CHAIRMAN’S VIEW

Happy New Year to all! I hope you had a great Christmas and welcome back to those who escaped the Tideway for the celebrations.

First, I am sure all will want to join me and the committee in congratulating Mike Williams on the well-deserved award of an OBE, announced in the King’s New Year Honours List. Mike has been an incredibly loyal and generous supporter of LRC and the wider rowing community since the 1970s. More from him below.

2023 promises to be an exciting year on the water for the Club with half the winter training behind us and the spring heads approaching fast. We have a strong and large squad supported by our professional and volunteer coaches but we are seeking more help so if you or anyone you know would like to do some coaching please let Stu, Killian or Elizabeth know.

Your committee has been working on a number of key priorities for the year ahead and beyond. The clubhouse, under Eddie’s management, continues to demand our attention. The refurbishment of the Resi kitchen is underway, which will be a great improvement and allow communal dining and a central meeting area for our residents. On the list is also the restoration of the boat bay doors and modifications to the plumbing system. The balcony, the ‘face’ of LRC, is one of the longer term projects and is crucial to our event offering and the enjoyment of our members.

We are looking at an economically challenging year ahead and Kate and Annabel are working hard to fill the diary with private and corporate events. This is a major source of Club’s income so please spread the word about what a unique and great venue LRC is for parties and meetings (at highly competitive rates!).

The committee is conscious of the need to maximise the LRC offering to all categories of membership. We are regularly improving and adding to the fleet so as to get as many people as possible on the water. We are also encouraging use of the gym for land training and the clubhouse for socialising and general enjoyment. Members will be canvassed for their views this year.

Thank you to the staff, volunteers and wider membership for your hard work in making LRC the club it is. Good luck to everyone in 2023 and wishing you success and enjoyment in your rowing.

Bill Baker
Chairman, London Rowing Club

CAPTAIN’S REPORT

Like a firework on New Year’s Eve, December was gone in a flash.

Christmas celebrations at the Club were kicked off with the LRC Christmas party. Sparkles aplenty, we had an alternative set up this year with bowl food, live music and dancing. Ben Helm and Bill Kong led a rousing chorus of carols and all were filled with festive cheer!

The Remenham Challenge marked the end of normal training for the squad. Whilst the snow and sub-freezing temperatures made it feel like we were rowing in a snow globe, it brought illness which swept through the ranks. A smaller entry for the head but the men’s first eight still managed to secure 4th place.

Pudding races were sabotaged by the weather so made their way from the river to the ergs. Age and cox adjusted, teams competed in sprint races for treasure (chocolate coins). Some of the competitors had never seen such splits. Notable performances by the coaching team, the coxes, Zena Howard, ‘Big Phil’ Clapp and Santa (a.k.a. Andrew Boyle).

Congratulations to Mike Williams om being awarded an O.B.E for his services to rowing. A fitting accolade for such great work.

Wishing everyone a healthy and happy New Year.

Bang the drum!

Elizabeth Cottrell
Captain, London Rowing Club

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

See more detail for these events, visit our Calendar of Events…

IAIN LAURENSON

Last Friday the club received the very sad news that Iain Laurenson had died in hospital following a fall on Thursday the 5th January in his 90th year.

Iain had been a Life Member of the club since 1965 having worked in the Far East and had been an active and extremely influential member ever since. First and foremost, Iain was a leader who with his quiet charm, humour and patience inspired others to follow his example.

He ran the Irregulars group from the mid 70’s till 2015 and was fondly referred to as “Commodore Iain” – he organised the now annual visit to Venice for the Vogalonga which was first instigated in 1975 and has led many overseas rowing tours to locations such as Madrid, Hamburg, Holland and more recently to Norway. Among his other accomplishments, he ran the annual Curry Cup Races on the Tideway for ex Far Eastern members for a period of approximately 30 years.

*Following their outing last Sunday, a number of Irregulars gathered in the Long Room to reminisce about Iain and to raise a glass to him and Meike.*

Just latterly, Iain took on and led the LRC Learn to Row programme in 2013 following the post Olympic BR initiative – he was approaching 80 by this time but typically was able to impart his undimmed enthusiasm and enjoyment of the sport he loved to all those that took part. In his first year in this role, he organised and took part in a long row to Weybridge with some of the learners. He has also latterly taken part in all The Great London Rows.

