1967 QLD GPS Head of the River
The 1967 GPS Head of the River was conducted on Saturday April 2nd 1967 on the Milton Reach of the Brisbane River.
Below are Articles from the Courier-Mail and the Sunday Mail written in the lead-up to and the day after the regatta
“ The heavyweight Southport School Head of the River rowing eight is one of the best crews produced by the school, coach Clavil Bere said last night.
Bere and his eight strongmen moved to Brisbane earlier this week to top off training for Saturday’s Head on the Milton Reach. The Southport crew is not the heaviest to come from the school but at an average of 12st 5lb a man it will be one of the heaviest in the race. Bere said last night, “I have hopes of a good performance from this crew. It is one of the best to come from the school.” This crew is gaining weight at the rate of 1lb a fortnight a man, despite the intensive training Bere has put them through. “But I am happy with the increase in weight,” he said. “It is all muscle.” Bere thinks Grammar will be the toughest crew to beat in the heat which will start at 3 p.m. Draw for lanes is from the north bank:
- B.B.C.: 2. State High: 3. “Churchie”: 4. Grammar, 5: Southport: 6. Gregory Terrace.”
Page 15, The Courier-Mail, Thursday March 30th 1967 Edition
“GRAMMAR TIIPED FOR ‘HEAD’ RACE
Brisbane Grammar, favourite for tomorrow’s Head of the River, will beat a hoodoo if it wins the title.
Everything points to a Grammar win but favourites rarely do. Grammar has some class crews to beat - chief among them Southport and B.B.C. Southport will boat a hefty fit crew and B.B.C. Champions for the last two years have the best alley. B.B.C. scored a smashing win last week and from No. 1 alley ( nearest Coronation Drive) look most likely to cause an upset tomorrow. The “Head will be rowed at 3 p.m. First race of the regatta will start at 1 p.m. and races will follow every 10 minutes.”
Page 15, The Courier-Mail, Friday March 31st 1967 Edition
“Three crews, Southport, Grammar and B.B.C. share equal favouritism for this afternoon’s Head of the River schoolboy rowing classic. Coaches of the three top crews - Clavil Bere (Southport), Barry Montague (Grammar) and Dave Magoffin (B.B.C.) have each bracketed the other two as the crews to watch in the “Head.” The Head starts at 3 P.M., slightly upstream of the William Jolly Bridge with the finish line of the 2000 metre course opposite the Regatta Hotel.
B.B.C.’s “old-fox” coach Dave Magoffin is going for his seventh “Head” win and a “hattrick.” He coached B.B.C. to a dead-heat win with Grammar in 1965 and too the race last year. B.B.C. in no. lane could have the benefit of a “lift” in river current close to the finishing line on the north bank.”
Page 18, The Courier-Mail, Saturday April 1st 1967 Edition
“Coach’s Part
Brisbane Grammar Eight, the crew with the long distance coach took the Head of the River schoolboy rowing classic on Milton Reach yesterday. Grammar won the tension packed race by one length from Southport with State High two and a half lengths back third, after a 45 minute delay in the start because of gusty win.
The man of the hour was Grammar coach, Barry Montague, 32 a former Cambridge oarsman. Montague who has been in Australia 15 months, took yesterday’s Head at his second attempt with Grammar. Two years ago, Montague decided to come to Australia, but he wanted the right teaching job- one at a school where he could also be rowing coach. His influence was seen yesterday when Grammar glided to a beautiful win despite the shocking conditions.”
