January 2026 Bow Ball Bulletin
Happy New Year!
Welcome to a new year of rowing at Hawthorn Rowing Club, commencing with a New Year’s Day row to the city and back!
A well deserved coffee at Southbank on a beautiful summer’s day!
New Year’s Day Row
Richard (James) kindly organised a new year’s day row in his unique and inclusive style, despite the fact that he was off somewhere with family in his mother country. Rob kindly took over the reins, skilfully organizing the event as if it were another HOTY.
On the morning, it was uncertain who might be fit for a row, who might get out of bed. Despite a number of attempts, It proved difficult to count how many people were present as people went off to visit bathrooms, get oars, or had simply arrived late. After much discussion and creative problem solving about how to accommodate 16 rowers ( including one suggestion to row an eight with six people) Rob (in committee with Simon) decided to take out an eight, a quad and a double.
Melissa and Simon and rowed the double, Lindy stroked the eight with Con in bow. Tiffany started off in the cox seat then Bruce announced he never had rowed square blade and convinced Tiffany to abandon the idea in favour of just having everyone row. At about this time, she announced the cox box had no battery. After Julie, swapped in as cox, at Powerhouse, (and managed to get the thing working) Andrew, claimed he learnt a lot (though it will be of interest to see how much he retains).
More discussion took place in the city about storing boats, with Jenny volunteering trestles from Yarra Yarra for the eight. Coffees were ordered, followed by discussion about who might row which boat back. Michelle supplied the paracetamol for Lindy’s headache (who had spent new year’s eve at a poet’s party and claimed she hadn’t drunk the night before?)
James volunteered to row the double with Henry. Bruce (as always ) stopped the eight to feed the duck.
We discovered that the double was faster than the eight, and that Grace, Jenny, Michael and Michelle took the scenic route- around the island at Rob’s suggestion! Somehow, the eight was more balanced downstream than upstream and the wind blew harder on the way home, inspiring Julie to write a poem.
When it came to cleaning the boats, the buckets contained half-sponges, perhaps some new year cost-cutting exercise initiated by the treasurer, some way of letting us all know he was with us in spirit.
Henry Briffa.
We added a photo of Richard enjoying a row in Sri Lanka!
Hawthorn to the City and Back — 1 Jan 2026
New Year’s Day. “Happy New Year.”
Get to the club. Grab gear. No fear.
(Well… minimal fear. Mostly caffeine.)
An eight, a quad, a double too—
Everyone covered. How? No clue.
Yarra Yarra loaned us trestles—legends—
Ready to dodge last night’s reveling pedestrians.
Coxes swapped in, coxes swapped out,
No paperwork filed, but plenty of clout.
Then coffee appeared—the real first race—
James’s shout. Cemented in place. ☕
Group photo time: heroic pose,
Perfect backdrop, golden glows.
Sun is shining, no time to shop—
The tide won’t wait and neither will the stop-start chop.
Henry and James take the double back,
Bruce stands ready with bread for a duck snack attack.
Ducks delighted. Bruce promoted.
Clearly part of the official Masters program (unvoted).
The current was swift, the wind had views,
Opinions offered freely on rigging and shoes.
But Hawthorn to City and safely home,
We returned richer—in laughs and groans.
So here’s to Masters rows, city and back,
To early starts, stiff joints, and excellent yack.
Don’t be shy—just say yes, no slack:
Good boats, good mates, and a river we happily keep backing. 🚣♂️🎉
Julie-ann Cotchin
President’s W(H)ine.
Pinot Noir. Why? Because it can be made into almost anything. Champagne. A light style Beaujolais. Rose. A very Big, dense Burgundy. And various shades in between.
Kind of like HRC. We have young rowers. We have old rowers (though sadly somewhat fewer with recent passes). We have very serious competitors of all ages. We have social rowers. We have semi-serious, socially competitive rowers. We have new rowers. We have very long-standing rowers (I realize rowers don't generally stand when rowing, but long sitting just sounds ridiculous). In short, we have quite a disparate crowd, all with different needs that would like to be accommodated. And some are a lot more accommodating than others.
