History of Rowing at Sydney Boys High School, 1947-1960

What then was the actual record at Penrith to warrant the title of ‘Golden’ age?

Bearing in mind that High has had only three wins, each by a four, during the past 50 years, by contrast the 14 years to 1960 yielded the following: 

Eight: 4 wins, 4 places
Firsts: 5 wins, 6 places
Seconds: 6 wins, 2 places
Thirds: 4 wins, 4 places
Fourths: 2 wins, 3 places 

ie a total of 21 wins and 19 places from a possible 70 Penrith races.

Of course, there were ‘stand-out’ years and individual performances within that period. What is deemed to be ‘outstanding’ is very much the opinion of the writer but, subject to much discussion and argument, here are a few random assessments: 

Most Successful Year:

The record of 1948 would take some beating - wins, in record times, for all crews but the fourth four. As well, High boated its first ever Junior Eight that year - which also won! In 1949 the school almost bettered that performance by winning the firsts, seconds and thirds, coming second in the fourths and losing the Head of the River by a quarter length (even now, over sixty years on, the writer still winces at the memory). 

Best Eight Performance:

Sure to be controversial is the selection of the 1953 crew. However, this was without doubt High’s most stylish crew from this period and its lightest ever to win. In fact, it followed up a very successful season, including winning the Champion Junior Eights and the Riverview Gold Cup, by coming from behind at Penrith to win by over a length into the teeth of a strong headwind. The 1957 and 1959 eights were also great crews with impressive wins but each had significant advantages over the 1953 eight in terms of weight and strength. 

Best Four Performance:

In performance terms, the 1958 firsts must be on top of the heap. While they very nearly lost the plot at Penrith, their record of wins during that season has not and probably never will be matched. For example, no record seems to exist - before or since - of any other schoolboy crew winning a senior club race at a major club regatta. By contrast, the 1960 firsts actually discovered the plot at Penrith and their gutsy performance there on the day was indeed outstanding (must rival that of Lazarus). One other crew warrants particular mention - the 1957 second four was High’s guinea pig crew for the introduction of a basically different style of rowing and Wayne Young et al employed it with considerable effect for a win at Penrith in fine style. 

It is significant, perhaps, that each of the above fours was trained to use the so-called ‘Canadian Style’ of rowing, an innovation introduced to High rowing on a limited basis following the 1956 Olympic Games. Some background to this at times enigmatic ‘experiment’ by High may be of interest: 

Frank Nichols and Dick White had been fascinated observers of an unusual win of six lengths or so by a Canadian four on Lake Wendouree at Ballarat during the Melbourne Olympic Games in 1956. They were particularly interested in the efficacy of the crew’s unusual style which enabled it to clear away from its competition at a significantly lower rating while still maintaining an impression of controlled power. The unusual blade entry in lieu of the traditional hard catch also excited their attention. Correspondence followed with the Canadian coach who very generously provided the school with chapter and verse on the rationale and detailed instructions on ‘how to do it’. 

Dick and his ‘57 second four were game enough to try and the rest is history. Even before the ‘57 firsts (who had opted to stay with a more traditional style) met with their disastrous accident late in the season, there had been nothing between the two crews in training for weeks - and the firsts were considered a very good crew with high expectations of a win at Penrith. Competition between the two crews even resembled something of a controlled experiment in the use of the new technique. After the accident some consideration was given to swapping the crews for the Penrith races but common sense prevailed and the traumatised, cobbled-together firsts were able to manage a very creditable fourth. Based on comparative race times however, the seconds would have easily won the Yaralla Cup. The new style seemed to have indeed proved itself! 

The 1958 season started therefore with much interest in experimenting further with the style. In the end it was found to be no panacea. After initial enthusiastic trials it proved to be quite unsuitable for the eight (the boat speed was deemed too fast) and was by no means suited to every four (experience suggested that there needed to be a minimal level of crew maturity combined with quite a degree of ‘engine-room‘ strength). 

Finally, and mainly through trial and error, only four crews adopted it - and each won at Penrith. Whether those fours would have succeeded anyway, using more traditional styles, remains unresolved. It had often been argued that it would be most effective when used on relatively calm water, such as Wendouree and the Nepean, but the 1958 firsts had their finest hour on the Parramatta at the Metropolitan Regatta with a typical howling westerly churning the Sydney RC course into surf and with a boat half full of water. The efficacy of the style, including whether or not it had been adequately explored and hence fully exploited, remains an open question to this day. 

Disconnected jottings such as these must include some reference to the perennial search for permanent accommodation for High crews. All other GPS crews had long since had their own sheds. The need for a ‘roof of our own’ arose each year but it took a real crisis in the midst of the post-war period, plus the actions of some enterprising Old Boys and a small army of other supporters to bring this about.