It must not be forgotten either that Iain was a great supporter and activist in increasing the number of women in the club. He was delighted when a healthy number of women joined the Irregulars ten or so years ago and has obviously taken great pleasure in seeing the recent surge and successes of the current women’s squad.

He has contributed so much to the club he loved and he will be sadly missed. Our sincere condolences go to his beloved wife Meike and all his family.

*Iain stroking a quad with John Pearson, Rob van Mesdag and John Auber in September 2016.*

Eddie Markes

TOM KING

Just after the December TLR went to press, we received the sad news about the death of Dr Tom King, who joined the Club in 1978 and was a very active Veteran. We plan to publish an obituary on the Club website.

DEFIBFEST GIVES THE EMBANKMENT A PUBLIC USE DEFIBRILLATOR

I promised I’d update you about DefibFest 2022, which took place last November. Thank you to everyone who donated to this initiative, which raised awareness of, and funds for, public use defibrillators (AEDs).

I’m excited to let you know that one of the new AEDs will be located on the outside wall of LRC. This seems a long overdue moment as the footfall on Putney Embankment has grown exponentially over the last few years. Apart from the normal rowing crowd, we now have cafés bringing more people to the riverside and there are also the crowds we get for Boat Race and the Head Races, so the presence of an AED will bring peace of mind and safeguard all of us along the Embankment.

Prior to the day itself, DefibFest was featured on London Live in this news broadcast (segment starts at approx. 31m). The founder, Iain Russell, is interviewed about the event and the London Ambulance Service explains the importance of defibrillators along with some of the training available to the general public.

The event was a huge success and through the power of music it raised around £4.5K, enough for four AEDs. I met with Iain Russell and his wife Laura at LRC recently to show them where we could locate the AED. Iain was genuinely blown away by the level of donations received from our community, prior and post event, and wants to thank everyone for their support of this cause.

Bob Silver

MIKE WILLIAMS OBE

Our members will be delighted to hear the news that LRC Vice-President, Mike Williams, has been awarded an OBE for his services to the sport of rowing. Many congratulations to him from all the members of the Club.

At my request, Mike has kindly written some background, which is most helpful and enlightening.

Mike writes;

‘LRC forms the backbone of this story.

I came down from Cambridge in 1973 with a blue for coxing and a second class degree, and joined LRC as a means of keeping fit through rowing. At 5 foot 6 inches and 10 stone my rowing ambitions were, and have remained, strictly limited, although it is some years since my weight was that low.

In 1976 I was approached by Mike Baldwin, who was looking for someone to replace him as captain at the end of the season. After clearing it with my boss ('We cannot give you that kind of management experience until much later in your career, so do it ') I stood for election unopposed. Mike had left me a wonderful legacy, with David Tanner's medal winning four and a lightweight 8 that had won silver in the 1976 worlds. During the next two seasons the club won 4 events at HRR, the Head of the River Race, and two gold medals and a bronze at the world championships, all the more remarkable because when I became captain, we had only 3 club boats in the boathouse which were less than 10 years old.

I spent the next ten years as club treasurer, while doing quite a lot of coaching of club crews, and qualifying as an umpire.

In 1989, Peter Coni, who was LRC president, and also chair of the ARA finance committee, asked me to be ARA Treasurer. The ARA had been under pressure from the government to raise a higher proportion of its revenue from within the sport, and as a result had introduced the first registration scheme. They had anticipated 20,000 people registering, but only achieved just over half that, and as a result had been running a substantial deficit for two years, running up a large and increasing overdraft. It took a couple of years to sort out the resulting mess, but in the 25 years I was on the ARA (now British Rowing) board, we built the financial reserves to a healthy level and increased the number of staff from 8 to over 100, most of them working in the field. We also bought and extended the ARA offices in Hammersmith and developed the National Training Centre at Caversham.

