1976 QLD GPS Head of the River
The 1976 GPS Head of the River was conducted on Saturday April 3rd 1976 at Lake Kurwongbah.
Due to the lake being having a weed infestation that would leave 2 of the 6 crews at a disadvantage under the traditional system, a heats, repechage and A final system was implemented in the 1976 event.
The below article was written in the Courier-Mail on the Friday before the regatta:
“HEAT FOR ‘HEAD’ ROW
The “Head of the River” schoolboys rowing classic almost certainly will be rowed for the first time in heats, repechage and final today and tomorrow at Lake Kurwongbah.
A decision will be made early this morning at the Lake at a meeting of G.P.S. headmasters and rowing coaches. The Head was to be rowed as a six-crew final a traditional event at 4.15 p.m. on Saturday. But prolific growth of weed in the lake would put crews in two lanes of the six lane course at a severe disadvantage. G.P.S. secretary (Mr. Bob Jones) said yesterday it would be impossible to remove the weed:
“Naturally all coaches and crews wants the head to be rowed as a six-crew final. They have been trained for such an event. But this seems impossible and arrangements have been made to stage the regatta over two days. The final decision will be made tomorrow morning.” If the race is rowed over two days the two heats of the Head will be rowed this morning.
The first heat, drawn yesterday, is Southport, Grammar and Gregory Terrace, starting at 10 a.m., with the second heat between Churchie, State High and B.B.C. starting 15 minutes later. The winners of the first two heats go straight into the final on Saturday, with the losers fighting out a four-crew repechage at 4.30 p.m. today. The first and second crews of the repechage go into the final.”
Page 20, The Courier-Mail Friday 2nd April 1976 Edition
Organising Committee:
Great Public Schools Association
All Schools' Championship First Eight
The O'Connor Cup
Distance: 2000 Metres
Winning Time: 6:30.70
Margins:
+ 0.16s (1-2)
+ 3.70s (2-3)1st Brisbane Grammar School - Bow: William D. Spencer, 2: Richard C. Morton, 3: Andrew I. Maclean, 4: Ian .R. Thomas, 5: Peter W. Dall, 6: Steven J. Winter, 7: Richard Van den Broek, Str: Derek J. Scott, Cox: David W. Wright, Coach: Alan Bromiley
2nd Brisbane State High School
3rd The Southport School
4th Brisbane Boys' College
1976 Victorious Brisbane Grammar School First VIII 
The Race Described
“Grammar up by ‘that much.’
Brisbane Grammar School scored an exciting Head of the River victory over State High on Lake Kurwongbah yesterday in the Closest Head finish in 11 years.
Only inches separated the crews after Grammar, stroked by Derek Scott, put in a magnificent finishing burst to just edge away from State High in the last few metres. The two crews, with pressure on them all the way over the 2000 metre course from third placed Southport School, rowed almost neck and neck for the entire race. It was the nearest thing to a dead heat since Grammar and BBC shared the title in 1965, and, if it wasn’t that magnificent Grammar finish, there is little doubt Grammar would have again had to share its first place. Grammar last won the Head of the River in 1967.
The official margin was 0.6 of a second… narrow enough, but it might have been a mile because Grammar, coached by Alan Bromiley, is now in the record books as 1976 Head of the River champion.
It was a personal triumph for young Derek Scott, who probably had more reason than any other oarsman to take out this schoolboy rowing classic. Derek’s father, who has been seriously ill, was allowed out of hospital for the day to see his son row. He sat quietly on the Pine Rivers’ Rowing Club Verandah with its magnificent view of the lake course. No doubt it was the proudest moment if his life when Derek lifted his crew over the closing stages to inch away from State High.
CROWD ON TENDERHOOKS
The finish was so tight, in fact, that the crowd was kept on tenderhooks until the official announcement was made. The battle between Grammar and State High began only seconds after the start with Southport always in a handy position right up to the 1500 metres mark. The lead changed several times between Grammar and State High, but at no stage did either crew draw more than a canvas away from one another. At the 500 mark, Grammar had a slight lead; at the 1000 mark it was State High, and, at the 1500, State High had regained the lead after dropping behind Grammar between the two marks . The highly-fancied Southport School finished 3.7 secs behind State High missing what could have been a unique double for “Chick” Graham.
Shortly before the Head, Graham had seen his other crew away with the Second Eights by a margin of 9.2 secs of Churchie. Brisbane Grammar school came third.
Yesterday’s Head final contained only four crews. (BBC came fourth) after a weed infestation of the lake made the two outside lanes of the six lane course impossible for competitive rowing. The regatta switched to a two-day programme with heats and repechage on Friday and the finals yesterday.”
