George N Smoothey
Wide Bay Rowing Club (QLD)
1928 - Interstate Men's Championships manager
1947 - Life Member Queensland Rowing Council (now Rowing Queensland)
The Brisbane Truth on Sunday 24th August 1947 offered the following report on his life membership:
DELEGATES at the next Queensland Rowing Council meeting will ask the Council to confer life membership on George Smoothey.
At the annual meeting last Tuesday, George, because of his health, tendered his resignation as official starter. He had held the position since 1926, and his last appearance was at the Commercial Rowing Club's 70th Anniversary Regatta a month ago.
Life membership is rarely bestowed by the Council. Present holders are R. Gregory and G. R. H. Gill: the latter was made a life member in the old days of the Queensland Rowing Association which was replaced by the present Council.
Jack Pritchard in Rowing in Queensland expressed similar sentiments when reporting on his death: In March, 1966, George Smoothey passed away. He had been Honorary Secretary of the Association from 1924 to 1930, Official Starter from 1926 to 1947 when he retired at 62 years of age. He had given a lifetime to the sport and set a hard example of service for those that followed.
Steve Roll and Andrew Guerin - Feb 2018