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For Remembrance Day today, I thought this would be a fitting post. LEST WE FORGET. Lieutenant WILLIAM (Billy) ARTHUR HOLTHAM– Ballarat City Rowing Club, Hawthorn Rowing Club 1913 Ballarat City Rowing Club and Ballarat Agricultural High School 1913 Henley Regatta, Bow: W. Holtham, 2. J.Cross, 3. P. Cross and stroke C. Manners, cox W. GribbleContinue reading “Lieutenant William Arthur Holtham”

This story starts about 10 years ago when Lake Wendouree was completely dried up. I never imagined a time when I would be able to walk across the area that I had so frequently rowed over. It was a surreal experience. From 2006 the water levels started receding and we did not get adequate winterContinue reading “Alan Robertson Scott”

Leslie (Les) was the son of Edward Ebenezer Hobson and Elizabeth Hobson. His father was a well-respected painter and paperhanger and ran E.E.Hobson’s in Doveton Street, Ballarat. His father was killed tragically in a buggy accident in July 1913 when Leslie would have been would have been 16 or 17. He was well educated andContinue reading “Leslie James Hobson”

I have been updating the profiles of members who died in World War 1 and are listed on the club honor board. Robert Haniford Commons is the most recent update and I hope to add further information about his father Fredrick William Commons, his brothers Fredrick William Commons who was known as William and RichardContinue reading “ROBERT HANIFORD COMMONS”

Just recently I was fortunate enough to again make contact with the descendants of one Ballarat City’s earliest champions, Arthur Gibbs. His great, great granddaughter Bronwyn Fisher purchased a copy of “Boys from the Rush Beds-The History of Ballarat City Rowing Club” for her brother. She mentioned in passing, that her grandmother had had aContinue reading “THE REMARKABLE ARTHUR GIBB”

EDWARD (TEDDY) JONES Ballarat City Rowing Club-Life Member, Vice-President, Committee member, BRA delegate, BCRC Selection Committee, coach, coxswain extraordinaire for over 40 years. Teddy Jones was a member of Ballarat City Rowing Club for 45 years in total. He started in 1919 just after World War 1 and his diminutive size meant that right fromContinue reading “Teddy Jones-a lifetime of coxing.”

When I wrote the Anzac tribute, the profiles were fairly brief and I felt that, such was the incredible sacrifice of these young men, that I would try and record each of their stories in more depth. As I have been continuing to research, further details have been revealed that I believe should be includedContinue reading “Lieutenant John Foster Gear, MC, MiD”

In our 150th year, graphic designer and club secretary, Sian Blohm, worked on updating the club crest. This crest was designed originally in 1934-35 season when the club called for original designs for a club badge to be used on blazer pockets. These were the days when the sartorially elegant members would head off toContinue reading “THE BALLARAT CITY ROWING CLUB CREST”

Irvine and Mary Coulter married in 1872. They had seven children, two girls and five boys. The five Coulter boys all rowed at Ballarat City Rowing Club. They became involved in the early 1890’s when eldest son Irvine (1873) joined the club. Sydney(1876) and brother Jason (1877) or Jay as he was known, probably joinedContinue reading “ANZAC DAY TRIBUTE-THE INCREDIBLE COULTERS”

When I first started researching the club’s history over 20 years ago, I had the goal of finding the names of the past members who contributed to the club, especially those who served in both wars and also to replace the WW1 and WW 2 Honor Boards that were lost in the devastating fire ofContinue reading “WE WILL REMEMBER THEM-THE ANZACS OF BCRC”