History of Bendigo Rowing Club

21. 1980s and Beyond - Page 5

Chapter 21 page 1 2 3 4 5

In 1989, Jason Day departed for a big future at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra and a Veteran Ladies crew of Wendy Badman, Rae Turner, Karen Hamilton and Jane Speirs started rowing for fun; but got a 'touch of the crazies' and entered a 14 km. marathon at Robinvale - and won it ! They have since won at Bendigo and Nagambie in fours and eights and now seem to be taking it altogether too seriously.

1988/89 was also the year where Deirdre and Caitlan Fraser swept through the season winning four Open and Senior A races in pairs.

Deirdre and Caitlan

Caitlan had wins in Senior A Pairs and Senior B Fours at State and National level as well as wins in the Trans Tasman Series. She went on to represent Australia at the World Junior Championships in Spain they just missed a Bronze Medal.

Deirdre went through the season with many wins in Fours and Pairs at State and National level also. The highlight of her career was surely as a member of the Australian Womens Lightweight Fours winning Gold at the World Championships in Montreal, Canada during 1992.

Following this magnificent lead Jessica Lawrence has moved into the winning mould having recorded many wins in Under 16, Novice, Junior and Open Scull events over the '91/92 season.

Other crews to show out have been scullers Steven Wiegard and Leigh Moore, Bonnie McMeekin and Sharon Darby in pairs and a successful Schoolboy Fours combination of Hayden Mertens, Markus Tamblyn, Chris Tamblyn and Steven Wiegard, coached by Bill Barton.

Paul Armitage, Neil Harris, Nicholas Edward, Mark Triolo, Rowan Whitteron, Melanie Gretgrix, Chris Booth, Karl Wiegard, Dallys Lawrence, Kate Durbridge, Michelle Heywood, Kirsty Poyser, Rohan McCulloch, Leigh Holland, Adam Van Der Zee and Katrina Theologitis all showed the colours at recent regattas.

Fred Hillman has for some time coached a ladies group on Thursday mornings to add another chapter to our rowing family.

In recent years the Club has regularly competed in about eighteen regattas each year, with an average of about ten crews. Our Annual Regatta has grown in stature and we conduct about seventy events for crews drawn across the State. The conduct of our REUNION REGATTA to celebrate 120 years of rowing in Bendigo, and the opening of the DENIS and WENDY NIHILL GYMNASIUM are just two more milestones in the history of our great Club.

Don Cochran

Don Cochrane is one of Bendigo Rowing Clubs favourite sons.

Don started as a schoolboy rower here in 1975 and after representing Bendigo with distinction for several years, moved to Melbourne University. He rowed in sculls and lightweight crews in a career spanning eighteen years with Albert Park, Footscray and most recently Essendon. He won many races at Club level and Lightweight Senior A Double Sculls and Senior C Fours at State championships. He has coached successful crews (including Jason Day) and is a dedicated and constructive delegate for our Club at the V.R.A. Don and his parents still show a great interest in our Club. Like all our successful rowers, he has never forgotten Bendigo Rowing Club.