PORT CHALMERS ROWING CLUB

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21989, 26 June 1933, Page 13

PORT CHALMERS ROWING CLUB

DIAMOND JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS HISTORY OF THE CLUB. On Friday and Saturday of this week the Port Chalmers Rowing Club will celebrate the diamond jubilee of the organisation. The club was established in the early seventies, and is still flourishing, as strongly as ever. The Port Chalmers Club was the first rowing organisation to be'formed in Otago. The club was founded in June, 1873, just previous to the Otago Rowing Club, which came into being in October of the same year, and which will attain its 60 years of existence in a few months’ time. Port Chalmers has always been closely associated with rowing and regattas, and. while the history of the sport in Otago begins with the first anniversary regatta held at Dunedin in March, 1849, Port Chalmers followed with a regatta in April, and in 1850 the official anniversary refatta was held on the Lower Harbour. Tom that date onwards regattas have taken place fairly regularly, and usually the venue has been Port Chalmers. In the early days boats were scarce, and. prior to the formation of the clubs named above, the few craft available were owned on shares, and there was little or no systematic work put in on the waters of the harbour. When two four-oared skiffs were built by H. Green, these (known as “cedar boats”) were lent out by the hour, and were in great demand. 4 ■ When the jubilee of the club was celebrated 10 years ago, many laudatory references were made to the founders and to those early members whose foresight and liberality had paved the way to the prosperous conditions enjoyed by the young rowing men of to-day. Those “oldtimers ” had made their sacrifices of time and money; had undergone and maintained discipline, and had set an example which was a worthy one to follow. The founders of the club in 1873 were Messrs W. Pedlow, W. J. Waters, John Watson, W. Styles, G. Chick, C. Calthorpe, James Watson, and James Stephens. The club’s first boat was named The Pioneer, clinker built with a length of 25 feet. Her first crew consisted of J: Mackay. J. Watson, and W. Pedlow. with W. Waters and J. Watson as bow. In this boat they enjoyed varying success. but wins and losses were taken with the spirit of sportsmanship that was of the best. The old Pioneer was. after a few years, sold to a rowing club at Lake Waihola. a second Pioneer takjng her place. With this boat the Union Company’s Cup was won for the club, the crew on the occasion being J. Mackay (stroke). W. Menelaus, J., Johnstone, and P. Moor. Later crews were Mackley (stroke), Smith, Shea, and Watson (when the Pioneer beat the new boat (The Union), Baker replacing Shea when a great victory was achieved in the champion inrigger race of 1874—“ twice round the barque Francis; distance four smiles.” Then, as the years went on, further honours were achieved, and the club’s reputation was consolidated. The launching to-day of a nevf racing’ Boat by a rowing club would scarcely create any interest outside the members of the club concerned, with perhaps the addition of a few other rowing men. But in 1877 things were different, for one reads that - the launching of a racing inrigger skiff, built for the Port Chalmers Club by Edwards, of Melbourne, wag attended By considerable ceremony, and that “quite a concourse of spectators ” assembled to witness the proceedings. The boat was christened The Waterlily by Miss M'Kinnon, daughter of the Mayor of Port Chalmers, who broke a bottle of wine across the bow in appi’oved style. The hope was expressed at the launching that The Waterhly would bring fame to the club; and it is to be noted that within a few months she had won a four-oar maiden race and come second in the all-comers’ event. Subsequently this boat and the old Pioneer were successful on several occasions, while in later years the Arawa and the Tainui kept the name of the Port Chalmers Rowing Club to the fore. Remarkable service was given by several members in the early days of the club, who, first ra active oarsmen, then as committeemen and office-bearers, took their full share of the work, and helped to maintain a high standard of club efficiency. One of these staunch workers was Mr F. W. Platts, who, in addition to being a fine performer on the water, acted in turn as secretary, captain, and finally for many years as president of the club. Mr John Mill was another who filled the presidential chair with distinction over 1 a lengthy period. The present club captain (J. Solomon) had the honour of being chosen as a member of the New Zealand eight which competed at the Olympic Games last year. This distinction is all the more gratifying when it is remembered that his father once attained New Zealand championship honours. Members of the Port Chalmer 9 Club have frequently been represented, and worthly represented, in Otago crews which have com§eted against other provinces. Mr G. R mith was twice champion of New Zealand. Other old members who did good service included B. Provo, R. Foreman, F. Keenan, J. Glengarry, and J. Collins, all of whom were rewarded by being elected life members. One of the old-time members whose memory goes back to the early eighties is Mr A. M'Donald. He was cox in those days, and other old members call to mind that he was a cox who had to be obeyed. Mr M'Donald has vivid recollections of the Boxing Day regattas at Port Cbal mers. These were the rowing events of the year. The hills around about Port held large crowds of spectators, who took the keenest interest in the racing. In 1890, which was the year of the South Seas Exhibition in Dunedin, the Port Chalmers Club was in low water financially, and could not enter for the championship event at the big regatta. But a crew of fishermen was selected — J. Smith, W. Don, J. Godfrey, and G. Godfrey—and the crew went out successfully to meet strong crews from the north and elsewhere. It was in this year that the present style of rowing was inaugurated. Prior to this the oarsmen rowed with a long, steady stroke, just as one would row a fishing boat. Yeoman, it is said, was the man who brought the proper style of rowing to Otago, and of the local oarsmen the Isbisters and Cummings were the first to show form in it. These two won many races after they had mastered the new style. The first outrigger the club possessed was named the Greenland. It was the club’s only clinker four, and was used both for practice and for racing. When at one regatta the Port Chalmers Club won every event on the programme, there was an animated controversy on the question whether fishermen could be classed as amateur oarsmen. At that time the Port Chalmers Club consisted mostly of fishermen, and its finances were so strained that it was unable to pay cash for a set of sculls which was needed for the racing. Its credit, however, was apparently good enough, for the sculls were obtained, to be used with excellent effect.

The classes in those days were known as “ amateur,” “ junior,” and “ champion,” and crews were classed on their performances on the day. The roller elides for seats had not been brought into use in those days, and often the seat slid oft' the bar upon which it moved, and for the rest of the race the oarsman was in an uncomfortable position.

One of the records held by the Port Chalmers Club is the winning of the first eight-oar race ever rowed on Otago Harbour. The race was rowed on the Upper Harbour, and only two of a crew were available when the time came to leave Port Chalmers,' substitutes having to be picked up in Dunedin. As the rflen had never been together in a boat before they were given little chance, but the unexpected happened, and the Port Chalmers crew were victorious by half a length. The Port Chalmers Rowing Club, like all other sporting organisations, has had its uncertain days. Early in the club’s history there was a period when it? resources were at a very low ebb. At that period it looked as though the efforts of the sturdy pioneers to place Port Chalmers on a high pinnacle in the rowing world would be all in vain, but fresh energy was brought to beai at the critical moment and a vigorous campaign placed the club once, again on a sound footing. Since then there has never been any danger of a stoppage, though, naturally, the membership has fluctuated just as the fortunes of its crews have fluctuated. But the spirit of the old-time

stalwarts still prevails, and to-day the Port Chalmers Rowing Club, aged 60, is healthy and bright and still' going strong.