Endeavour Rowing Club

2013-2015 Juniors Emerge

A New Club Coach

In 1991, Peter Bond had been employed by HVGS to establish the school’s rowing program. Twenty one years later, he retired from teaching and the school appointed a new rowing co-ordinator. In November 2012, Peter took on the coaching of a junior crew for Endeavour. In the following off-season, a crew of 4 boys grew into a junior squad of 17 boys and girls. This squad would make significant contributions to Endeavour’s success over the next 5 years until the last of the group graduated from school and left to concentrate on work commitments or university study .

Endeavour’s junior squad at the beginning of the 2013/14 season

Deck Roof – Off and On

After having an awning over the observation deck for less than 12 months, high winds hit the boatshed on 1st December 2012 and ripped the awning off. With new roofing material bought from the insurance claim, a working bee in July 2013, supervised by club member Mick Shepherd, secured the awning to the framework of the shed so that it will not blow off again.

At the 2013 AGM, the land and building were valued at $190,000, the fleet was estimated at $125,000 with associated equipment worth $10,000 giving a total estimate for fixed assets of $325,000. 

Sixteenth Racing Season

The 2013/14 season saw the emergence of Endeavour’s juniors following 15 years of masters’ success. Of the club’s 87 wins (a new high), 64 went to the junior squad, with Brendan Budworth leading the way on 20 wins. The club also recorded a new regatta high with 18 winning crews at the CDRA Championships. The juniors rowed in many different combinations but the crew of Carter Ward, Robert Weatherall, Brendan Budworth and Prentice Bond with wins in MU16 4x at the CDRA Sprints, Taree Summer regatta and CDRA Championships stood out and was to progress through the coming years with consistent success. Maitland Grossmann recorded two wins at the CHS Championships: Brendan Budworth in MU16 1x and Robert Weatherall in MU15 1x. A gold medal evaded the club at the two masters championships with 2 silver and 3 bronze at the NSW regatta and a bronze to Jill Carlstrom in WMG1x at the Nationals.

Prentice Bond, Robert Weatherall, Tim Jeffries, Brendan Budworth, Carter Ward

At the end of the racing season, the club conducted its first ever presentation in conjunction with a trivia night which raised $1800. Medallions were awarded to all club members who had competed during the season with 46 medals being presented.

Seventeenth Racing Season

In 2014/15, the club built significantly on the previous year’s results with 118 wins of which 89 went to the juniors. The U17 crew of Carter Ward (15 wins), Robert Weatherall (17), Brendan Budworth (20) and Prentice Bond (17) led the medal count although all members of the junior squad were multiple winners. A prominent newcomer to the club was Jack Davey with 12 wins. Endeavour Rowing Club picked up a silver medal at the NSW Championships to Jack Davey and Robert Weatherall in MU16 2x. Maitland Grossmann High School won 3 gold medals at the CHS Championships: MU16 2x Jack Davey and Robert Weatherall, MU16 1x Jack Davey (with Robert second) and MU17 1x Brendan Budworth. After such a successful introduction to the sport, Jack Davey was awarded the title of ‘Novice of the Year’ by Rowing NSW.

Endeavour Rowing Club’s consistent performance throughout the local rowing season earned the club’s first CDRA shield for third place in the pointscore on 645 points, just behind Lake Macquarie (649) and Newcastle Grammar School (972 points).

Endeavour Awards

For the club’s second presentation night in June 2015, a new medallion was struck in bright gold with magenta and white enamel for the new ‘Endeavour Awards’. These awards were for presentation in two categories: Service (for exemplary service to the club) and Achievement (for the highest level of success in competition). Awards for 2015 were: Service - Allen Atkins and Luke Budworth: Achievement - Brendan Budworth, Jack Davey and Robert Weatherall.

Endeavour Locked out of Regattas

Government funding of sport is dependent upon results in competition and numbers of participants. Rowing has regularly produced international results but records of participants have been poorly kept. To overcome this, Rowing Australia proposed a universal on-line registration system for all rowing clubs in the country to replace the different or nonexistent state systems. In his position on the Australian Rowing Council, Ivan Adlam volunteered Endeavour as the guinea pig to test the new system. For the 2015/16 season, membership of Endeavour Rowing Club and registration with Rowing NSW were payed electronically via ‘RevolutioniseSport’. Unfortunately, this Rowing Australia system could not communicate electronically with Rowing NSW’s ‘Rowing Manager’ and Endeavour members were locked out of the NSW regatta entry system. Desperate negotiations between club captain Luke Budworth and Rowing NSW eventually enabled Endeavour rowers to compete but it took some time for Endeavour’s registration fees to be transferred to Rowing NSW. Endeavour Rowing Club continues to utilise RevolutioniseSport for club membership but membership of RowingNSW is now done separately via Rowing Manager.

Presidency of CDRA

In October 2015, Graham Nix stepped down from the presidency of CDRA for health reasons and Endeavour member Peter Bond was elected to the position. Graham had held executive positions continuously for thirty five years since the inception of CDRA in 1981, initially as secretary/treasurer and ultimately as president. Peter had held the position of secretary/treasurer from 1990 to 1999 and had continued as a committee member until his election as president.