OTAGO JUBILEE REGATTA

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22212, 15 March 1934, Page 12

OTAGO JUBILEE REGATTA

GATHERING AT PORT CHALMERS There was a large gathering of boating men in the Buffalo Hall at Port Chalmers on Tuesday night, when the Regatta Committee finally dealt with the successful jubilee regatta held on February 3. After the business was disposed of a social function was held. The chairman of the Regatta Committee (Mr W. J. Wilson) presided. He said the jubilee regatta had been an unqualified success, and he hoped regattas would continue to be annual fixtures at Port Chalmers. It would be unfortunate if aquatic sport lost caste with the youth of a seaport town. Mr Wilson said he freely acknowledged that to the secretary (Mr L. F. Smith) was due most of the credit for the regatta. That statement was endorsed by several other speakers, who added that the chairman had also carried his weight. , The following toasts were honoured:— "The Commodore and Vice-commodores," "The Governing Bodies of the Aquatic Sports," "The Regatta Committee." Associated with these were the names of Messrs C.' J. Hook, N. Dodds, S. G. Styche, W. L. Cooper, H. Camp, J. Morgan, T. Wright, J. Solomon, and GA. Wiseman.

The balance sheet showed that a substantial credit was being carried forward. A suggestion was made that the amount should be enlarged until future annual regattas might be financed from the accruing interest. Mr L. F. Smith presented a detailed report of the jubilee regatta, preceded by an historical sketch of earlier regattas. The records of the early regattas conducted by the Port Chalmers Regatta Committee had been preserved, and may be of interest in coming years. As far as could be definitely ascertained the particulars of the prize money distributed by the committee since the first regatta in 1862 are as follows: —Port Chalmers Rowing Club £624, Invercargill Rowing Club £32 ss, Invercargill Railway Rowing Club £73 10s, Star Boutins Club £l3, Otago Rowing Club £283, Oamaru Rowing Club £59, Dunedin Amateur Rowing Club £163, Awarua Rowing Club £52, Queen's Drive Boating Club £562, North End Rowing Club £228 10s, Union Rowing Club £95, Timaru Rowing Club £64. Canterbury Rowing Club £19 ;—total, £2268 10s. , Port Chalmers had always been a power in rowing history, and championship honours were won by Messrs F. Keenan, G. Lightbourne, S. M'Donald, J. Solomon, G. Smith, T. R. Wright, J. Yeoman, H. Pritehard, W. Porter, W. Smith, D. M'Donald, E. Smith, and A. Bell. Some of those champion oarsmeu were still alive, and took a keen interest in regattas, one of them (Mr Wright) being a member of the present committee.

The Port Chalmers Committee, known officially as the Otago Regatta Committee, was the oldest aquatic body in Otago. Members of 35 years ago did not at first take very kindly to the N.Z.A.R.A. rules,

but a better understanding grew up. The Port Chalmers regattas had always been popular with the rowing men, as they had faith in the management and that the full prize money would be paid over. The first secretary of the committee was Mr George Henry, and esteemed members of the committee for lengthy periods included Messrs E. G. Allen, J. Mill, A. Fullarton, F. W. Platts, A. M'Kinnon, T. Dale, N. Dodds, W. J. Waters, J. H. Galbraith, P. Sutherland, J, H. Crawford, and W. J. Wilson. ■ \ The yachting, motor boating, and swimming branches of aquatic sport had not been neglected by the committee. Back in the years the, champion yacht race was sailed over a 15-mile course, the prize varying from £25 to £ls. Model yachts figured on the early programmes. In those could be seen the names of yachts such as the Muritai, White Wings, Leader, Mongaro, Jane, Star of Mercy, Carbine, Winifred, Nell, Gem, Premier, Dream, Gipsy, Thchna, Thistle, Waitangi, and Carina. Mr G. A. Wiseman, a prominent yachtsman of bygone days, was still actively helping in the work of the committee. The committee had a proud record. It had to date distributed in prize money: Rowing £2268, yachting and motor boating £lll6, swimming £lll. charities £206. Mr Smith was thanked for preparing the jubilee review of past regattas.