Page 40, The Sunday Mail, Sunday April 2nd 1967 Edition
Organising Committee
Great Public Schools Association
All Schools' Championship First Eight
The O'Connor Cup
Distance: 1750 Metres
Winning Time: 5:58.00
Margins:
1 Length (1-2)
2.5 Lengths (2-3)
1st Brisbane Grammar School - Bow: Chris Gasteen, 2: David Grimmett, 3: Terry Vordy, 4: Graeme O'Reilly, 5: Wally Arndt, 6: Tim Wheatley, 7: Michael Beaver, Str: Peter Logan, Cox: Chris Bampton, Coach: Barry Montague
2nd The Southport School - Bow: Brabazon, 2: Spooner, 3: Maxwell, 4: Mylne, 5: Shepherd, 6: Robinson, 7: Griffiths, Str: Georgeson, Cox: Thelander, Coach: C. Bere
3rd Brisbane State High School - Bow: Byrne, 2: Slinger, 3: Kilbert, 4: Conrad, 5: Dementry, 6: Keilly, 7: Lindgard, Str: Wregg, Cox: Nicholson
4th Church of England Grammar School - Bow: B. G. Wilson, 2: S. J. Johnson, 3: R. I. Paul, 4: D. J. Murray, 5: W. T. South, 6: R. L. Winks, 7: G. A. Corones, Str: P. J. Trotter, Cox: D. H. Hart, Coach: E. Fry
5th Gregory Terrace - Bow: C. Rauen, 2: P. Lofgren, 3: N. Graham, 4: F. Vine, 5: L. Cavanagh, 6: G. McMahon, 7: L. Bertini, Str: D. Coutts, Cox: J. Mayze, Coach: T. Young
6th Brisbane Boys’ College
1967 Victorious Brisbane Grammar First VIII
1967 Southport First VIII
1967 Church of England Grammar School
1967 Gregory Terrace First VIII
The Race Described
“Fifth Victory in Head of River
Brisbane Grammar School went to its fifth Head of the River rowing Victory in the most trying windy conditions in memory on Milton Reach yesterday. The heavyweight Southport crew was a length away second. Outsiders State High were 2 ½ length back, third.
The gusty wind set the stage for a race of tension when Queensland’s top 48 schoolboy were subjected to a 45-minute delay in the start.
In those 45 minutes, the crews several times came within an ace of the starter’s gun. But each time the southerly wind, blowing diagonally across the start swept the crew crews out of their lanes to the northern. The judges were forced to shorten the 2000 metre race to 1750 metres to avoid the wind at the scheduled starting point. The planned moored boat start also had to be switched to a conventional running start from the shortened coarse when the moored boats were blown off their moorings by the wind. The six crews had to turns around five times before they finally got away.
But once the start was signalled, the champion Grammar crew plunged into the race to grab an early lead over Southport and State High.
There was little alterations in these placings throughout the race with Grammar maintaining a half-length to two length lead throughout. Grammar coach Barry Montague said after the win he had had no set plan. “The only plan was to beat all the other crews. They were told to get out in front and stay there.” He said
Confident
When the first radio message from the start flashed Grammar’s early lead, Montague was confident of a win.
“I knew they could stay in front once they got a lead,” he said. “But I almost had a heart attach when the crew struck a wind blast about 500 metres from the finish. Momentarily they seemed to stop. But only because they were the leading crew and hit the blast first.”
Other crews struck the same trouble moments later. Over the last 300 metres, Grammar rowing with a mechanical rhythm, increased its lead with every stroke, drawing smoothly away from Southport.
The other four crews were not in it. Highly fancied B.B.C. crew in the number 1 northern lane, caught the full force of the southerly wind for practically the whole course and finished well back. The advantage of the southern lanes became apparent in all events preceding events preceding the Head when crews from the 4th, 5th, and 6th lanes on the comparatively sheltered southern bank provided the winners. Grammar struck a happy medium in the Number 4 lane with Southport Number 5 and State High in Number 3. Time for the 1750 metres was 5 min 58 sec. Considering the strong diagonal headwind, the time was very smart.”
