1953 QLD GPS Head of the River

1st The Southport School - Bow: P. W. Walker 11st, 2: A. C. Ussher 11st 7lbs, 3: A. J. Stephenson 12 st 11lbs, Str: J. C. King 12st 13lbs, Cox: J. A. Kingston 8st 10lbs, Res: P. W. Ussher 11st 7lbs, Coach: Mr. C. Bere

2nd Church of England Grammar School - Bow: P. Dixon, 2: K. K. Larkin, 3: W. Coburn, Str: I. Miller, Cox: R. Penfold, Coach: E. P. Evers

3rd Brisbane Boys’ College - Bow: J. R. Scott, 2: J. W. Stewart, 3: D. H. Cameron, Str: D. C. Street, Cox: T. Jack, Coach: D. Magoffin

4th Brisbane Grammar School - Bow: J. R. Young, 2: J. F. Elcock, 3: S. Coroni, Str: D. J. Murphy, Cox: R. J. East

Winning Crew: The Southport School First IV 

Caption reads: "Southport's coach Clavill Bere instructs his Head of the River crew during final training. The crew is R. Walker (bow) A. Ussher, A. Stephenson, J. King (stroke) J. Kingston (cox). Clavill Bere rowed for Southport in 1913, 14, 15, and 16, coached the school crews for several years after the First World War and then took over the coaching again in 1947" (Page 5, The Brisbane Telegraph, 17 April 1953) 

1953 Church of England Grammar School First IV

1953 Brisbane Boys' College First IV

K. K. Larkin, Captain of Boats and two seat in the 1953 Anglican Church Grammar School First IV, was the recipient of the 1953 Sylvia Dixon Prize for the Churchie sportsman who demonstrates the most leadership and skill when representing the school in sport that year.

“[Southport] came from behind C.E.G.S at the half-way mark and went on strongly to win the mile by a length…Right on the dot at 1.15 on smooth flat water the starter got all crews away to an even start. Very early C.E.G.S and Southport drew away from the others. These two crews were in danger of clashing blades but prompt action by the umpire, Wilf Mole, former King’s Cup oarsmen and “Brisbane Telegraph” Blue of Blues, in calling the coxswains back on course averted any mishap. 

At the half mile C.E.G.S were leading Southport by a canvas with half a length to B.B.C and a length to Grammar. Changes in positions as they covered the course kept interest in the race at a high pitch among spectators. Southport quickly went to the lead, and B.B.C moved up on “Churchie” and passed them with some 300 yards to go. Southport meantime were rowing very strongly and even at this stage appeared to have the race in hand as they were gradually drawing away. Southport went on strongly to the finish to win by a length, but there was a ding-dong battle for second. In the last half dozen strokes, B.B.C and Churchie rowed blade for blade, but Churchie lifted their shell in the last few yards to take second by two feet.”

Page 19, Brisbane Telegraph 18 April 1953 edition via Trove

“All Crews got an excellent start. Southport at the end of the first half minute was leading churchie by half a canvas, closely followed by B.B.C and B.G.S. The crews at the three-quarter mile had settled down to: Southport 32, Churchie 33, B.B.C. 32, B.G.S 34. The Boats were running very fast at the half mile, Churchie having a slight edge on Southport, followed by B.B.C, and B.G.S who were taking each others water, which the umpire corrected. At this stage Churchie were showing the strain whilst Southport were rowing within themselves.

From this point Southport rating at a comfortable 32 drew away from Churchie, B.B.C, making a determined effort to narrow the gap with Churchie, B.G.S began to drop back. The Southport crew as a co-ordinated unit drew further ahead and had the race won at the ¼ mile. B.B.C still pressing Churchie drew up and only passed the line 2 feet behind Churchie. Southport finished a comfortable length ahead of Churchie. As an indication of the standard of the crews the race was rowed 46 secs faster than the previous record time under similar conditions.”

Page 19, South Coast Bulletin, 22 April 1953 Edition via Trove  

1st Church of England Grammar School & Brisbane Boys’ College

C.E.G.S - Bow: M. Miller, 2: M. Townsend, 3: B. Bates, Str: G. Billing, Cox: B. Price, Coach: E. P. Evers 

B.B.C    - Bow: G. Vickers, 2: P. Toms, 3: C. Shaw, Str: C. H. Southwell, Cox: M. D. Kelly

3rd The Southport School - Bow: D. Miller, 2: A. Cockerill, 3: R. Straughan, Str: R. Gillham, Cox: A. Douglas

4th Brisbane Grammar School

“The Second Fours proved to be an exceptionally fast race, clipping 72 secs of last year’s time. From a good start, the race was a tussle between B.B.C, C.E.G.S and T.S.S. Southport failed in the last six stroked and crossed the line a canvas behind B.B.C. and Churchie who tied for first. B.G.S being 1.5 Lengths behind Southport.”

Page 19, South Coast Bulletin 22 April 1953 Edition via Trove 

“B.B.C and Churchie rowed blade with blade for the last part of the seconds race and dead-heated in a great tussle. Southport was only a canvas away third.”

Page 28, The Sunday-Mail 19 April 1953 Edition via Trove 

“The second crews’ race provided the closest finish of the day, finally resulting in a dead heat between B.B.C and C.E.G.S.”

Page 18, The Truth (Brisbane) 19 April 1953 Edition via Trove 

"The Second Crews had one of the most exciting finishes of the day. B.B.C. with a light, well-trained crew jumped away at the start, and rating about thirty-four strokes per minute, were keeping a safe distance ahead of the C.E.G.S. crew. T.S.S. and B.G.S. were following close behind. At the quarter-mile the C.E.G.S. crew was "inching" up on the B.B.C. crew. near the finish both leading crews were rowing blade for blade, which resulted in a "dead heat" finish. T.S.S. was a canvas behind with B.G.S. once again filling fourth place."

