Danny Elliott
Ballarat City Rowing Club (VIC)
The following description of the rowing life of Danny Elliott has been drawn from his Ballarat City Rowing Club life membership tribute.
Danny joined Ballarat City Rowing Club in 1972 after rowing at school for a year. He initially rowed in crews winning Maiden pairs, fours and eights. He quickly became involved in all facets of the club serving on the committee continuously from 1973 to 2017 and in all that time only missed one meeting. He became Vice Captain of the club in 1973 and then Captain in 1975. He was on the committee in 1976 and then became Captain again in 1977 holding that position until 1997. In 1980 he married Kate Wise, who was also a sculler and secretary of the club and together they continued to contribute to Ballarat City Rowing Club in these roles for 21 years. Taking some time off from the Captaincy after his son was born in November 1997, he continued as committee member. In 1999 he became President and went on to serve in that capacity until 2017. He was awarded a Life Membership in 1995.
In 1975 he started sculling. As there was no Novice/Maiden class then he raced in Junior sculls and later lightweight sculls being a natural lightweight. In 1976 he raced in the State Championships Victorian Junior Sculling Championship placing third and in 1977 he placed second to an interstate sculler so was the first Victorian across the line. He also competed at his first Australian Championships this year on the Swan River in Perth. He placed 5th in the Men’s Lightweight sculls.
In 1979 he teamed up with Terry Poole from Corio Bay and they won the Victorian Champion Men’s Senior Lightweight coxless pair and at the National Championships at Westlakes in Adelaide he and Terry placed second by 1 second in the Men’s Champion Lightweight Double Sculls.
Danny in Bow with Terry Poole in stroke
From 1983 while he was Captain, he also coached 90% of the crews and scullers, towed the boat trailer to every regatta that the club attended including towing it to Western Australia and back. He oversaw the club training program and was instrumental in putting in place in 1980 the policy of teaching everyone to scull and having them compete at least at Novice level. This focus on sculling was the basis for winning the Premierships in 1987 as nearly every one of the 25 members competing who had not yet won their Novice events competing and winning. He has worked full time in his own business from 1972 until present completing two trade apprenticeships.
He won the club’s Most Successful Oarsman 5 times and Clubman of the Year 6 times. He held Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 NCAS Coaching accreditation with 40 years coaching experience in Australia. He has been an AIS Satellite coach and a VIS coach and coached Victoria’s only regional Talent Identification Program for 5 years. He was Central Highland’s Coach of the Year across all sports in 1995. He was appointed coach of the state sculler on two occasions for both the Women’s and Men’s Interstate Sculling Championships. He was Captain/Coach of the Ballarat City Rowing Club, leading it to be the most successful country club in Victoria over a 20 year period. He coached the whole club winning the VRA Champion Club of Victoria in 1987 with 98 wins from just 25 active members. He also coached the club to Champion Women’s Club for three years running 1975-76-77 again with a core group of 8 to 10 women.
Danny and Anthony Edwards
1972-2024 - Started at the club in 1972. 52 years membership of Ballarat City Rowing Club
1973-2017 - 44 years served on Committee - Served on the Committee as Vice-Captain, Captain, Treasurer, President
1975-1998 - Captain/Coach 23 years continuous service as coach for the entire club. Coached 95% of crews and scullers at the club at all levels-club, state, national and international.
