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Walter N Ricketts

Barwon Rowing Club then Albert Park Rowing Club and then Mercantile Rowing Club (VIC)

Ricketts commenced his rowing career with the Barwon club, where he steered several winning crews. He then steered the Geelong College eight in the Head of the River in 1915 and rowed in the crew in 1918.

Coming to Melbourne, he won his maiden and junior races with Albert Park. Transferring to Mercantile, he won senior four and eight races before winning a Champion Eight behind Cecil N McKay.

Then his extensive coaching career began, coaching both junior and senior crews at Mercantile and beginning a long association with Melbourne Grammar School. In 1932 he coached a winning King's Cup crew for Victoria. In 1934, he unsuccessfully coached the Mercantile senior eight against a visiting London Rowing Club crew. This experience led him to subsequently coach technique using the "London style" and this had a profound effect.

Wally coached many Melbourne Grammar crews from 1930 to 1954. He coached nine winning crews. He was senior chemistry teacher at MGS and took a scientific approach to his coaching and experimented a great deal with his theories. He was a great oarsman himself and also a significant club coach at Mercantile. His other well known trait was his great enthusiasm with junior crews.

Photo from Melbourne Grammar.

In addition to his coaching duties, Wally also was a respected Victorian selector in 1933, 1935, 1938 and 1939.

Andrew Guerin
December 2024

Sources include:

Regatta programs
Mercantile, A Century of Rowing by R R Aitken et al, published by Mercantile Rowing Club in 1980.
Melbourne Grammar rowing records
1932 newspaper article on the Victorian crew - paper and date unknown.

Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information provided, errors may exist. Please send advice of any errors or inaccuracies by email to:

Also your comments, suggestions and photos are sought to enhance this site.

The idea for this history originated from the Olympic Rowing and World Senior Rowing Championship histories written by Andrew Guerin and Margot Foster in 1991, 1992 & 1993 for the Australian team handbooks. Andrew Guerin developed and extended these histories to the current format in 2004 for publication in 2004 and then expanded the site.

Steve Roll has been an invaluable contributor to the website in locating errors and finding Christian names of rowers. His superb work is acknowledged.

© Andrew Guerin – 2004
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