We are a community club. We are a club run by volunteers. We are, and always have been, an inclusive club. Have a read of our statement of purpose on the web site sometime. And herein lies the rub. We HAVE a broad based and varied membership, with very different needs and priorities. We must periodically remind ourselves of this, and be prepared to help, to encourage, to compromise our own priorities a little.
Hawthorn Rowing Club has a very long and proud history, and we continue to grow and develop, largely due to our current and previous Captains, whom I applaud. So I ask all members to remember we are a club, and in a club, members help each other. Cox when you can. Lend a hand to the old and infirm (that would be your president). Row occasionally with a less experienced crew that may benefit from your advice. Understand when some crews, who have put in some very serious training, want to row with a like minded crew. Row or race in a crew you have been put into without complaint! For any crew to succeed, they have to pull together. So let's get to it, shall we?
Many thanks; enjoy your rowing, and enjoy your whine in moderation.
Bill Olayos
HRC President.
J.B’s. Trivia
Q. 1: How many time zones across China?
Q: Which nation’s Bank cash machines have instructions in Latin?
Q: What is the only South American Country that plays Test Cricket?
Q: Which African Country fought a successful revolution in 1962 to rid itself of its colonial power and who was that power?
Q: Between Mercury and Apollo US space missions, which one came between the two?
A.1: 1 A.2: The Vatican. A.3: Guyana (as part of the West Indies). A.4: Algeria, France. A.5: Gemini
J.B. Stewart.
The Bridge Hotel supports
Hawthorn Rowing Club through it’s loyalty club.
January Member of the Month
Congratulations to James Lyon, on his selection as HRC’s latest Member of the Month. James’ contribution to the club as seen here in painting the trestles, includes coaching -especially new members in sculls. He always offers to assist in any work required at the club and takes part in as many rows as possible. James also supports the ‘Friday morning Shane coaching’ sessions and fills seats when crews are short of numbers. James is the quintessential clubman and HRC is extremely fortunate to have had the benefit of his multi-faceted contributions over so many years.
Thanks James.
Julie-ann Cotchin
Regatta News
Rutherglen Regatta - 10/11 January 2026 (cancelled)
We were very excited and looking forward to our weekend in Rutherglen, it was all hands on deck for boat loading, some very precise and clever use of space in our newly reconditioned trailer! Sadly, nature had different ideas and the north east of Victoria was ravaged by fire, the regatta was cancelled. Interestingly HRC and other clubs such as Richmond and Mercantile withdrew from the event due to the extreme heat forecast and bushfire danger prior to RV’s cancellation of the event.
We came back on Saturday morning to unload!
No-one lost a race! Our individual rankings are intact! All HRC participants were safe! Members gathered at the Bridge Hotel on the Saturday night to ‘celebrate’ the regatta that never was.
The real tragedy was that North East Victoria was left scarred, with the loss of one life, livestock gone and homes lost.
Rutherglen ‘clayton’s’ dinner…. at the Bridge Hotel!
Barwon Regatta - 24/25 January 2026
HRC results
A.Liu, H.Penman, L.Mikus, T.Perronnet, Cox: L.Page, Heat 2. 2nd. 5:34:03
Coaches: J.Morrish, T.Krstevski Final 4th 5:46:55
H.Penman, T.Perronnet, Heat 2. 1st. 6:21:92
Coaches: J.Morrish, T.Krstevski Final. 3rd.
Race 105
L.Mikus, A.Liu. Heat 1. 2nd 5:48.96
Day 2 of the Barwon Regatta was cancelled due to poor air quality as a result of the devastating Otway fires. Our club members arrived on the Sunday morning to gather up equipment and head back to Melbourne.
In typical club spirit not to daunted a dinner at our favourite - the Bridge Hotel was organised. Intrepid rowers who attended included our Captain, Tristan, Mel, Simon, Bruce, Ruth, Mark, Sue, Virginia and myself who all earned points for HRC using ‘The Pass’.
