Autumn 2004 Newsletter
Here are your 300 Club Numbers for the season 2004/2005
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---Ordinary General Meeting 20 July
Was attended by 20 members. The Captaincy team were all re-elected. Mike Collier continues as Captain,
Marjorie Israel as Deputy Captain and Chris Davidson as Vice Captain.
The 300 Club accounts were adopted.
Captains Report and Season's Results
In his report to the Ordinary General Meeting the Captain emphasised the club achievements during the
recent season. These covered entry and qualification for the Goblets in this year's Henley Royal, entry in
the Vets Henley and National Vets regattas and a top ten finish in the 30-34-age category in the British
Indoor Rowing Champs. Naturally he made reference to regatta wins which are listed in this newsletter.
He also commented on coaching, boat purchases, the Sculling Camps, the Club Regatta and recruitment.
His objectives included buying a new heavyweight single, rowing in eights and singles during the winter,
success in the Rhine Marathon and a crew finishing within the top 100 in the 2005 Head of the River.
At an end of season Club Management Meeting on 12 September he stated that winter training would start
on Saturday 2 October at 9.00am on the water and on the Sunday at 9.30am on the water. Mid-week land
training would consist of weight training on Mondays, ergo tests on Tuesdays, Pilates or a 60 minute UT2
session on Wednesdays and circuits on Thursday. Fridays would bring a day of rest. All winter land
training would be performed in conjunction with Barnes Bridge Ladies. Nine members of the club would
be taking part in the Rowers Revenge triathlon (4k ergo, 25k cycle, 7.5k run) in Marlow on 3 October and
two Cygnet pairs along with two Cygnet composite crews will be taking part in the Pairs Head on the
9th October. Congratulations also to Cygnet member Nick Wyatt who recently completed the Moscow
marathon in a fantastic 3 hours 30 minute.
2004 Regatta Season Wins and Henley Results
Putney Town - Saturday 15th May - S2 2- S.French (bow); S.Keating - qualifying
VetE 2x N.Jackson (bow); S.Otterburn (AKRC)
Barnes & Mortlake - Saturday 12th June - Nov 1x C.Davidson - qualifying
S4 4+ A.Naylor (bow); D.French; N.Wyatt; N.Pickford; M.Israel (cox)
Richmond - Saturday 26th June - S4 4+ A.Naylor (bow); D.French; N.Wyatt; N.Pickford; M.Israel (cox)
- qualifying
Henley Royal - Thursday 1st July - Simon French (bow) & Steve Keating beat B.J.Wylie and A.J.Wylie
of the Oratory Cardinals' RC, verdict 4 3/4 lengths in The Silver Goblets & Nickalls' Challenge Cup.
Henley Royal - Friday 2nd July - Simon French (bow) & Steve Keating were beaten by R.P.Di Clemente
and D.Cech of Trident Rowing Club, South Africa, the eventual winners of The Silver Goblets & Nickalls'
Challenge Cup for Coxless Pairs
Kingston Amateur - Saturday 10th July - S3 4+ A.Naylor (bow); D.French; N.Wyatt; N.Pickford;
M.Israel (cox) - qualifying
Molesey - Saturday 17th July - VetD 4- N.Wylie (bow); P.Rawkins; A.Rawkins; N.Davison
St. Neots - Saturday 24th July - Mixed S4 4x M.Collier (bow); D.French; E.Wingrove (BBLRC); T.Salter
(BBLRC)
St. Neots Sprints - Sunday 25th July Mixed S4 4x M.Collier (bow); I.Golder; E.Wingrove (BBLRC);
T.Salter (BBLRC)
Henley Town & Visitors - Saturday 31st July -VetE/F 2x N.Jackson (bow); S.Aitken (AKRC)
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Sculling Camp 13th - 19th September
Desborough cut fishermen were subjected to a surprise this year as the catch of the day was a week's worth
of Cygnet and BBLRC sculler’s. For the first time the Bungalow based sculling camp was extended for a
week and lead by our Captain. The standard of sculling is much improved as the camp has it's share of
regular attendees. This is not to say a few beginners didn’t learn the hard way about the down side to
sculling. Novice sculler Stephen from Australia took the early lead with two swims but showing his island
based swimming skills he remounted swiftly in deep water. Lisa from BBRLC was the best of the ladies, a
highly competent beginner; it wasn’t until late on the Sunday that she fell in.