Page 48, The Sunday Mail, Sunday April 4th 1976 Edition
All Schools' Championship Eight Repechage Final
Distance: 2000 Metres
Winning Time: 6:36.00
Margins:
+ 18s (1-2)
1st Church of England Grammar School - Bow: B. Donovan, 2: R. Uebergang, 3: J. Charlton, 4: J. A. Woodgate, 5: D. Frost, 6: G. Keily, 7: C. E. Todd, Str: H. McLeod, Cox: G. Gunn, Coach: G. Jones
2nd Gregory Terrace - Bow: B. Bartlett, 2: M. Slater, 3: N. Bryan, 4: P. Smith, 5: N. Holland, 6: M. Cowan, 7: D. Smith, Str: K. Cunningham, Cox: R. McCrossin
1976 Church of England Grammar School First VIII
Gavin Keily, the six seat in the 1976 Anglican Church Grammar School First VIII had a distinguished rowing career after leaving school. He represented Queensland in the 1981, 1982, 1984 and 1987 King’s Cup. He also had distinguished Lightweight rowing career having represented Queensland in the 1979 & 1980 Penrith Interstate Lightweight Four Championship whilst also competing for his state at the 1980 Australian Rowing Championships in the Senior Lightweight Coxed Four. In 1984 he rowed in the Australian Rowing Championships in the Senior Coxless Four.
1976 Gregory Terrace First VIII
All Schools' Second Eight
Distance: 2000 Metres
Winning Time: 6:41.80
Margins:
+ 9.2s (1-2)
+ 2.7s (2-3)1st The Southport School
2nd Church of England Grammar School - Bow: T. Ford, 2: C. MacDougall, 3: S. Craig, 4: R. Henderson, 5: H. Hope, 6: J. Hodgkinson, 7: G. Free, Str: A. Philp, Cox: L. Duckworth
3rd Brisbane Grammar School
4th Brisbane State High School
All Schools' Second Eight Repechage Final
Distance: 2000 Metres
Winning Time: 7:09.00
Margins:
+ 3s (1-2)
1st Gregory Terrace - Bow: W. Le Mass, 2: M. Kent, 3: M. Henley, 4: B. Collingwood, 5: B. Davies, 6: M. Ryan, 7: P. Nolan, Str: C. Baker, Cox: P. Backstrom
2nd Brisbane Boys’ College
1976 Gregory Terrace Second Eight 
All Schools' Third Eight
Distance: 1500 Metres
Winning Time: 4:56.00
Margins:
+ 11.9s (1-2)
+ 2.9s (2-3)1st Brisbane Grammar School
2nd Church of England Grammar School - Bow: M. Dowling, 2: M. Capern, 3: A. Dawson, 4: D. Sweetapple, 5: S. Thompson, 6: B. Parker, 7: A. Paxton-Hall, Str: D. Michelmore, Cox: A. Lenton
3rd The Southport School
Other Competing Crews:
Gregory Terrace - Bow: M. Kelleher, 2: J. Whittaker, 3: J. Galis, 4: J. Rynne, 5: M. McBain, 6: B. Roberts, 7: J. Leighton, Str: J. Sydes, Cox: C. Watt
All Schools' Fourth Crew
Distance: 1000 Metres
Winning Time: 3:28.00
Margins:
+ 7s (1-2)
+ 2.5s (2-3)1st Brisbane Grammar School
2nd The Southport School
3rd Church of England Grammar School - Bow: I. Templeton, 2: R. Wood, 3: P. Hanscombe, Str: S. Jukes, Cox: M. Jowett
Other Competing Crews:
Gregory Terrace - Bow: M. Green, 2: N. McDonald, 3: B. Barry, Str: B. Abraham, Cox: D. Starr-Nolan
All Schools' Fifth Crew
Distance: 1000 Metres
Winning Time: 3:44.40
Margins:
+ 1.5s (1-2)
+ 1s (2-3)
1st Church of England Grammar School - Bow: T. Giles, 2: D. Kerr, 3: G. Crow, Str: J. Giddens, Cox: S. Lingard
2nd The Southport School
3rd Brisbane Grammar School
Other Competing Crews:
Gregory Terrace - Bow: P. Gardiner, 2: D. Toohey, 3: M. McCawley, Str: G. Wilkinson, Cox: N. MacrossanAll Schools' Sixth Crew
Distance: 1000 Metres
Winning Time: 3:50.80
Margins:
+ 4s (1-2)
+ 2s (2-3)1st Brisbane Grammar School