Bruce ensured a fun occasion by taking charge of the playlist. He found a song that matched various rowers… My allocated song was Sky High by Jigsaw because I sky my oars!
Photos showing the smoky drive home from Geelong and the air quality at the sheds.
Julie-ann Cotchin
Future Regattas
REGATTAS
Please find the regattas for Jan/February:
31/1/2026 RV Schoolgirls - Morongo Regatta
31/1/2026 Wendouree Ballarat Regatta
7/2/2026 RV Schoolgirls - St Catherine’s Regatta
7/2/2026 Head of the Schoolboys’ Regatta
7/2/2026-15/2/2026 RV Virtual Rowing Championships
14/2/2026 RV Schoolboys- The Geelong College Regatta
14/2-15/2/2026 Nagambie Regatta
21/2/2026 RV Junior School State Championships
21/2/2026 Australian Henley Regatta
22/2/2026 BAS Head of the Lake
27/2-1/3/2026 RV State Championships
ROWING DEVELOPMENT
Rowing Development is on Tuesday and Thursday, (5:45pm arrival for 6pm on the water) 6pm - 7:30pm.
Make sure you book in prior to 3:30pm on the same day!
Saturday is at 2pm (where there are no regattas) and Sunday is at 9am. Make sure you these done at least the night before.
Progress Squad should continue to open up as well with more opportunities for sessions on Sunday once the exam period for the coaches is over.
All progress Squad and RD can be booked via https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule/20b74586/?categories[]=Rowing%20Training.
Should you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Tristan
Club Captain.
HRC Constitution
Please note that the the revised HRC constitution that was presented at the 2025 AGM is now available on the club’s website under ‘Membership Policies’.
Rowing Kit
A final reminder to members interested in purchasing Canterbury Club Gear. A minimum order will be lodged in the near future. The club will then invoice each person who has confirmed and the item will be available for pickup at HRC. There is some great winter gear available such as hoodies, spray jackets and puffers. Please email Tristan if you have any questions.
Pontoon Sports is supplying HOTY merchandise this year. Refer to the website for details https://pontoonsports.com/collections/head-of-the-yarra-2025?srsltid=AfmBOop9_GJDvbOCnISWvJSoD8A80j5UT9TC5gvC17-U60XfzqZL20Sg
Reporting Boat Damage
General Reminders:
Boat damage reporting. Please notify Tristan ASAP or you could be liable for the full damage of the boat. captain@hawthornrowingclub.com.
Please use the changerooms for storing your personal items. Not the downstairs areas.
BOOK BOOK BOOK. Do not use without booking boats. If you don’t have permission, don’t use it.
Please let the Captain know beforehand if you are making a repair or if you have made one.
Tristan
Spotlight on a member!
Ron Leurs
Our member who is an SES volunteer.
I joined VICSES as a volunteer 10 years ago. Our children had started doing their own thing and I had all this spare time on my hands. I always wanted to do something within my local community, and being a hands-on person, VICSES had been an option early on.
VICSES has 154 operational units across the state with more than 5000 volunteers overall. I am a member at the Whitehorse unit which is conveniently around the corner from where we live. SES Whitehorse operational area covers all of Whitehorse’s and about half of Boroondara City Councils. Our unit has about 70 active volunteers.
Before letting loose on broken trees and flooded basements, I had to go through an extensive training period. Currently it will take 3 to 4 months (we meet every Monday night for training) to learn the basics to become a Supervised Member and are able to respond to events. It takes another 8 months to get all the general skills necessary to become a fully Operational Member. In addition to the general skills, we attend courses for more specialist skills like Chainsaw Operator or 4WD Operator. Courses not only address operational skills but also leadership and management skills. Most of these certifications are nationally recognised.
VICSES is the control (lead) agency for all storm, flood, earthquake, landslide and tsunami events. Outside the Melbourne Metro area, VICSES is also the main agency responding to Road Rescue events. We work closely together with all the other emergency agencies but particularly police (VICPOL), fire service (FRV) and ambulance (AV). In many cases we operate as an assist agency to these services. These assists can include searches for missing persons, light and marquee support at major traffic incidents and extraction of injured people from areas with restricted access.