In 1993 Peter Coni, who had been elected as the first Treasurer of FISA (now World Rowing) in 1991, died. The ARA President Martin Brandon Bravo decided to nominate me as Peter's replacement. The candidates were the sort of group that only rowing could produce - consisting of two extremely tall women and one rather short man. I squeaked home by a few votes, mainly because Martin made a short but enthusiastic speech at the Congress. I was elected a Steward of HRR in the same year.

I stepped down from the British Rowing Board in 2014 when a misguided sports minister decided that corporate governance would be improved if no director served more than two 4 year terms. It wasn't. As I had been there for 25 years, I was first out of the door, followed immediately by most of the then current board. It has taken time to sort out the resulting chaos, but I am pleased to see British Rowing seems to be on the road to recovery and the GBR team performance is once more on the up.

I retired from the FISA Executive Committee at the end of 2019, just missing the pandemic problems. I am delighted to be awarded an OBE, particularly as I understand the proposal emerged from the grass roots level of the sport. In sport it is mainly, and rightly, the successful athletes who are recognised in this way, but our sport depends on a very large number of dedicated volunteers as coaches, regatta organisers and club administrators, and it is good that some of these are also recognised.

If I had not joined LRC in 1973, none of this would have happened. Messrs Baldwin and Coni have a lot to answer for.’

Bill Baker
Chairman, London Rowing Club

LRC ANNUAL DINNER - 2ND FEBRUARY 2023

Join us for our annual celebration evening, enjoy a sit down 3 course meal catered by Shona Pollock and avail yourselves of discounted member’s pricing on the bar.

Tickets are on sale now priced at £60 per head for members and their guests.

Dress code: Black tie and Blazers – Bow ties and LRC ties encouraged.

Any questions please contact Heather Scott: 07846 435139 or heather.scott92@gmail.com

Here is the link to purchase your tickets:

https://members.londonrc.org.uk/Events/Calendar/View?id=41

Kate MacDonald
LRC, Business Development Manager

NEW MEMBERS

We would like to welcome the following new members to the Club:

Samuel Clarke
James Halsall
Matthew Harris
Dominic Hawes
James Manton
Elizabeth Rine
Nicholas Tubbs

We hope you will enjoy being part of the London Rowing Club community and will help us build an ever happier and more successful club.

We are always pleased to have more members so, if you know of anyone who think might like to join the Club, please either let us know or encourage them to get in touch with us themselves.

There is information on becoming a member on our website: https://www.londonrc.org.uk/membership-enquiries or you can contact the Club’s Membership Secretary, Jessica Salter, whose email address is membership@londonrc.org.uk

Andrew Boyle
Honorary Secretary, London Rowing Club

ROWING MADE THEM

This Christmas my wife Anne gave me the slim volume Rowing Tales 2022, edited by Rebecca Caroe. In it I found this story about our neighbour, King’s College School boathouse. It is told by David Hickey, who rows at Tideway Scullers and Walbrook, and I thought that it would be interesting, as it gives some irrefutable evidence of the importance of rowing programs. I quote David’s article below;

‘It is often repeated that sport is a microcosm of society. If sport is defined by darts, synchronized swimming, and dressage, then I really do fear for society. If on the other hand, sport can be defined as rowing, then we are in a very safe place. The reason I say this is as follows:

Many years back, as a voluntary rowing coach, I was helping out Tony Brook (highly successful New Zealand rower in the late 1970s/early 1980s), who was Head of Rowing at King’s College School, Wimbledon. At the time, the small school rowing squad rented a few bays from another club on the upper Kingston reach.

One day, Tony approached me to say that there was a boathouse at Putney, which was being sold. He wanted the School to buy it. The fact that the Cambridge crews used it for the annual Varsity boat race (and still do) would, he thought, assist in convincing the school. Fearing that the school might not have the requisite finances available however, he asked me to assist in raising funds. I suggested however that the first priority would be to secure permission from the school for the venture. He agreed, spoke to the headmaster, and a meeting of the school governors was quickly convened to hear the case.

And so at 7 pm one weekday evening, the dozen or so governors assembled. A significant number of interested parents also showed up, as did many of the teachers. All in all, there was quite a crowd. Tony was first up and made the rowing case. I followed extolling the financial virtues of a riverside property in London, and finally the headmaster made the point that a central London footprint for the school would immeasurably enhance its status. As I watched the reaction, it became abundantly obvious to me that the governors were completely unpersuaded, and were clearly wondering how quickly they could escape this drivel, and settle down for the evening in the nearby pub. That’s when the chairman of the board noticed that we had with us the headmaster of the Junior School.

