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australian rowers profiles and history

Andrew N Guerin

Mercantile Rowing Club (VIC) (also Melbourne Rowing Club (VIC) and Leander Club (UK))

1973 - APS Head of the River Scotch College first crew, bow seat - First

1973 - World Junior Championships - Men's Eight bow - Eighth

1974 - APS Head of the River, Scotch College fourth crew, coach - First

1974 - National Championship Lightweight Eights - First

1975 - National Championship Lightweight Eights - First

1975 - Club Treasurer

1976 - National Championship Lightweight Eights - First

1976 - Club Secretary

1977 - APS Head of the River, BGS second crew, coach - Last

1978 - University Championships Men's Eight bow - First

1978 - Captain

1978 - APS Head of the River, BGS second crew, coach - Fifth

1979 - Club and Equipment Manager

1979 - APS Head of the River, BGS first crew, co-coach - last

1980-1984 (incl) - Captain

1980 - APS Head of the River, BGS first crew, coach - Fifth

1980 - Co-author of 'Mercantile - A Century of Rowing', published by Mercantile RC, 1980

1984 - Club Treasurer

1986 -1989 (incl) - Victorian team manager

1988 - Under 23 Australian team manager - Trans Tasman and Seattle tour

1988 - Life membership Mercantile Rowing Club

1989 - World Championships Bled - Australian team manager

1990 - World Championships Lake Barrington - Australian team manager

1991 - World Championships Vienna - Australian team manager

1991-96 (incl) - Victorian Councillor on Rowing Australia.

1992 - Olympic Games - section manager rowing

1992 - present - Trustee of the Mercantile Foundation (Chairman 2004 onwards)

1994 - Patron, Melbourne Rowing Club

1995 - FISA umpires licence gained

1996 - Olympic Games - section manager rowing

1997 - FISA Masters - jury member

1997-2004 - Club President

1999 - World Championships - jury member

2000 - Olympic Games - jury member

2001 - present - APS Head of the River -Referee

2002 - World Masters Games - President of the Jury

2003 - World Championships - jury member

2004 - 2009 - Chairman of the RA Umpires Committee

2005 - Mercantile's Dr R A Cooper award for outstanding service to the club during the season

2005 - present - Trustee of the Rowing Australia Bromley Fund (currently Chairman)

2006 - 2013 - President of Rowing Victoria

2008 - Life membership of Rowing Australia

2008 - World Cup 3 and qualification regatta Poznan - jury member

2009 - World Cup 3 Lucerne - jury member

2010 - Organising Committee Australian Championships

2010-14 - Creator of the Victorian Rowing Hall of Fame and member of the Rowing Victoria Awards Committee

2011 - World Cup 3 Lucerne - jury member

2013 - FISA Masters Varese - jury member

2013 - 2019 - Rowing Australia Board member

2014 - World Cup 1 Sydney - jury member

2014 - Rowing Victoria's William Waterfield Award for outstanding service to the sport of rowing in Victoria

2014 - Victorian Olympic Committee's Julius L Patching Sports Official of the Year Award winner.

2015 - World Cup 2 Varese - jury member

2015 - Life membership of Rowing Victoria Inc

2015 - Rowing contributor, 'Sport in Victoria - A History' edited by Dave Nadel and Graeme Ryan, published by Ryan Publishing 2015 

2016 - World Coastal Championships Monaco, jury member

2016 - Contributor, 'Paris or the Bush' a documentary film written and produced by Wayne Groom and Carolyn Bilsborow, Australian International Pictures

2017-19 - Chairman of the Australian King's Cup Centenary Committee

2018 - Rowing Victoria 40 year umpiring award

2018-present - Executive Producer of a documentary being developed on the 1919 King's Cup

2019 - Publisher of "Pulling Through - the Story of the King's Cup" by Dr Bruce Coe

2019 - present - Club Secretary

2019 - present - Treasurer, Victorian Oarsmen and Women's Association of Victoria

2019-20 - Provider of all images to "Looking Back, Rating High" Volumes 1 and 2 by Dr Robin Poke, published by Walla Walla Press

2021 - Rowing Victoria's Bob Duncan Umpiring Award for excellence in umpiring

Editor, and to a large degree author, of this website, the History of Australian Rowing.

Owner of the Hebfotos photo collection which is used extensively on this website.

1974 National Championship Lightweight Eight - bow seat

Andrew is one of those rowing tragics who has undertaken successfully most aspects of the sport from elite rowing to masters, administration from club to State and National, umpiring at all levels, team management at all levels, trustee of Club and national rowing funds, and rowing history. He one of the few people to be life member of his club, and also his state and national association. His citation for life membership of Rowing Victoria sums it up:

Your contribution to Rowing Victoria has been outstanding. The quality of work in your role as President of Rowing Victoria and the significant changes you have made to the nature and operations of Rowing Victoria is renowned. Your contribution to the sport through compiling the History of Australian Rowing is remarkable. The forming of the Victorian Rowing Hall of Fame has seen Victoria lead the way in recognising our rowing greats. The significant volunteer roles you have provided to the sport include 36 years of umpiring at State, National, International and Olympic competition, team manager for State, National and Olympic teams, Rowing Australia Councillor and Rowing Victoria Awards Committee. Congratulations Andrew on your Rowing Victoria Life Membership.

Whilst he achieved some success as a club and school coach, he claims to be Brighton Grammar's worst first crew coach have coached them to a last placing. To cut him some slack, the stroke of that crew was in hospital at the time after having been run over on the way to the course.

Andrew Guerin umpiring in the old fashioned way after the electronic starting system failed at 2003 World Championships

When asked what were the highlights of his captaincy and Presidency years of Mercantile Rowing Club, he is quite clear cut. "My years as Captain were focussed simply on recruiting a large number of good quality rowers and coaches. It was pleasing to see in the years after my captaincy that so many of them were successful at the elite level and for this base of members to lead the Club into some of it's greatest years. As to the years as President, they were all about introducing and embedding professional coaching at the Club. I was surprised how little resistance there was to this radical move."

 

David Colvin, 2015 (updated 2021)

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