History of Rowing Victoria Inc

Introduction

Rowing Victoria Inc (formerly Victorian Rowing Association) is the oldest Rowing Association in the world having been formed on 7th October 1876. Rowing in Victoria had commenced soon after settlement of Melbourne and was very active sport from the earliest of days. The Association appears to have been formed for two main reasons, firstly to run the Melbourne Regatta and secondly to select and manage Victorian crews in the important Inter-colonial racing.

The Victorian Ladies' Rowing Association was formed on 31 January 1924. Unfortunately we know far less of the operation of that association than the men's association and acccordingly gaps are evident in this history. It was not until 1979 that the men's and women's associations merged into the one body and until that time, they ran separate Championships.

This history draws heavily on the great work of John Lang in his book the Victorian Oarsman published in 1919, which in turn drew upon the Victorian Register 1878 by M S Glynn. A centennial history was also published by the Victorian Rowing Association in 1978 and was authored by Field Rickards.

This history will been published gradually over many years with completion due by 150th anniversary of the establishment of the Association in 2026. The Appendices will gain our focus in the coming years and will be a useful reference tool for rowers pending completion of the history.

Andrew Guerin

January 2016