OCA Rowing Club
True to the spirit of the words of the old school song Stalwart Sons, for the Old Collegians' Rowing Club it has been a case of adapting and not letting an opportunity go to waste.
With the COVID-19 lockdown taking away our ability to row on the water, the launch of the 'virtual rowing club' among the Old Collegian community has been a great success. Using ergos, WhatsApp, Zoom video link ups and a professional program crafted by Wade Ruffin (OC 1984), some 37 lads have been diligently logging scores with the virtual club looking to shortly pass the milestone of five million metres of ergo rowing. The banter among club participants has been an infectious source of entertainment and exercise. Alumni years of the Old Boys taking part span from 1973 to 2018 with a geographic spread taking in Australia, the Solomon Islands and Spain. There are some tough characters in the group, perhaps the standout being Harry Foxton (OC 1973), who stood down for a week to have a knee replaced and then promptly returned to log ergos once again. The program and metres rowed continues and, with the recent relaxation in COVID-19 restrictions, we are grateful to the school and BBC Rowing Master for making available ergos at the BBC Shed for outdoor training on a Monday and Wednesday evenings.
The virtual club will shortly be meeting and toasting our collective five million metres with a celebration and awards ceremony.
June has seen on-water rowing recommence, albeit on a restricted basis under the social distancing principles set out by Rowing Queensland. Nonetheless, the last weekend in June saw the first opportunity for the club to take to the water in our recently refurbished VIII, the aptly named Stalwart Sons. We would like to extend our sincere appreciation to the Old Collegians' Association for their generous donation towards the initiative to refurbish the boat to competitive racing trim. This is timely as the Brisbane Winter Series and the Head of the Brisbane Regatta should see the club return to racing in the next couple of months. Winter Series races run weekly from 18 July to 22 August so we look forward to sharing our results in an upcoming e-newsletter.
If participation sparks your interest we have an active presence on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/bbcoldcollegiansrowing ) where you will find race footage that will set the nerves tingling. Members row out of the Toowong Rowing Club and virtual members row anywhere in the world they can find an ergo (Tony Baildon OC 1981 has been shovelling snow in Bathurst to get to an ergo). The club has a tax efficient Australian Sports Foundation fund to help raise sorely needed funds for equipment. Please contact us to learn more about getting involved in the club as a member, virtual member, donor or all of the above.
Adrian Humphrey (OC 1984)
President OCA Rowing Club
(M 0417 625 919) Adrian.Humphrey@workcoverqld.com.au
