old-time racing in-riggers which would do credit to a champion crew of the present day. The progress made during the thirtyfour years of the Star Club’s existence (the name was. afterwards changed from “Regatta” Club to “Boating” Club) has been so rapid and so satisfactory/that at the present time the membership roll totals 375. From a plant valued at something under £IOO and a bogt-house valued at £52, the requirements of the club at the present day demand a plant, valued at £llOO (also furniture to the value of £250, including piano *and bil-. Hard table), and boat-houses costing £1075. From four boats, the plant has increased ,to forty two. The development of the boat-house has been very marked. From the Lambton quay site the house was removed to the corner of Hunter street and Customhouse quay, and in 1886 the present splendid building was erected a little to the east of the old olub-house, and in 1889 the house was established in its present position. From the first bare > boat shelter the club is now housed in one -of the finest (if not the fine s t) buildings south of the line. In this is a commodious dressing room, a social room (provided with billiard table, piano, the latest weekly and illustrated papers), and several ante-rooms.

The club has for many years past sent crews to all championship regattas, and to ,the regattas at Christchurch, Wanganui, Nel s on, Picton, and other places. For the last two years, in conjunction ■with the Wellington Rowing Club, the

Star.. Club has promoted and successfully carried out a regatta at Wellington. Of officials of; the club who have had much to- do with its present splendid ; position,• mention should be made of the following:—Mr H. D. Bell, president of the club, has held that honourI able position for four years, is a life ■ member, and has been a member of the ; club for upwards of twenty-five years. Mr G. H. Bethune has been captain of the club for six years in succession, has acted in an official capacity for twelve years,, and has been an active member for twenty years. Mr Bethune enjoys an enviable reputation among the members of the club as a gentleman possessing unbounded enthusiasm for the sport, and as taking a keen interest in the affairs of the club. Mr C. A. Knapp has been connected with the management of the club for over twenty years. Mr C. Pearce has acted as an 1 official for the past twelve years. Messrs IW. H. Field, William Fitzgerald, C- A. I Knapp, C. H. Snow, A. de B. Brandon, IR. B. Smith, F. M. Ollivier, and H. jF. Logan have acted a s captains of the 'club. Prior to the institution of the office of captain, the club work was directed by a commodore, with four captains, one for each boat. One of the club’s most successful secretaries wag Mr E. C. Batkin, who was associated with every advance made in rowing for a long period. He joined the club a few months after its establishment. THE WELLINGTON CLUB.

Shortly after the formation of the Star Club, the Independent Rowing Club (afterwards the Wellington Rowing Club) was formed. It was started by the staff of the “Independent” newspaper (the title of which was afterwards changed to the “Nfrw Zealand Times”), headed by one of the proprietors, Mr Thomas McKenzie, and worked up bv Messrs Wm. Muir, A. Muir, A. G. Johnson, G. Tattle, H. Levy, J. Stoddart, J. B. Innes, and others. The club was financed by subscriptions of 2s 6d a week from each member of the staff, and sufficient funds were soon in hand to purchase a boat and build a shed on the Te Aro foreshore. The-first boat was the Magnet, closely followed by the Independent, built by Mr Crowthe.r to defeat the Star 'Olub’s Rua Huxa. In this boat the club won twice in succession the Shaw, Savill trophy which is still held by Mr T. McKenzie. The boat soon afterwards met with an accident, and from this and other causes the club ceased to exist. . Early in the seventies interprovmcial regattas were instituted, and were held alternately on the Estuary (Christchurch), at Kaiapoi, Wellington, Wanganui, and Nelson. The big race was the Senior Fours, for which the first prize was £l5O. It was principally due to these regattas that Messrs J. and C. Stewart, W. Hearn, R. Kent, Captain Anderson, J. E. Hayes, and others decided to revive the old Independent Club, and did so, but under the now familiar name of the Wellington Rowing Club. . 7 For some years the club had a successful career, principally due to the victories of the famous Dolly Varden crew (Hearn, Vv alter,' Moore and Woods). Later cm, with the falling through of the inter provincial regatta and the breaking up of the Dolly Varden crew, the club lost ground, but had new life put into it in 1887, when, owing principally to the energy of the club’s captain (Mr A. G. Johnson), it again occupied a very satisfactory position. From that time’to the present the club has steadily improved, and at present is a vigorous organisation. From the Independent Club’s solitary in rigger the club has built up a plant of thirtysix boats, and has a membership of 160. The olub’s property is valued at nearly £llOO, principally representing plant. Like the Star Club, many of the club’s officers have done yeoman service. Principal among those deserving credit for the club’s present position are Mr Joseph .Saunders, the president, who takes a keen interest in the welfare of the club; the past captains, Messrg A. G. Johnson, M. F. Marks, A. S. Paterson, W. F. Rors, G. Read; and the present captain, Mr R. F. Smith. One of the most energetic and capable secretaries in the history of the club was Mr A. M. Burns (also secretary at the time of the New Zealand Amateur Rowing Association), and, later, Mr W. Nidd (the present secretary) followed worthily in bis footstepsTHE PETONE CLUB-

