Adelaide Rowing Club - The First Hundred Years

10. Narrative History of the Adelaide Rowing Club - 1922-1927

Chapter 10 page 1 2

Season 1925-26

At Opening Day this season a series of photographs were taken of the whole Club fleet, duly manned by 64 oarsmen, of which there were plenty this season, which prompted the Club to enter a good crew for Champion Junior 8's instead of Champion 4's at the same regatta at Port Adelaide. Adelaides won their race, and Renmark won Champion 4's. Murray Bridge's stranglehold had been broken. Renmark also won Champion 8's and the Senior Pennant.

ARC Senior Eight 1925-26

L T Grummet, N A Buckenara, K H Boykett, B H Boykett, W O Menz, D N Linnett, T R Webb, J S Lord (str), C S Coogan (Cch).

Adelaides won a total of 8 races this season, and finished second to Mannum in the Junior Pennant.

January 1926 Maiden Eight at Murray Bridge

Standing: B F Hopkins (4), R J Gillingham (str), H V Menz (Cch), J T Sheppard (2), R R Chamberlain (5)
Seated: C F Sexton (3), R O Shuttleworth (7), M Adam (cox), R D Clark (bow), D V H Jackson (6)

The promising members in the new intake this season were Stan Facy, P.W. Haddy, Keith Forwood, Arch Trickett, and P.A. Read who gained fame in later years as a tennis umpire, and is still umpiring first class tennis to this day.

The ill-fated "A.R.C. Review" had to be abandoned for lack of support, after so much effort, but any A.R.C. Secretary is worked off his feet without having to produce a mini-magazine (see later Appendix).

Schoolboy Sponsorship Again

Scotch College requested permission to use Adelaide's tubs after school, and this was agreed, with the rowing master, Freddy Gale being made a member and each boy paying a nominal subscription. They made good progress, and this would be the beginning of that school's distinguished record in school rowing. The Headmaster who fathered those early steps into rowing was N.M.G. Gratton (`Normy').

Opening Day Veterans 8

Another feature besides the monster "manning of the fleet" spectacle at Opening day was a Veterans 8, stroked by A. J. Grayson, with his old 7 man, J.H. Gosse, Charlie Morgan at 6, Max Fotheringham at 5, Fred Acraman at 4, J.J. Sharp at 3, W.L. Burton at 2, and Sandford Ross, bow. An even older veteran, A.H.D. Tolmer, watched the rowing. He rowed at Port Adelaide back in 1865, before Port Adelaide Rowing Club was formed, and races were held at an aquatic carnival each year, the crews made up from the Working Mens Club, and from crews that manned the coastal ketches and boys from St. Peters College.

The Veteran Eight referred to above. The cox was C A M West.

At the Smoke Social after the Opening, presided over by Joe Sharp, items were given by Hector MacDonald, Mostyn Skinner, K.H. Boykett and Heffernan, accompanied by the "Collegians" orchestra.

Members observed a minute's silence for two who had recently died - W.G. Auld and Canon "Jingles" Girdlestone.

Club Spirit Rising Fast

As the season progressed, and the wins at regattas mounted up, the Club under Herman Menz as Captain, and Len Grummet as Vice, really seemed to surge forward.

Herman left for Europe and the U.S.A. and was given a send off party.

The Ball, once again, was a success; the Club had supplied 4 men for the metropolitan test race squad to decide which crew should row for S.A. in the King's Cup; they had won races at Port Adelaide, Murray Bridge, Port Pirie and on the Torrens.

Things augured well for next season. And so it turned out.

Season 1926-27

Morale was high, numbers of active oarsmen were up in all categories, and the Committee mapped out an ambitious programme of entries for all regattas, both country and city.

1927 Maiden Eight

Cox: D Bayliss, Str: K Forwood, 7: R T Shuttleworth, 6: P W Haddy, 5: G Krichauff, 4 W D James, 3: J T Sheppard, 2: P Forwood, Bow: R D Clark. Note Floating Palais in background.

The end result was the winning of both Senior and Junior Championship Pennants.

How They Won The State Premiership

By now, Grummet was Captain and Jim Lord was Vice Captain, but Jim, a schoolmaster, was posted to a country school, and resigned, much to everyone's regret, and Claude Coogan was elected in his place. Claude by this time had been made a King's Cup selector, and was helping Stan Facy coach the Club crews.

This was the year of the -ETTS. What are -ETTS? They were five pro­minent club members whose names ended in -ETT or -ET namely Grummet Captain, Trickett, Secretary, Linnett, a great stroke man, Boykett, Ken, and Boykett, Bruce, automatic choices in senior crews. A crew made up of the last four -ETTS rowed a total of 21 miles in one day on the Torrens and collected one of the Gosse trophies.

Walter Wadey totted up an unbelievable 434 1/2 miles on the Torrens in different crews this season and got the trophy for the best solo performance in that category.

All of this helped the Club win a record number of races during the season, especially in 8's, and amass enough points to win the State Premiership, the result being in doubt until after the last regatta held at Port Pirie.

On the train to Port Pirie - N A Buckenara and J T Sheppard, Easter 1927

On the right: SARA officials 1926

Top row: C A M West, Arthur Niocholls, S T Facy. Bottom row: L T Grummett, J P Marcus, W Kieselbach

Strangely, Adelaide Rowing Club did not win Champion 4's and in rough water, and leading the field in Champion 8's, the crew swamped, losing the race to Mannum, who represented the State in the King's Cup. J.P. Marcus was the crew manager.

Victory Celebrations

The Club held a dinner at the Oriental Hotel to celebrate the great win, at which the President, J.H. Gosse congratulated the members in glowing terms, and it was voted that the dinner should be made an annual event. Mention was made of the success in winning 4 events of 5 entered at the inter collegiate Head of the River of the newly formed Scotch College crews, which were being sponsored by A.R.C.; Success at rowing can be catching.