2nd Church of England Grammar School - Bow: R. Thompson, 2: B. A. Gunn, 3: A. Lester, Str: T. Wagner, Cox: M. Swan
3rd Brisbane State High School
Other Competing Crews:
Gregory Terrace - Bow: D. Gordon, 2: S. Cassidy, 3: G. Cunningham, Str: G. Miller, Cox: P. Mewing
All Schools' Seventh Crew
Distance: 1000 Metres
Winning Time: 4:42.00
Margins:
+ 9.5s (1-2)
+ 1.5s (2-3)1st Brisbane Grammar School
2nd The Southport School
3rd Church of England Grammar School - Bow: M. Felton, 2: A. Weatherstone, 3: P. Kelly, Str: I. Burley, Cox: C. Patrick
Other Competing Crews:
Gregory Terrace - Bow: P. Scanlan, 2: C. Parker, 3: P. O’Leary, Str: A. Beer, Cox: M. Pozzi
All Schools' Eighth Crew
Distance: 750 Metres
Winning Time: 4:17.00
Margins:
+ 2.5s (1-2)
+ 3.5s (2-3)
1st Gregory Terrace - Bow: A. Hamilton, 2: A. Rush, 3: M. Cornwell, Str: B. P. Ryan, Cox: D. Holt
2nd Brisbane Grammar School
3rd The Southport School
Other Competing Crews:
5th Church of England Grammar School - Bow: J. Arnold, 2: A. Feez, 3: D. Young, Str: H. McIntosh, Cox: B. Burchill
All Schools' Ninth Crew
Distance: 750 Metres
Winning Time: NTR
Margins:
+ 7.2s (1-2)
+ 1.3s (2-3)1st The Southport School
2nd Brisbane Grammar School
3rd Brisbane State High School
Other Competing Crews:
Church of England Grammar School - Bow: N. Perkins, 2: A. Drysdale, 3: L. Hillhouse, Str: C. Fisher, Cox: D. James
Gregory Terrace - Bow: A. Oakes, 2: I. Halligan, 3: J. Greig, Str: B. Hickey, Cox: R. Rodger
All Schools' Tenth Crew
Distance: 750 Metres
Winning Time: 4:00.00
Margins:
+ 5.7s (1-2)
+ 1s (2-3)
1st Brisbane Grammar School
2nd Brisbane State High School
3rd Church of England Grammar School - Bow: M. Reedman, 2: A. Barrett, 3: I. Wright, Str: G. Bond, Cox: A. Gutteridge
Other Competing Crews:
Gregory Terrace - Bow: M. McCluskey, 2: J. Marchesi, 3: B. Usasz, Str: J. Fitz-Walter, Cox: C. Backstrom
All Schools' Eleventh Crew
Distance: 750 Metres
Winning Time: 3:36.60
Margins:
+ 9s (1-2)
+ 6s (2-3)1st Brisbane State High School
2nd Brisbane Grammar School
3rd Gregory Terrace - Bow: A. Easentrager, 2: T. Douglass, 3: T. Young, Str: T. Cullinan, Cox: N. Howard
Other Competing Crews:
Church of England Grammar School - Bow: S. Law, 2: G. Ross, 3: G. Trovas, Str: G. Ballinger, Cox: I. Dennis
All Schools' Twelfth Crew
Distance: 750 Metres
Winning Time: 4:34.00
Margins:
+ 1.5s (1-2)
+ 5.1s (2-3)1st Church of England Grammar School - Bow: P. Sparshot, 2: W. Stewart, 3: G. Byram, Str: R. Price, Cox: A. Moneypenny
2nd Brisbane State High School
3rd The Southport School
Other Competing Crews:
Gregory Terrace - Bow: M. Reardon, 2: G. Ryan, 3: D. Williams, Str: B. McDonald, Cox: P. Ryan
Sources
Page 20, The Courier-Mail Friday 2nd April 1976 Edition https://archive.org/details/screen-shot-2021-06-12-at-7.48.55-am
Page 3, The Telegraph, Saturday April 3rd 1976 Edition https://archive.org/details/screen-shot-2021-06-12-at-7.51.44-am
Page 48, The Sunday Mail, Sunday April 4th 1976 Edition https://archive.org/details/1976-photo
Page n/a, The Sunday Mail, Sunday April 4th 1976 Edition https://archive.org/details/1976_20210611
Churchie Rowing by Peter Jell, Published by Anglican Church Grammar School
St. Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace Newsletter 1976 Edition https://media.digistormhosting.com.au/sjgt-au-qld-91-oldboys/documents/1976-St-Joseph-College-Terrace.pdf?mtime=20180403145716