A club was formed at Petone last year, and promises to become , a flourishing institution. Already there is a membership of abdut forty, and the club has a plant of five serviceable boats. Among the members are several good rowing men, some of whom have taken part in the senior contests when members of the Wellington Club. THE HOROWa—xSVA CLUB. Favoured with an ideal sheet of water, in Horowhenua Lake, a .number of enthusiasts in the Levin district have established a thriving club. With a convenient boat house and a fair plant, the members of the Horowhenua Club have every means of developing the sport. With the unreliable nature of the Wellington Harbour, tbe Horowhenua Lake presents an excellent course for championship regattas. As the country club has joined forces with the newly formed Wellington Regatta Club—which includes the Star, Wellington and Petone Clubs —it is probable that the championship fixture will find a permanent course on the lake.

CLUBS OF THE PAST. Besides the two great Wellington clubs, there were others which had but a brief existence. The first of these was one formed in 1872 by the officers of the Telegraph Department. The club had a shed next to the Star Club’s shed in Customhouse quay, but ceased to exist when reclamation works necessitated the removal of its ’'home.” In 1875 the Queen’s Boating Club was formed, but it had a still briefer existence. Again in 1882 a club was formed at Petone, under the guidance of Mr H. Fitzherbert. During the third year of its existence its boat-house was destroyed by a gale, and the enthusiasm of the members was not keen enough to withstand the loss. The last of the “has-beens” was the Oriental Boating Club, formed by residents of Oriental Bay, in 1888, but is now only a memory. The majority of its members afterwards joined the Wellington Club. THE POSITION OF WELLINGTON OARSMEN.

The record of Wellington oarsmen is one of which rowing men are deservedly proud. Though the men of the present do not compare with some of the giants of the past, still there is good work being done by the members of both clubs. Asa nursery of oarsmen, the Wellington Club is easily first. It is the proud boast of the junior institution that it lias won the largest number of championship prizes of any amateur club in the world, holding at the present time no fewer than seventeen championships. In a table giving the winners of New Zealand championships, the name of the Wellington Club appears in an unbroken line from 1889 to 1891, covering ten events. From the latter year to the present time the club annexed the Sculls in 1891, the Double Sculls in 1892, Calnan and Crawford winning the Pair-oar Championship for the past four years, and T. Spencer the Champion Single Sculls in 1900. Bridson, Rose, Sullivan and McKay won two fours championships, and Sullivan won the Champion Soulls in 1890, and figured in four champion crews. As is well known, he was afterwards champion of England, and trained Towns for his recent race for the championship of the world. During the past five seasons the Wellington Club has won £4lO in prize money. The Star Club won the Champion Double in 1891 and the Pairs in 1892, Pownal] and Hume securing the Double Sculling Championship for their club in 1899. INTERESTING PARTICILARS.

An interesting chapter of history in Wellington rowing is that in reference to the work of the late Mr W. Fitzgerald and Mr E. C. Batkin in connection with the formation of the. New Zealand Amateur Rowing Association. Up to the year 1887 each regatta committee fixed its own definition of senior, junior or maiden oarsmen, no distinction was made between amateur and professional, and no body existed to guide rowing clubs and act as a tribunal for the settlement of disputes. It was left to Mr Fitzgerald (who was then captain of the Star Chib) and Mr Batkin (the secretary of that qlub) to move in the direction of establishing a representative body for the purpose. At first these gentlemen experienced great difficulty in forming a basis on which clubs would affiliate, but eventually the difficulty was overcome and the association established. „ A feature of rowing as conducted in Wellington is the number of club contests which are held. Last year the members of the Wellington Club competed in fourteen events promoted by their club, and the members of the Star Club rowed off eleven races- As seven or eight events are the most that other clubs in the colony promote for their members, it will be seen that the Wellington clubs are most energetic in the conduct of their sport. The two Wellington rowing clubs are the only institutions of their kind in the colony which encourage swimming among their members. Swimming events are periodically held, and the annual swimming sports of both clubs are the most successful of their kind held in Wellington. THE COMING SEASON.

The boating season of 1901 is to be opened on the 28th. instant, and the function by which the- season will be officially inaugurated promises to be a very attractive affair. The Ellen Ballance, with his Excellency the Governor and Lady Ranfurly on board, will lead the usual procession, and it is probable that one of the rowing boats will be manned by a crew composed of members of Parliament. Following is the order of the procession : —Ellen Ballance, naval boats in order of precedence, Parcrew, ships’ boats, Star whalers, Wellington whaler, Star eightoar, Wellington outraged fours, Star outrigged four, Star double scullers, Wellington double scullers, Wellington pair oars, Star pair-oars. Star scullers, Wellington scullers, pleasure boatg. After the procession, which will finish at the Star Club’s shed, his Excellency will declare the season open. A short scratch race will then take place. Should the weather be fine, -'the ceremony will no doubt attract a large number of people especially as the occasion Will he the first outdoor gathering of spring.