But the majority of responses our unit attends are storm related. Over recent years we have seen an increase in RFAs (Request For Assistance). In the 2024-2025 we responded to 35,940 incidents across the state. SES Whitehorse responded to 788 of those, which makes us one of the busiest units in the state.
Only a couple of weeks ago we had a severe storm event come through which resulted in about 70 call outs in our area (during and post event). The combination of dry weather, high temperatures and high winds resulted in a lot of broken tree limps, some of which caused additional damage to houses and vehicles. In events like this we have the full unit respond with all equipment we have. We even got additional assistance from some of our neighbouring units to meet the demand.
During my 10 years of service, I learned and applied a lot of new skills. There have been many experiences but assisting Ambulance Victoria on the ambulances during the COVID period has been a highlight.
This is commonly a busy time of the year for us, and I expect we will see some more events in the coming months. If you do get affected and require VICSES assistance you can contact them through 000 or directly on 132 500. But personally, I think a shift without any call outs is a good shift.
Stay safe.
Ron.
HOTY History
Head of the Yarra - 28th November 2026.
A hard earned thirst needs a good cold beer…
Any the best cold beer is Vic, Victoria Bitter.
And indeed back in 1987 at the Head of the Yarra it was VB all round for the Mercantile crew.
Bow David Bowen, 2: Daryl Techendorf, 3: Andrew Guerin, 4: Mike Kerin, 5: Terry Phillips, 6: Phil Ainsworth
7: Steve Mollard Str: Peter Philp. Cox: Ken Marshall.
I am pretty sure at least one of them went on to understudy Freddy Mercury and another as Red Simon’s doppelganger! Never mind the boat which is a wooden masterpiece.
The winning time in 1987 of a shade over 27 minutes. In the last 40 years we have only lowered that mark by about 2 minutes. Technology has not delivered much of an edge and perhaps it proves that HOTY is the ultimate coxswain’s challenge!
In 2026 we are on a journey to catalogue the history of the Head of the Yarra in time for its 70th anniversary in 2027. So far, we have a great collection of past programs, trophies and AGM reports – many courtesy of Bill Goodwin’s stewardship. Despite this we still have some holes in our records from the late 1960’s through to the early 1980’s. Old HOTY programs and old HRC AGM reports could help fill that void if you can lay your hands on them.
So for now dig into those old records and photos and hand them over and you will help create (or recreate) history!
For now, all the best for 2026
Rob Perkins
Chair, Head of the Yarra Committee 2026
tel 0411 402 832
Roaming Rowers.
by R. J.
Where the Rower Roams.
A very good classification of the rowing obsessed is how diligently they plan to include a sneaky row or two whilst on holiday elsewhere. Important to even try to avoid the disappointment while looking across a waterway thinking “now I can row that”. Such is this obsession it spawned a daily photo essay of “can and can’t row that”.
This trip began with a stop over in Malaysia with no time to row. To then visit a town called Pondicherry in India. There is a wonderful French feel to it all still but alas not a rowing club to be found (there possibly used to be on). The Romans believe it or not founded its port and traded back in the day. Now those guys were rowers.
With the festivities in India complete we went onto Sri Lanka. Now its capital city Columbo did have a rowing club right in the thick of things. One road back from the famous Galle Face. Well, the day after we landed the family simply found their Uber Zip (very much recommend using Uber) arriving at the club gate on Sir Chittampalam A Gardiner Mawath (Drive I think). The club sits very privately behind its high security with not a hint of the serenity beyond. With a bit if negotiation and confusion at the gate we managed to show our invitation email from the club captain that got us to the club site manager. We happened to find us held at the bar whilst the site manager continued some calls to check our validity. With a further display of the associate club memberships in possession for Australia we were approved to look around. As the gate said the club was founded in 1864 making it one of the oldest in the region.
