Endeavour Rowing Club

2015-2018 Junior Success

Eighteenth Racing Season – Medals Galore

The 2015/16 season was as prolific as the previous season with 123 wins, although the number of state and national medals won increased significantly. Jack Davey achieved a new club high with 31 wins for the season plus a swag of medals. Endeavour’s racing squad excelled in CDRA events, averaging more than 12 wins per regatta for each of the 8 pointscore fixtures to finish the season as second in the CDRA pointscore: Newcastle Grammar (897 points), Endeavour (671), HVGS (602). Maitland Grossmann High School won 3 gold and 2 silver medals to be placed second in the boys pointscore at the CHS Championships. Gold medals went to MU17 2x Jack Davey and Robert Weatherall, MU17 1x Jack Davey (with Robert second again) and to the Champion Mens Quad of Carter Ward, Jack Davey, Robert Weatherall and Brendan Budworth with coxn Bec Davey.

In Rowing NSW Championship events, Endeavour exceeded previous medal counts: NSW Sprint Championships – 1 gold, 5 silver, 3 bronze / Edward Trickett Grade Championships – 2 bronze / NSW Championships – 1 silver / NSW Masters Championships – 3 silver, 3 bronze. Brendan Budworth was the gold medal winner with first place in MU17 1x (plus a share in 2 of the bronze medals).

Endeavour also featured in both National Championship regattas with gold to Margi Vercoe in WMH4- (composite) plus 2 silver and 2 bronze medals at the Australian Masters Championships. One of the silver medals went to Sean Donza representing NSW in the Mens Interstate Masters Quad. Sean’s NSW crew led for most of the race but was overhauled by the Victorians when the NSW boat wandered in its lane and their blades clipped the line of buoys. 

The most significant achievement of the season was the bronze medal to Jack Davey and Robert Weatherall in MU17 2x at the Australian Championships, the first medal to the club at that level.

National bronze – Robert Weatherall, Jack Davey and coach Peter Bond

Endeavour Awards presented for 2016 were: Service – Jill Carlstrom: Achievement – Brendan Budworth, Jack Davey, Robert Weatherall and Sean Donza. A special award for Meritorious Improvement went to Tracey Wooderson.

Nineteenth Racing Season

The 2016/17 season did not reach the heights of the previous season with 85 wins and half the number of championship medals. Jack Davey and Robert Weatherall continued their success with 23 and 22 wins respectively. Endeavour’s state medals included a gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze at the NSW Sprint Championships plus 3 gold and 2 silver at the NSW Masters Championships. Sean Donza stood out with 2 gold in MM1x at the Sprints and MME4x (composite) at the Masters. Jill Carlstrom won a state gold in WMH1x and Di McShane won gold in WMF4x (composite). 

Jill Carlstrom - gold medalist in WMH1x NSW Masters Championships 2017

A strong point of the season was the performance of Maitland Grossmann High School at the CHS Championships winning 2 gold, a silver and a bronze medal, all in championship events. After wins in U16 and U17 in previous years, Jack Davey and Robert Weatherall won ChM2x then teamed up with Carter Ward and Brendan Budworth for a convincing win in ChM4x. With those 2 wins plus a second in ChM1x Jack Davey was presented with the Reg Galvin Award for the outstanding male rower of the regatta. At the 2017 CHS Blues Presentation, Brendan Budworth and Jack Davey were each awarded a CHS Blue, the highest honour of the association.

A boat inventory dated 2017 valued the fleet of racing boats, coaching boats and oars at $170,500 made up of one eight, seven quad/fours, seven doubles, nine singles, two coaching boats and twenty eight sets of sculls.

Endeavour Awards presented for 2017 were: Service - Luke Budworth and Les Geczy: Achievement – Jill Carlstrom, Sean Donza, Isaac Shepherd, Di McShane and Carter Ward.

Maitland Grossmann – CHS Champion Quad Scull 2017
Carter Ward, Robert Weatherall, Bec Davey, Jack Davey, Brendan Budworth

Twentieth Racing Season

Results for the 2017/18 racing season were similar to the previous year with 76 wins and 15 championship medals. Sean Donza led the way for the masters with 20 wins ahead of juniors Jack Davey (14 wins) and Robert Weatherall (13). A stand out performer was 76 years old Allen Atkins as a member of ‘The Ancient Mariners’, a group that combines the oldest rowers in NSW. Al won several masters eights in Sydney before travelling to Victoria to win MMI-K8+ over 8.6 kilometres in the Head of the Yarra. Al went on to win gold with this squad at the NSW Masters Championships. 

In NSW Championship events (Sprints, Championships and Edward Trickett) Endeavour won 1 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze medals. After 5 silver medals in U16, U17 and U19 doubles at NSW Sprints and NSW Championships, Jack Davey and Robert Weatherall pulled off their biggest coup to win MU19 2x gold at the NSW Championships against interstate crews vying for Australian selection. In masters championships, Sean Donza stood out with a gold, a silver and a bronze at both the NSW and the Australian Championships for a total of 6 medals. 

Allen Atkins in the seven seat of the Ancient Mariners eight

With half of the crew graduated from school, in the off-season Robert Weatherall had recruited new blood from among the students of Maitland Grossmann for a third crack at the ChM4x at the CHS regatta. This ‘Novice to Nationals’ squad didn’t quite make it to the nationals but they were a big hit at CHS winning ChM4x (Mitchell Scales, Cameron McConville, Jack Davey and Robert Weatherall with coxn Michael Eveleigh), ChM2x (Jack Davey and Robert Weatherall) and ChM1x (Jack Davey). For the second year running Jack won the Reg Galvin Award and Robert Weatherall was awarded a CHS Blue at the 2018 Blues Presentation. 

At the end of the season, Endeavour Rowing Club was presented with a CDRA shield for third place in the local regatta pointscore: HVGS (1154 points), Newcastle Grammar (738), Endeavour (369).

At the 2018 presentation night, participation medallions went to 34 rowers while Endeavour Awards for Rowing Achievement went to Allen Atkins, Prentice Bond, Jack Davey, Robert Weatherall and Sean Donza.