Owen A Ruffels
Haberfield Rowing Club (NSW)
1939 – Interstate Men’s Eight Championship seven seat– Second
1946 – Interstate Men’s Eight Championship seven seat – Second
1947 – Interstate Men’s Eight Championship seven seat – Second
1948 – Interstate Men’s Eight Championship emergency
1948 – Olympic Games – selected as reserve but withdrew due to lack of funds to send two reserves.
1965 – Interstate Men’s Eight Championship coach – First
The following profile was written by Kevin Webb in 1950 so only covers the period up to that date.
Born 1920, first joined Haberfield Rowing Club in 1937. Won first race Junior Four at Pittwater Regatta 1937-38 season. Won Champion Fours of N.S.W. 1938 and 1939. Rowed in Haberfield first Champion Eight 1939, which won the State Title. Selected and raced in the seven seat of the 1939 King's Cup Crew, Brisbane, which finished second to Queensland.
After World War II, Owen won the Champion Eights of N.S.W., in 1946 and rowed 7 in the 1946 King's Cup Crew which finished second to Victoria at Penrith N.S.W. Won Champion Fours in the same year and the Grand Challenge Cup for Senior Eights at Australian Henley Regatta, Melbourne, Victoria. Again won Champion Eights of N.S.W. and rowed 7 for the third successive time in the Australian Championship at Perth, West Australia. Won N.S.W. Olympic Test Fours on the Nepean 1947, and rowed three in the Australian Test Race at Ballarat. Was selected to represent Australia at the 1948 Olympic Games in London, but due to lack of finance, the Olympic Federation sent only one rowing reserve.
1946 NSW Crew with Owen in seven seat
Emergency to the Haberfield Eight which represented N.S.W. in the 1948 King's Cup race and won the Australian Championship in Hobart, Tasmania. At times Owen held the office of Property Manager, Vice-Captain and member of the Club Committee. In his twenty years with Haberfield Club he won 71 races.
Kevyn Webb
1950