BBLRC 'love' burgers were on the menu and the overall catering was superb. Nick Wyatt having
completed the Moscow Marathon provided the Vodka around the barbecue. Overall the spirit and
teamwork has the programme running slicker than ever, it’s a well-oiled machine. Plans for the next camp,
scheduled for
15th - 17 April 2005 include possible two lane races in front of the Bungalow. Thought is being given to
making this exciting biannual event even better.
Thanks for all the effort people put in and most of all thanks to everyone that has a part in maintaining the
mighty Bungalow.
Chris Davidson
The Club Historian writes: This year being the 60th anniversary of D-Day, I thought it might be
appropriate to ask some of our older members to recount something of life on the river at Chiswick and
their rowing escapades during the Second World War. Two pieces follow: the first from Ronnie Lambe,
our secretary, and the second from Rene Rawkins (Paul and Andy’s mum), who rowed at Green’s
Boathouse from 1935-47.
Three Youths in a Boat
(But not George, Harris and Jay and no Montmorency))
In the early summer of 1941 John, Peter and Ronnie (me), three 16 years old youths, decided to camp on
the river. We were due to take our Schools Certificates in the coming December and hadn't really started
swotting. But remember in those days there was none of this GCSC nonsense because then you had to pass
in at least five subjects each from a selected section. So swotting would become necessary.
We hired a double sculling camping skiff from the Eton College Boathouse at Windsor for two weeks at a
cost of £1.15s 0d ( £1.75). This included the cover, which rolled up during the day. In distance travelled
we were successful, reaching Lechlade. The practice was to scull for an hour. Changing from stroke to
bow after half an hour and then half an hour steering. But there were problems such as the cover leaking
badly and of course limited food supplies.
For food we had scrounged a variety of tins from our parents, remember food was severely rationed in 1941
but vegetables, particularly potatoes could be bought. Unlike Jerome K Jerome's three heroes we did
remember to bring a tin opener. Water was obtained at locks and kept in a stone crock rather like a very
large old fashioned hot water bottle. For cooking, on a Primus Stove, and washing the Thames was
adequate. For other more intimate functions, holes were dug. We slept in the boat on the boat cushions and
under blankets made into sleeping bags by the use of blanket pins. Sleeping bags were almost non-existent.
On the way up river when passing through Boulters Lock, which was always considered the most
fashionable, I caught one of my blades in the lock wall and it snapped in half. So for the rest of the trip we
rowed using the sculls as sweeps, to be met by a very irate boatman on our return.
You must remember that this was wartime and a very long while ago. But it felt to me as if we were
travelling in pre 1914 times. In those days life in the villages and small towns near the river was very quiet
and slow moving. A different world. The three of us repeated the adventure in 1943 shortly before being
called- up to the armed services. But for only 10 days and at the inflated cost of £2.10s 0p (£2.50). And
we only reached Dorchester on the River Thame. But by that time we were much more interested in beer.
Have you read "Three Men in a Boat"?.
Ronnie Lambe
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Rowing at War
I remember hearing about Ronnie’s three men in a boat escapade at the time, but I didn’t meet Ronnie until
much later, although I believe he may have boated from the same boathouse – Tom Green’s – as me. Tom
Green’s Boathouse was a rat infested wooden shack situated immediately adjacent to Barnes Bridge on the
Chiswick side, close to the site where Thames Tradesmen’s Rowing Club now stands. There were no
showers and to get to the loo you had to pass through an erstwhile Saloon Bar door. Ma Green – Tom
Green’s wife – cooked on a large Primus stove, there being no electricity either. Needless to say, no
insurance company would touch the place with a proverbial barge pole! For all that, we had some good
times there.
A large number of clubs boated out of Tom Green’s during the war, some of them refugees from the Civil
Service Boathouse, which had been requisitioned as a morgue in 1939. My own club – the Savings Bank
(today’s NS&I) – had fallen out with the powers that be at the Civil Service before the war (it was ever so!)
and moved to Green’s in 1935. Other incumbents were Alpha and St George’s. Come the war, we were
joined by the likes of the Ministry of Pensions and the Ministry of Health.
Tom Green was one of the river’s great characters; a professional boatmen, he was given to binge drinking
and frequently disappeared for days at a time, before being brought back much the worse for wear on the
ferry that ran between Barnes and Chiswick. Ma Green was forever purloining our sweaters and shoes
while we were out on the water. Yet, if you enquired about the whereabouts of a missing item of clothing
she’d swear blind that she’d never seen it, even when she was standing before you actually wearing it! Her
saving grace was that she was an excellent cook, although we rarely got to taste any of her creations.
