History of Leichhardt Rowing Club

14. Some Rowing Highlights

From the first rowing successes at Leichhardt's regattas in the 1880s, the club has had a proud record of wins. The first member to represent the State was Bill Lambert, a sculler, who rowed interstate in 1892 and 1895 and who was later to become a Mayor of Leichhardt and club president in 1936.

The first eight-oared representative was Harry Hauenstein who rowed in the State crews of 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910 and 1911, (winning in 1908, 1910 & 1911), and, with Tom McGill represented Australia at the Peace Regatta at Henley in 1919 when the A.I.F. Crew won the King's Cup. Other successful scullers were Arthur Bull, Australian Champion 1922-23 and Olympic sculler 1924, Clive Lorimer, State representative 1924-25, Steve Roll who won in 1958 and Stuart MacKenzie who won in 1956 and 1957.

1909 NSW Interstate Eight

Harry Hauenstein raced in the seven seat

The first Lightweight Eght Oar Championship of the State was won by Leichhardt in 1923, with a crew consisting of D.V. 0'Sullivan, E.J. Buckley, H. 0'Connor, J.W. Smyth, R. Brady, G. Wallis, H. Powell, T.W. Packer (Stroke) W.T. Parker (Cox) and J.W. Hence (coach).

Peter Evatt came into rowing in his thirties, won the State Sculls in 1952/53, was Australian Champion in 1953 and a State coach in 1956, an Empire Games representative in 1954 and at the Olympic Games in 1956. A young oarsman, Stuart McKenzie came from the King's School to win a senior championship in his first year at Leichhardt. He was in the 1955 State crew but then concentrated on sculling, representing at the 1956 and 1960 Olympics, won the European Title in 1958 and had a remarkable series of wins in the Henley Diamond Sculls from 1957 - 1961 inclusive. 'He went to Sydney club in 1957.

1953 Australian Champion Sculler Peter Evatt

At the 1954 Empire Games in Canada, Dave Anderson, Peter Evatt, Geoff Williamson and Lionel Robberds (Cox) were members of a winning Australian crew. Lionel Robberds was still at Sydney High in 1954 but later coxed Olympic and Empire Games crews and also became Amateur Squash Champion of N.S.W.

Brothers Bruce and Peter Dickson were regular members of King's Cup crews in the sixties, were in the eight who rowed in New Zealand in 1965 and Peter won a Silver medal in the eights at the Mexico Olympics.

There were many achievements during the fifties and sixties, including those of the women who were rowing with Leichhardt at that time. They came to the fore again in the late seventies and continued to score wins and selection as representatives.