WITH the OARSMEN

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 166, 4 October 1927, Page 12

WITH the OARSMEN

BY

“RIGGER”

Eiurgess Memorial The North Shore Rowing Club’s proposal to establish a Burgess Memorial will please many of the older hands at the game, for few had a better record as a sportsman than “Ned,” as he was called, to distinguish him from his brothers, who also answered the call of open water. Mr. Burgess was one of the founders of the North Shore Club, in 1874, and he used to recount how the club, by volunteer effort, erected its first home near the present Windsor reserve at Devonport. It was a proud day when they landed their first boat, a four-oared gunwaled gig built by Waymouth, at Auckland. The boat was too heavy for racing, and another, a fouroared outrigger, was purchased from the Thames Club; this type was not then standard racing type. A second gunwale gig was obtained from Chas. Bailey, sen.

Shore’s Palmy Days The Auckland Club next brought over a batswing type from Melbourne and outclassed all rivals. Then the Shore Club propounded the idea of the Auckland Association, and when it was formed imported a special boat from Melbourne; the results astonished everyone. Shore Club winning the whole of the seven races on the first programme. The men who were prominent then were Messrs. Ned Burgess, Tom Sullivan. J. Sims and A. Logan. Sullivan later was English champion; Burgess coached the Shore for many years, was club secretary for a lengthy period and captain for 15 years. Until his recent death Mr. Burgess had remained closely associated with the North Shore Club, but every club knew him as a true sport, and all will appreciate Shore’s action in arranging a memorial. * * * Leander Piink Ties If you see a man with a peculiarlooking pink tie, make a note of the fact that the wearer is probably a member ol: the Leander Rowing Club, probably the most exclusive club in the world. Leander opens its sacred doors only to ex-Oxford or Cambridge oarsmen, and the risk of the fa.tal black ball is lessened if the candidate for membership is a sprig of the aristocracy of England. More than that, Leander requires men who can handle an oar. No decadent “parlour” oarsmen need apply. While there are many things for which this type of club is not to be admired—it introduces an element of snobbery into sport, and sport should always be democratic—Leander is; undoubtedly a picturesque institution, with its historic club rooms, billiard rooms, panelled dining hall, swiftnosed eight—and pink ties. An Eight in Norway An eight-oar crew from Balliol College, Oxford, recently visited Norway, aqd though it was badly beaten, its members had a royal time in every sense. They rowed at Oslo, the picturesque capital of Norway, and the race was followed by the King and Queen of Norway, and their son, the heir to the throne, who is himself an old Balliol oar.. Ormsund Rowing Club and Christiania Rowing Club deadheated for first place, with a combined Chriistiania and Students’ crew third, and Balliol fourth. The standard of rowing in Scandinavia, where the Viking tradition dies hard, is very high, and the hereditary skill of Swedish and Norwegian watermen is reflected in the number of prominent New Zealand oarsmen who are of Scandinavian descent. “Wallie” Sharpe 111 “Wallie” Sharpe, the veteran Wanganui oarsman, is at present a sick man, and has been in bed for several weeks. To all New Zealand rowing men this comes as sad news. Though not now actively rowing, Mr. Sharpe is one of the best known coaches in the country, and for several years his Union andl Wanganui College crews have been models of style. As an oarsman “Wallie” Sharpe was amazingly vigorous—he had the elusive “snap” which wins races, and his red coat bears many dates. Two brothers, Harold and Archie, are well known as oarsmen and scullers. The father of the trio was an old-time ferryman on the Wanganui River. Beresford to Retire Word from England states that Jack Beresford, the famous scion of a rowing family, is to retire from sculling.

The news seems too bad to be true, and: will rob amateur rowing of one of its finest exponents. When the New Zealand “digger” oarsmen were making history on the Thames, Beresford was a junior sculler, and a year or two later blossomed out as a champion, winning those blue ribbon events, the Wingfield Sculls and the Diamonds, in apparently endless procession. This year he was beaten unexpectedly in the Diamonds by the giant young Canadian, Joe Wright, and if his retirement is permanent the only man to fill his place will be T.

D. A. Collett, whose nearest rival is Lee, the ultimate winner of the Diamonds, who beat Wright after the Canuck had fouled a boom. Collett recently won the Metropolitan Senior Sculls, on the Thames, with ease.

Plight of St. George's The St. George’s Club is still in the difficulties created by the uncertainty concerning the site of its shed, and the fact that its crews are at present permitted only limited opportunities to escape from Judge’s Bay into open water. The waterfront road and railway embankment at present completely close the mouth of the bay, and there is no aperture through which boats may pass. Near the Parnell baths a narrow channel connects with Hobson Bay, but the tidal flow races through the gap at such a pace that the handling of boats is hardly safe. Ultimately a half-tide wall at this point will maintain a certain level of water in the bay, but the oarsmen do not relish the prospect of making a portage over the wall every time they want to reach open water when the tide is low.

No Elbow Room If it is compelled to operate within the limited shores of Judge’s Bay, St. George’s will have little elbow room. JLJnder existing circumstances crews can do little more than get going before the narrowness of their playground compels them to ease up. The club formerly intended to seek a site on the near shore of Hobson Bay, but the talk of reclamation, and the obvious fact that the tenure there would be as uncertain as the present arrangement, disqualifies such a move. The club has therefore applied to the Harbour Board for a place on the waterfront, at the edge of tlie reclamation near the Waitemata shed. It could not build this year, but if the request is granted—it has been referred to a committee —it will be able at once to set its eyes on a shed to be built for the 1928-29 season.

Auckland Club’s Offer Meanwhile the club officials are not fixing a date for the annual meeting until they know what the Harbour Board can do to assist, as they are anxious to have something tangible to put before the members and supporters when the annual report is circulated.

A very handsome offer, quite unsolicited, was received from the Auckland Rowing Club, which offered St. George’s space for a couple of boats during the coming season. This would allow regatta crews, at least, to get constant practice in open water. Doubtless, other clubs, also, would be glad to assist. None of the clubs is in such a position that it can afford to overlook the difficulties of its neighbour, as the changing foreshore of the Waitemata may at any time compel some of them to evacuate. The ultimate plans for harbour improvement propose to allocate rowing men a place somewhere in the upper waters of the harbour, but.that development, it is hoped, will never come to pass.