Despite the war, rowing at Tom Green’s followed a very familiar pattern with outings during the week and
on Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings. On just one such Sunday morning in mid May 1940, I
remember standing on the foreshore and watching a whole flotilla of brightly decorated craft – we didn’t
call them gin palace’s in those days – heading down river. It was quite unexpected although it was not long
before we discovered their destination. Two weeks later, again on a Sunday morning, less than half their
number made their way back up river, all painted in battle grey and very battered – the remnants of
Dunkirk.
Women’s rowing flourished during the war, most men having been called up. Even so, some men’s crews
still rowed out of Tom Green’s – these were mostly Thames Lightermen and the like. There was still a lot
of commercial traffic plying the Thames during the war. Our outings were not without their high spots,
often attracting ‘cat calls’ from Italian prisoners-of-war who were billeted somewhere up at Kew and
permitted to stroll on the towpath. There was a very full regatta programme right the way through the war
including the local ones like Hammersmith, Putney and Weybridge, mostly held in aid of the services and
the Red Cross. We ventured as far afield as Torquay. I still have the trophy to show for our first encounter
with coastal rowing and damned hard work it was too!
Rene Rawkins
The Club Historian with apologies to his mother for any errors in transcription!
300 Club
For those of you who might have forgotten enclosed is a further application form
Veterans Lunch - Henley Saturday 30 October
For the tardy amongst you I have enclosed a reservation form with full details
Christmas Party
A joint clubs event from 12.00 noon of Sunday 12 th December.
Club Trophies and Memorabilia
Several of these have disappeared from view. Please search in cupboards, on top of the piano and the
mantelpiece for these. Contact me and you and I will arrange their delivery or collection.
Ronnie Lambe 01483 537346 - 26 Foxglove Gardens, Guildford, GU4 7ES ronald,lambe@btinternet.com
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Gongs
In the past few members, friends and associates of Cygnet have been the recipients of a variety of honours.
We congratulate all three.
ARA Chairman Di Ellis
Always a friend of Cygnet Di was honoured in the Birthday Honours List with CBE. A well deserved
Honour.
Stan Collingwood
Oarsman, multi-lane umpire, coach, administrator, commentator and all round 'Good Egg', Stan could claim
membership of several clubs. His career on the river started in 1957 when he coxed veterans and continues
up to the present day. Stan Rowed with Cygnet in 1973 and coached the Club 1998. His ARA Medal of
Honour was richly deserved.
Stan Collingwood receiving his award from ARA Chairman Di Ellis CBE
Nina Padwick
Joint President of MAABC Nina has been awarded the ARA Medal of Merit. A new award, she is one of
the first two recipients. These were announced on Saturday 25 September at the ARA AGM. It is mainly
for those who have made an exceptional contribution to the sport through clubs and regions. She is of
course one of our Club's only two Life Honorary Members.
‘Subscriptions and Donations
Are always due, please return this tear-off slip with your cheque to the Treasurer, Dr R P du Parcq, 152
Castelnau, London, SW13 9ET. Active Members - members of the Civil Service Sports Council - £140,
Others - £198, Club Friends - Suggested minimum - £20 - Enclosed my subscription/donation of
£………….
Name………………………………………………Address……………………………………………...
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
……………………………………………………..Post Code………………Tel No……………………
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Three Marriages and a Birth
Alan and Sue
Congratulations to Alan Cox and Sue Jackson who became as one at the West Retford Hotel on Sunday
30th May. Alan was Club Captain for four terms up to October 2001
The Bride and Groom and some recognisable Club faces.
Included in this group are Ute and Matthias Macharowski from RGB Benrath
Steve and Helen
Huge congratulations to Steve Keating and Helen Sanderson who tied the knot on Saturday 4th September
at St. Peter and St. Pauls Church in Newport Pagnell. Steve was Captain from July 2002 until July 2003.
The Bride and Groom
Nathan and Sarah
Felicitations to Nathan Wallace and Sarah McFall who married on 5th September in Wandsworth
Nathan is with us from New Zealand and Sarah from the BBLRC and is their Social Secretary.
Ella at Kingston
Ella Wilson-Grimshaw arrived in Kingston Hospital at 3.45 AM on Sunday 22 nd August, weight 4.1 kg
which is 9lb 3oz.. Congratulations to Ruth Wilson, Dave Grimshaw and of course Ella.
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