Page 34, The Sunday Mail, Sunday April 2nd 1967 Edition
All Schools' First Four
Distance: 1500 Metres
Winning Time: 5:12.00
Margins:
2.5 Lengths (1-2)
0.5 Lengths (2-3)1st Church of England Grammar School - Bow: L. G. Butler, 2: W. T. Sheehan, 3: B. R. Jorss, Str: I Theodoridis, Cox: T. B. Francis, Coach: P. A. Jell
2nd Brisbane Boys' College
3rd Brisbane State High School
Other Competing Crews:
Gregory Terrace - Bow: M. Johnson, 2: B. McCloy, 3: P. Cosgrove, Str: T. Juratowitch, Cox: G. Galt
W.P.F. Morris 1949-1967 Christened by Mrs. Hilda Roberts, wife of the then Headmaster.
Williams Perry French Morris, founder of the school and Headmaster until 1947, would not contemplate the vanity of lending his name to a boat during his Headmastership. So it was only after he retired and the school purchased a top class racing four that a boat was named for the man who had done the most for rowing in the school. It was used only by the 1st IV of any year; it recorded a number of Head of the River wins in the period 1955-1967, after the introduction of eights’ racing.
The Ist IV of 1967 rowed in this boat and won every race of the season, nineteen years after the boat had been built, but a mishap at the end of that season finished its life. This longevity in a racing boat (by comparison to the life of other boats) almost matched Canon Morris’s longevity as Headmaster.
1967 Gregory Terrace First IV
All Schools' Second Four
Distance: 1500 Metres
Winning Time: 5:23.00
Margins:
1 Lengths (1-2)
2 Feet (2-3)1st The Southport School
2nd Gregory Terrace - Bow: A. White, 2: D. Quinn, 3: K. Muir-McCarey, Str: B. McAllan, Cox: D. McEniery
3rd Brisbane Boys’ College
4th Church of England Grammar School - Bow: M. B. Holloway, 2: D. C. Wynter, 3: R. N. Zimmer, Str: J. S. McManus, Cox: P. A. Jell
1967 Gregory Terrace Second IV
All Schools' Third Four
Distance: 1000 Metres
Winning Time: 3:16.00
Margins:
3 Lengths (1-2)
2 Feet (2-3)1st The Southport School
2nd Gregory Terrace - Bow: K. Hayes, 2: H. O’Malley, 3: E. Williams, Str: R. Butler, Cox: P. Murphy
3rd Church of England Grammar School - Bow: A. B. Crotty, 2: J. C. Davis, 3: I. F. Underwood, Str: J. D. Seccombe, Cox: K. A. Sterling
All Schools' Fourth Four
Distance: 1000 Metres
Winning Time: 2:39.00
Margins:
3.5 Lengths (1-2)
1.25 Lengths (2-3)
1st Brisbane Grammar School
2nd Brisbane Boys' College
3rd The Southport School
Other Competing Crews
Church of England Grammar School - Bow: M. G. Keys, 2: R. C. Younger, 3: P. D. Maddern, Str: D. T. Kleimeyer, Cox: R. K. Creighton
Gregory Terrace - Bow: G. Johnson, 2: B. McGarry, 3: S. Canniffee, Str: N. Massey, Cox: T. FlanaganAll Schools' Fifth Four
Distance: 750 Metres
Winning Time: 2:40.00
Margins:
1 Length (1-2)
Dead Heat for second1st Church of England Grammar School - Bow: R. W. Holloway, 2: D. H. Tait, 3: G. B. Boyd, Str: A. K. Cutts, Cox: R. N. Cranstoun
2nd Brisbane Boys’ College & Brisbane Grammar School
Other Competing Crews
Gregory Terrace - Bow: J. Farnworth, 2: D. Courtney, 3: J. Volter, Str: D. Splatt, Cox: P. AndersonAll Schools' Sixth Four
Distance: 750 Metres
Winning Time: 2:44.00
Margins:
1 Length (1-2)
Dead Heat for Second.1st Brisbane Boys' College