Page 77, The Portal 1953 Edition via Trove

1st Brisbane Boys’ College - Bow: P. Marks, 2: C. A. Barnard, 3: R. M. Shaw, Str: E. D. Collins, Cox: R. G. Foster

2nd The Southport School - Bow: N. MacDonald, 2: P. Murray, 3: A. Bell, Str: F. Cunningham, Cox: R. Barton

3rd Church of England Grammar School - Bow: K. Laun, 2: D. Henderson, 3: G. Shaw, Str: B. Yeates, Cox: H. Finney, Coach: P. Krebs

B.B.C.'s third crew were a very rough but powerful crew. They would have improved immensely if a lot more concentration was given to their rowing. B.B.C. managed to win by half a length from T.S.S., with C.E.G.S. and B.G.S. in third and fourth places."

Page 77, The Portal December 1953 Edition via Trove 

4th Anglican Church Grammar School 5th IV- Bow: P. Grant, 2: J. Grant, 3: S. Bateman, Str: J. Quayle, Cox: Pyman, Coach: P. A. Dixon  

7th Anglican Church Grammar School 6th IV- Bow: Morris, 2: Entsch, 3: Carter, Str: Jenyns, Cox: Palmer, Coach: P. A. Dixon

1st Brisbane Boys’ College - Bow: B. Palm, 2: K. J. Edwards, 3: K. G. McLachlan, Str: J. R. Kerrison, Cox: C. Heading

2nd Church of England Grammar School - Bow: J. Holt, 2: G. Baker, 3: L. Drake, Str: B. Day, Cox: P. Pritchard, Coach: P. A. Krebs

3rd The Southport School - Bow: A. Taylor, 2: N. Farquhar, 3: P. Blundell, Str: B. Whitcombe, Cox: B. Toshack

"The [B.B.C] Fourth crew this year had the honour of winning the first fourth crew race in the history of G.P.S. Rowing. This crew had developed a very pleasing style with a good co-ordination. They won by one and a half lengths."

Page 77, The Portal 1953 Edition via Trove

The W.M. Bateman Prize has been awarded annually since the 1954 Anglican Church Grammar School Speech Night to the best Scholar in the 1^st VIII.  For a short while it was noted on the prize list as being for ‘service to rowing’. This was certainly not the original intention as was set out clearly in a letter of thanks from Mrs Francis Bateman in response to the School’s expression of sympathy at the death of her husband, William M. Bateman. A paraphrase of Mrs. Bateman’s letter follows:

“In his youth in Western Australia, William Bateman was a very well known rower and yachtsman. He had attended Guildford Grammar School all his schooldays as a boarder, finishing as a prefect and a member of the Head of the River Crew. After he left school, Bateman joined the Fremantle Rowing Club, was a member of the Committee and at the time, his wife had the honour of naming a rowing shell - ‘W. M. Bateman’ - after him. He had made history in W. A. and probably further afield by being a member of a Rowing Four, who were never beaten. They went through Novice, Maiden, Junior and Senior Classes unbeaten and won the Champion Fours two years running! The Irony of it was that he was selected as a member of the W. A. King’s Cup Crew which was to be rowed in Hobart and he required six weeks’ leave from his firm. Unfortunately, in those years firms were not as interested in sport as they are now and he was refused the necessary leave: A bitter disappointment for him."

The Batemans had two sons both of whom were very interested in rowing. The family was transferred to Adelaide in 1949 (William as State Manager of Macdonald Hamilton & Co. Pty. Ltd) and both boys attended St. Peter’s. The elder son, John, joined the rowing club at the school but only eighteen months later the family was transferred to Brisbane. John had matriculated and left school by this time and he joined the GPS Rowing Club in a few years became its Captain before he was transferred to the Cloncurry region.

The younger son, Sam, as a fourteen year-old at Churchie, was a member of one of the Churchie Fifth IV at the 1953 Head of the River (see above) but that year applied for entry to the Naval College and was successful. He left Churchie at the end of that year, leaving for the Naval College the morning the Junior results appeared in the Courier-Mail. He had been successful in passing with an A in English, German, the two Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Geography and a B in History. He very much regretted leaving Churchie but the sea called him strongly. His father, knowing how happy Sam had been at Churchie, asked him if he would like him to donate a Prize annually.

His mother remembers well Sam’s actual words. He exclaimed ‘Dad, that would be great! But please make it a Prize for a ‘Rower and a Scholar’ because everyone thinks rowers are all brawn and no brains and, if I were remaining at the School until my Senior, that is the prize I would like to win, to disprove that theory.’ His proud mother believed he would have done so because although he was a Deck Officer in the Navy and reached the rank of Captain, he has his B. A. and Masters in Economics, both degrees being obtained ‘off his own bat’ as an External Student. However, she quipped, he still has a lot of ‘brawn.’

The programme of the Church of England Grammar School Regatta held on Saturday 17^th October, 1953 on Humbug Reach shows that in Event 5, the Open Fours at 3PM, the crew list of the GPS and B.R.C. crew drawn in Lane 4 included John Bateman in the two seat. Entered in Event 7, the Trial Fours at 3.30pm, was the Church of England Grammar School crew in Lane 2 with Sam Bateman in the three seat.

Page 52, Churchie Rowing by Peter Jell, Published by Anglican Church Grammar School