1999-2017 - 18 years as President (including 7 years keeping the club running when Lake Wendouree was dry and there was no rowing)
1987-1994 - 7 years selected as Coach on the Australian Rowing Team
1990-1993 - 3 years AIS Satellite Coach and received AIS grants
1989-1995 - 6 years attended all National Coaches Conferences
1979 - Victorian Champion Lightweight Pair and Australian Championships Lightweight Double Scull-second
1983-84- coached club to first VRA Premiership with 9 completing women
Women’s Champion Club and Women’s Champion Junior Club
1984 - Coach for Victorian Female Sculler for the Interstate Regatta, Lake Barrington
1984-85 coached club to second VRA Premiership-Women’s Champion Club
1985-86 second on Women’s Champion Club by 3 points
1986-87 coached club to four Premierships
Champion Club, Men’s Champion Club, Women’s Champion Club and Men’s
Champion Junior Club
Co-coach Australian Champion Men’s Junior Double Scull-Lake Barrington
Michael Rankin (BCRC) Jason Day (BRC)
1987-88 Coach Australian Champion Men’s Senior B Scull-Penrith-James McKee
Coach James McKee Trans-Tasman Senior B Series
1988-89 Coached club’s scullers to 7 Victorian sculling Championships
Champion Senior A and Senior B Sculls-James McKee
Champion Senior C and Lwt Senior A Sculls-Tim Wise
Champion Womens Senior A and Lwt Senior A sculls-Kate Elliott
Champion Women’s Junior Scull-Sonja Crouch
Australian Championships, Wellington Dam-James McKee 3rd(despite being swamped)
Selected as coach for James McKee for Senior B Trans-Tasman series-unable to attend due to injury
1990 AIS Satellite Coach
Coach Australian Senior A Team-FISA World Championships-Tasmania
Lightweight Sculler- Tim Wise placed 11th in world
1991 AIS Satellite Coach
Coach Australian Senior A Team-FISA World Championships-Vienna
Men’s Lightweight Double Scull placed 7th in world
Coach Australian Champion Men’s Lightweight Senior B scull-1st-Anthony Edwards
Coach VRA Talent Identification Program hosted by BCRC
1992 AIS Satellite Coach
Coach Australian Champion Lightweight double scull-Carrum-Tim Wise, Anthony Edwards
Australian Champion Lightweight Quad scull-Tim Wise, Anthony Edwards, Andrew Herold (Mercantile), Sam Golding (CBRC)
Coached Anthony Edwards and Jason Tutty Australian Senior B Team.
1993 AIS Satellite Coach
Coach Australian Champion Lightweight Senior B scull-Lake Wivenhoe-Anthony Edwards.
1994-1995
1995 at the 125th Anniversary of the club-Awarded Life Membership Ballarat City Rowing Club
Men's Interstate Sculling Championship–The President's Cup,1st NSW - Rhett Ayliffe
2nd VIC - Anthony Edwards Coach: Danny Elliott
VIS Coach
Level 2 National Coach Accreditation
Coach Recognition Award-Australian Coaching Council
Central Highlands Sports Assembly/Sport and Recreation Victoria-Volunteer Coach of
the Year (Central Highlands Region)
Coach Australian Champion Men’s Lightweight Scull-Wellington Dam, Anthony
Edwards
Australian Champion Senior A Lightweight Men's Double ,Final A
1st Ballarat City/Geeveston - Bow: Simon Burgess, Str: Anthony Edwards, Coaches: Tim McLaren & Danny Elliott
1996-97 Coached 3 Victorian Championship scullers
Victorian Champion Elite scull-Anthony Edwards
Victorian Champion Mens Junior scull-Shane Young
Victorian Champion Womens Junior scull-Lora Steel
2006-2012 Re-accreditation Level 1 National Coach Accreditation
Drought. One of 10 members who kept the club running with no water to row on and rebuilt the boatshed.
2022 Re-accreditation Level 1 Coach
PERSONAL WINS - 50 regatta wins (mainly as a lightweight sculler)
CLUB WINS - coached club rowers to 815 recorded club wins at Victorian regattas
VICTORIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS - 61 Victorian champion crews and scullers
VICTORIAN COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS - 65
VRA PREMIERSHIPS - 7
AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS -GOLD MEDALS-10
-SILVER MEDALS-6
-BRONZE MEDALS-9
CONTRIBUTED to more than 1000 wins for the club in all classes of boat and all levels of rowing.
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS-attended 2 as coach
Tasmania 1990 coached Tim Wise to 11th place
Vienna 1991 coached Tim Wise and Sam Golding to 7th in the world winning the B final in a time that would have earned them bronze in the A final.
Kate Elliott
April 2024