Robert D Booth
Banks Rowing Club (Vic) to 1882 then Melbourne Rowing Club (VIC)
1880 - Intercolonial Men's Eight Championship six seat - First
1881 - Melbourne Regatta, maiden eight, stroke - First
1881 - Melbourne Regatta, non manual labourers maiden four, stroke - First
1881 - Geelong and Barwon Regatta, maiden four, stroke - First
1881 - Intercolonial Men's Eight Championship four seat - First
1882 - Intercolonial Men's Eight Championship four seat - Second
1882 - Melbourne Regatta, non manual labourers senior eight, stroke - First
1882 - Melbourne Regatta, non manual labourers senior four, stroke - First
1882 - Richmond and South Yarra Regatta, men's senior four, stroke - First
1883 - Richmond and South Yarra Regatta, men's senior four, stroke - First
1883 - Melbourne Regatta, senior eight, stroke - First
1882 - Melbourne Regatta, non manual labourers senior four, stroke - First
1883 - Melbourne Regatta, non manual labourers senior eight, stroke - First
1884 - Intercolonial Men's Eight Championship stroke - First
1886 - Melbourne Regatta, non manual labourers senior four, stroke - First
1886 - Albert Park Lake Regatta, senior four, stroke - First
1886 - Intercolonial Men's Eight Championship stroke - First
1887 - Intercolonial Men's Eight Championship stroke - First
1888 - Melbourne Regatta, senior four, stroke - First
1889 - Intercolonial Men's Eight Championship stroke- First
Booth may have originally hailed from Geelong but this is not clear. His early rowing wins were with Banks before he joined the then powerhouse club, Melbourne. His occupation was stated in 1878 as a bank clerk with the Commercial Bank.
His rowing career was stellar and was one of the great oarsmen of his time. He stroked the 1889 Victorian crew which started favourite and justified this standard taking a margin at the start and moving this out to three lengths by the finish. The crew contained the great Stephen Fairbairn who recounted later "the old coach told me years after [the crew] was the best crew Victoria ever had".
George Upward left and Robert Booth right at the Melbourne Regatta 18th February 1899
Andrew Guerin
2013