The clubhouse was fantastic. Very much like a Rafferty’s style with tremendous history, charm and classiness.
Everything was completely decked out with Christmas Decorations (put RJ’s to shame). Out back remained a large Marquee very much getting ready for their New Year’s Eve celebrations.
The walls screamed history.
In typical fashion one noticed the bar and was only right to ask if we could order a drink or two. After ordering drinks we met a few rowers at one of the tables. Further in was a really nice restaurant which we gathered was very exclusive to those on the outside, good thing we were on the inside. It was also fitting it was our lunch time.
Oh, and we can’t forget about the equipment which did not get used as there was no rowing due to the New Year’s Eve preparation, heat and then renovations. Anyway it was all about the clubhouse for Columbo.
Boats stored under the clubhouse. Space was a premium.
The landing was a fixed concrete plinth. The lake used has a spillway and so the height remains unchanged. All temperatures though were warm. Plus it was humid. As it turned out temperatures were not as high as at home.
Not to bore the rest with the tour but completely recommend touring Sri Lanka. A row I am sure would have been possible (without NYE and renovations) but the closest I got to was a dry land swing in a fishing boat at Kitchimale Beach. 6 weeks later, we were back in Chennai India. It was fitting on the greatest of mornings on the 23rd January I got to visit the Madras Boat Club.
A fantastic club with a familiar group of obsessed rowers. The Captain was very welcoming and had previously rowed in Melbourne. The club exuded history and importance with an established year of 1867. I suspect one of the few clubs to boast lords on its honorary boards. As the sun rose the chill remained as relief from the previous day. With hyacinth cleared and held to the banks of the Adyar River it was a nice course set up for the daily row or as the locals called it “round”. A number of masters then began to stream in and get introduced. It was also nice to see a number of junior school aged rowers taking to the water. Juniors in India often balancing a heavy academic load to enable regular rowing.
The club had a number of national level scullers heading out. This included an accomplished Para Athlete. I was lucky enough to be welcomed into a boat. Again one of the few places where the boat was taken out off the rack by staff, placed in the water and rigged with an offering arm to get in the seat.
The row was a quick 1000m turn and repeat before coming back in. The staff again helped to bring the boats in. To then settle to a set table for masala chai and choice of breakfast including South Indian fares.
Above photos: Sunrise at MBC, Scullers, Sunrise on the Adyar River from the boat before the turn back, RJ in the crew at MBC landing.
Madras Boat Club has one of the best club houses one will ever visit. The members matched its significance with their welcome and shared joy of rowing and local community. Kind of reminds you of another friendly local club in Australia. The club has accommodation also on offer and now that we know it can be booked in advance if you visit Chennai. The one friendly waring is to smother oneself in insect repellant as the mozzies loved the Oz blood.
MBC was so nice and welcoming with many contacts hopefully established to have them visit some day. They were kind enough to send us back with a great MBC club book on its history and regatta t-shirt.
Speaking of T-shirts. The main purpose of visiting Columbo and Madras rowing was to plant the seed for the greatest regatta in the world our very own Head of the Yarra. So a few HOTY T-shirts were dropped off. So don’t be surprised if you see a HOTY t-shirt in your travels where you least expect it. Fingers crossed some of them make it to Lake Bled this year. Anway the rowing community is global and welcoming with this roving rower saying thank you to the Columbo and Madras clubs especially their respective Captains Kemil Peters and Sumana Narayanan. Madras and Columbo have apparently been running the oldest inter country regatta which will be another reason to head back for a visit. Its Inaugural Race was 1898 and it is held regularly since swapping location each year. Reportedly one of the oldest inter club regattas, second only to the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race.
Richard James
2025 Head of the Yarra Sponsors
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Monthly Roundup
Next month….
February
Regattas:
7/2/2026-15/2/2026 RV Virtual Rowing Championships
14/2-15/2/2026 Nagambie Regatta
21/2/2026 Australian Henley Regatta
22/2/2026 BAS Head of the Lake
27/2-1/3/2026 RV State Championships