2nd Church of England Grammar School & Brisbane State High School
C.E.G.S. - Bow: I. L. Marjason, 2: G. F. Cameron, 3: R. N. Lovf, Str: C. R. Buck, Cox: R. W. Neilson
Other Competing Crews
Gregory Terrace - Bow: J. Hogan, 2: V. McCluskey, 3: R. Tunney, Str: J. MeaneyAll Schools' Seventh Four
Distance: 750 Metres
Winning Time: 3:01.00
Margins:
0.5 Length (1-2)
2 Feet (2-3)1st Brisbane Grammar School
2nd Brisbane State High School
3rd Church of England Grammar School - Bow: R. J. McIntyre, 2:G. E. Buchanan , 3: C. T. Davis, Str: G. N. Miller, Cox: F. Way
Other Competing Crews:
Gregory Terrace - Bow: I. Watt, 2: J. Drapes, 3: A. Warren, Str: R. MulliganAll Schools' Eighth Four
Distance: 750 Metres
Winning Time: 2:39.00
Margins:
3 Lengths (1-2)
1 Lengths (2-3)1st Gregory Terrace - Bow: A. Ferris, 2: B. Nitkiewicz, 3: P. Carroll, Str: G. Gordon
2nd Brisbane State High School
3rd Church of England Grammar School - Bow: R. E. Longland, 2: R. H. McDonald, 3: M. D. McColm, Str: D. M. Young, Cox: R. N. Cavanagh
All Schools' Ninth Four
Distance: 750 Metres
Winning Time: 2:50.00
Margins:
3.5 Lengths (1-2)
1.25 Lengths (2-3)1st Brisbane Grammar School
2nd Gregory Terrace - Bow: B. Bowden, 2: P. Bourke, 3: D. Keleher, Str: W. Henderson
3rd Brisbane Boys’ College
Other Competing Crews:
Church of England Grammar School - Bow: I. D. Blake, 2: P. J. Thompson, 3: P. J. Miller, Str: T. C. Young, Cox: W. J. Glasson
All Schools' Tenth Four
Distance: 750 Metres
Winning Times: 2:50.00
Margins:
1.25 Lengths (1-2)
1.25 Lengths (2-3)1st Brisbane Grammar School
2nd Church of England Grammar School - Bow: B. G. Butler, 2: D. V. Calcino, 3: J. S. Brnad, Str: E. J. Woolley, Cox: I. G. Nye
3rd Brisbane State High School
Other Competing Crews:
Gregory Terrace - Bow: M. McCann, 2: C. White, 3: N. Hoare, Str: M. WittyAll Schools' Eleventh Four
Distance: 750 Metres
Winning Times: 2:57.00
Margins:
0.75 Lengths (1-2)
2.5 Lengths (2-3)
1st Gregory Terrace - Bow: M. Farnworth, 2: B. Ansaldo, 3: P. Anderson, Str: A. Splatt
2nd Brisbane Grammar School
3rd Brisbane State High School
Other Competing Crews
5th Church of England Grammar School - Bow: B. R. Jorss, 2: D. C. Wynter, 3: R. N. Zimmer, Str: D. J. Murray, Cox: P. A. Jell
Sources
Page 15, The Courier-Mail, Thursday March 30th 1967 Edition https://archive.org/details/page-15-the-courier-mail-thursday-march-30th-1967-edition
Page 15, The Courier-Mail, Friday March 31st 1967 Edition https://archive.org/details/page-15-the-courier-mail-friday-march-31st-1967-edition
Page 18, The Courier-Mail, Saturday April 1st 1967 Edition https://archive.org/details/page-18-the-courier-mail-saturday-april-1st-1967-edition
Page 34, The Sunday Mail, Sunday April 2nd 1967 Edition https://archive.org/details/page-34-the-sunday-mail-sunday-april-2nd-1967-edition
Page 40, The Sunday Mail, Sunday April 2nd 1967 Edition https://archive.org/details/page-40-the-sunday-mail-sunday-april-2nd-1967-edition
Page 77-79, St. Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace Newsletter, 1967 Edition https://media.digistormhosting.com.au/sjgt-au-qld-91-oldboys/documents/1967-St-Joseph-College-Terrace.pdf?mtime=20180403144446
Churchie Rowing by Peter Jell, Published by Anglican Church Grammar School