Olympic Games—Stockholm 1912

Images from the 1912 Games from the Harry Ross Soden collection can be found through this link at the Australian Rowing Images website.

If the Games of London finally produced a Games worthy of the title Olympic Games, Stockholm provided de Coubertin with the organisation and enchantment he had always sought. "We went to Stockholm as British athletes; we came home Olympians, disciples of the leader, de Coubertin, with a new vision which I never lost." Rt Hon Phillip Baker in the book The Olympic Games, edited by Lord Killanin and John Rodda. Australia and New Zealand competed for the second time as Australasia, but this was the last time.

The general manager of the team was Vicary Horniman. Harry Gordon included a passage on Vic Horniman in his book Australia and the Olympic Games as follows: "The manager of the 26 strong Australasian team to Stockholm was Vicary Horniman, a Sydney militia civil servant who had served as a captain in the New South Wales militia until 1901, but had retained his army title and a military looking moustache. He was a keen rower, but not a distinguished one, and had been active as a starter, judge and umpire with the New South Wales Association. His appointment in March 1912 was one of the first joint actions of the newly formed State Olympic councils. Although Horniman was unopposed, A G de L Arnold, who acted as coordinating secretary for the various Olympic bodies, was diplomatic enough to clear the appointment personally with Basil Parkinson in Melbourne before announcing it."

The proud history of rowers being the general manager/Chef de mission of Australian Olympic Teams had begun. Of the 25 General Managers/Chef de Missions for Australia at the Olympic Games, rowers have held this position on 9 occasions as at 2020.

Selection

As Rowing Australia Inc was not yet formed, this was a joint arrangement between the New South Wales and Victorian Rowing Associations. The selection committee for the eight comprised Alex Thompson (NSW) who assisted with the management of the eight, C S Cunningham (VIC) who travelled with the team and the coach Bill Middleton. The cost of the trip was estimated at £2,000 with about £600 expected to come from Victoria, principally from the wealthy Melbourne Amateur Regatta Association, the organisers of the Melbourne Henley Regatta.

In the end, £500 came from the Melbourne Amateur Regatta Association plus substantial donations from the families of the Victorian members, the Victorian Rowing Association President H Gyles Turner and the Athenaeum Club, totally in all £713.

It is interesting to note that alternative trips were considered such as a race against the English on the Zambesi. In the end, the long awaited opportunity to test the Australian skill, stamina and strength against the best from England the Americas and Europe swayed the decision to attend the Olympic Games. It is clear from the materials at the time that racing at the Henley Royal Regatta was highly regarded.

The Olympic crew, with one change (Hugh K Ward out and Keith Heritage in), won the Grand Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta as Sydney Rowing Club. A squad of ten travelled to England but as A B Doyle (NSW) and Ward were already resident in England, the eight had a squad of 12 from whom to choose. Selection was controversial. Ward was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford at the time of the Games and joined the team in the UK for the Olympic Regatta. He competed for New College (Oxford) in the Grand Challenge Cup and so competed against his fellow crew mates in the semi final which was won by Sydney Rowing Club. He was not able to race for Sydney Rowing Club, having never been a member of it. His inclusion in the Olympic crew, at the expense of Keith Heritage, was criticized.

Harry Gordon in his book Australia at the Olympic Games states: "Afterwards Sporting Life expressed surprise that that the Australians had 'displaced a man who formed part of a machine-like crew, which was universally admired at Henley, for one who has assimilated the New College (Oxford) style of rowing'. George Towns, the sculler and boat builder, was also critical about the inclusion of Ward, who had stroked New South Wales to victory in the Australian Championships in 1910. "It is always dangerous . . . to alter a successful crew," he said. "The time was too short to allow of Ward becoming an 'Australian' rower again."

Training commenced in Sydney in 1912 when the two Victorians, Simon Fraser and Harry Ross-Soden arrived. With five members of the squad coming from Sydney Rowing Club, the other members joined the Club to enable an entry to be included in the Grand Challenge Cup event at Henley. The winning boat in the 1910 and 1911 Interstate Eights race, the Q L Deloitte, was packed up and dispatched overseas. A second and newer boat was also sent in case of damage. Finally, in April 1912, the R M S Osterley (the Royal mail ship) and the team left Sydney for London to a grand send off. McVilly joined the ship in Hobart. The team received great receptions in Hobart, Melbourne and Perth.

Cecil McVilly—Men's Single Sculler

The eight raced at Henley as Sydney Rowing Club with Heritage in and Ward out. They defeated the Argonauts crew from Canada in the first round by 1.25 lengths in 7:04. They defeated New College Oxford in the second round by a length in 7:10. Then, in the final, they defeated Leander in the Grand Challenge Cup before a crowd of 150,000 spectators. McVilly unfortunately was eliminated in the first round of the Diamond Sculls, one of the world's premier sculling events.

Other Racing

Men's Coxed Four

1st Germany (Ludwigshafen R V – Albert Arnheiter, Otto Fickeisen, Rudolf Fickeisen, Herman Wilker, Karl Leister (cox)), 6:59.4, 2nd UK (Thames), 3rd Norway. (11 crews from 9 nations – One history show Denmark 3rd and Norway 4th)

Men's Coxed Four – in riggers

1st Denmark (Nykjobing), 7:47.0, 2nd Sweden 7:56.2, 3rd Norway. (6 crews from 4 nations)

Gold Medal - Nykjobing Rowing Club from Denmark

Silver Medal -
Roddklubben Rowing Club from Sweden