Now a good chairman in any walk of life doesn’t simply listen to those banging on at the meeting. They will also be keeping an eye out for those who remain silent. Of course, folks can be silent for two reasons. Firstly they can follow the sound advice which my late mother used to constantly hand out to me, which was ‘better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool, than to open it and remove all doubt’. The other reason for silence however is that the individual is thinking carefully and is probably worth hearing.

This chairman realized that in Chris Holloway, the Junior School had a leader who was well known for his perspicacity in analysing growing boys. Whether from a social, familial, physical, emotional or dry educational viewpoint, Colin was extraordinarily gifted in being able to assess the young charges passing through his school. But whatever his existing reputation, what he proceeded to say in the room that evening quite floored everyone.

Each year, he said, some 40 to 50 boys leave my school and progress to the Senior School. Of these, there are usually 3 to 5 who, I conclude sadly, will not make it in society. Occasionally however, one of those boys will join the rowing club. I have seen this happen about a dozen times in the years I have been here. In every single such case, the boy concerned has changed beyond belief, and by the time they depart the Senior School, it has given me the greatest of pleasure to have to reverse completely my previous opinion of that lad. Whatever you do in rowing, he said, it seriously benefits these boys and everyone with whom they will come into contact.

He concluded by saying very quietly, if buying this boathouse increases the likelihood of more such boys benefitting, then it is not just that I would favour the purchase, I would regard it as a civic duty of all of us to support the proposal.

Needless to say there followed a stunned silence. The chairman did not even look around him for soundings. He looked straight at Tony Brook and said, you have the full support of this committee. Please come to me at any time for any further support required.

KCS has owned that boathouse ever since.’

For the last five years I have served as a volunteer assistant coach for novices with the local high school rowing program here in Charlottesville, Virginia, and can attest to the words of Chris Holloway. Our recruits are some of the most clueless individuals one can imagine, so we start with a clean sheet of paper and teach them how to row as a team. It is a long and often painful process that requires infinite patience, but the end product is about far more than rowing a boat. That this process is occurring next door to the LRC must make us all grateful.

Jack Cann

A THANK YOU NOTE FROM THE MIDDLE OF THE ATLANTIC

Just a few days ago my son Max received a WhatsApp message from one of his TopRow pupils which read:

“Hey Max!

I wanted to take the quick opportunity to thank you again for all your lessons and to also nominate you to take part in our virtual 5000 km race – take to the erg and cumulatively race the Enginoars across the Atlantic!

How? Row 5k, donate £5 and nominate 3 people (you know the drill). If you could get a boat club involved too that would be epic!! Wishing you all the best, Rufus.”

Rufus is one of four Engineers aka ‘The Eginoars’ who are rowing across the Atlantic from the Canary Islands to Antigua, a distance of 4,800 km, an endeavour fewer people have accomplished than have climbed Mount Everest. They are aiming to raise £100,000 for the charity ‘Engineers Without Borders’, who pledge to build a better world through engineering projects that help communities to meet their basic needs.

So from Max to everyone at LRC, we ask you to consider helping the Eginoars in this most difficult and gruelling of quests! The Enginoars’ website can be found here, and there is a link for donations with a variety of challenges to consider. Their Linktree also connects you to their Instagram, bringing you live video updates from their daily journeying – prepare to feel sea sick!

We wish them a speedy and safe crossing,

Bob Silver

REPORTING SAFETY INCIDENTS

All members are reminded that if you are involved in or witness a water safety incident, you are required to report it using the following email address – safety@londonrc.org.uk
The Club will file any necessary reports on your behalf with British Rowing and the PLA. Members should not submit reports directly to either body.

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

My thanks to everyone who has contributed to this edition of the London Roar. If you have an idea for an article or would be interested in submitting a piece for inclusion in a future edition, please email me on miles.preston@londonrc.org.uk

Please do not submit an article without first liaising with me.

Miles Preston
Editor of The London Roar