1959 NSW AAGPS Head of the River
High Eight Takes Head of River (Alan Clarkson, Sydney Morning Herald, 19 Apr 1959)
High yesterday established itself as one of the best ever G.P.S. crews when it convincingly won the Head of the River on the Nepean.
Taking the lead from halfway, the smoothly stroking, powerful High crew cleared away to win by two lengths. High beat the improved St. Joseph’s crew, with Shore a foot away third. The win undoubtably establishes High as the top G.P.S. rowing crew in recent years. The School has the impressive record of winning the event in 1957 and again yesterday and being third last year.
The winning margin of two lengths was the greatest for seven years and gave a clear indication of the crew’s superiority over the other schools. Former Olympic sculling champion Merv Wood said that the High eight must be one of the best G.P.S. crews ever.
“It is a crew you get at a school once in a decade,” Wood said. “High might wait another 20 or 25 years before it will get another crew near this year’s standard. “It is not often you will get a big school crew that is able to use its weight and power to full advantage.
Senior 1st Eight
Major Rennie Trophy
2 lengths
1ft
1st High - Bow: Peter Shenstone, 2: Ian Stewart, 3:Ian Toll, 4: Alan Skinner, 5: John Campbell, 6: Geoff Cohen, 7: Stuart McGill, Str: Wayne Young, Cox: Ron Caddy, Cch: Alan Callaway
2nd St. Joseph’s College
3rd Shore
4th Newington
5th Grammar
6th The King’s School
7th Riverview
8th Scots
The victorious High eight
Senior 1st Four
Yaralla Cup
3ft
1 length
1st Shore
2nd Newington
3rd St. Joseph’s College
4th Riverview
5th The King’s School
6th High
7th Scots
8th Grammar
Senior 2nd Four
1 length
1 ½ lengths
1st Grammar
2nd High
3rd Scots
4th Shore
5th Riverview
6th The King’s School
7th St. Joseph’s College
8th Newington
Senior 3rd Four
¾ length
3ft
1st Riverview
2nd St. Joseph’s
3rd The King’s School
4th High
5th Newington
6th Shore
7th Scots
8th Grammar
Senior 4th Four
1 ¼ lengths
¼
1st High
2nd The King’s School
3rd Riverview
4th Scots
5th St. Joseph’s College
6th Grammar
7th Newington
8th Shore