West End Rowing Club
Encyclopedia
West End Rowing Club is based at Saunders Reserve, Avondale, Auckland, New Zealand. West End Rowing Club is New Zealand's leading rowing club with a strong, proud history both on and off the water. The club has won numerous National, Commonwealth, World and Olympic titles with club achieving three Olympic Gold medals.
The club embodies the very best of the corinthian ethos in a rowing environment that is moving away from these principles. These values allow West End Rowing Club to have strong club spirit which is the envy of the New Zealand rowing community and makes athletes proud to call themselves a "West Ender".
A current athlete who is proud to call himself a "West Ender" is Mahé Drysdale
- four time Single Scull World Champion and Olympic Bronze medallist.
In 1949 the Club won its first red-coat (Premier title) with victory in the Premier Eight on Lake Karapiro. This entire crew were selected as the New Zealand eight for the 1950 Empire Games where they finished a close second, only a foot behind the Gold Medallists, Australia.
After this first redcoat the 1950s-70's were a golden era for West End Rowing Club with the club winning a 47 redcoats and two Olympic Gold medals. West End Rowing Club celebrated its centenary in 1984 with a premier title and another Olympic Gold.
After 115 years based at St Mary's Bay the club moved out to the Whau River in Avondale due to redevelopment at Westhaven. The Rt Hon. Helen Clark officially opened the new clubhouse in October 2001.
West End Rowing Club celebrated its 125th Anniversary in 2009.
West End sent its National Championship eight from 2010 to race at the Henley Royal Regatta in the same year. With two replacements, they managed to get into the final of the Thames Challenge Cup on ther first time. Mahé Drysdale also reclaimed his title in the Diamond Sculls at the same regatta.
won the club's first Olympic Gold Medal at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City in the Coxed Four. Four years later Tony Hurt
won another for the club when he stroked the New Zealand men's Eight to victory in Munich. Shane O'Brien won the club's last Gold Medal at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.
The club embodies the very best of the corinthian ethos in a rowing environment that is moving away from these principles. These values allow West End Rowing Club to have strong club spirit which is the envy of the New Zealand rowing community and makes athletes proud to call themselves a "West Ender".
A current athlete who is proud to call himself a "West Ender" is Mahé Drysdale
Mahe Drysdale
Alexander Mahé Owens Drysdale, MNZM ) is a New Zealand rower and five-time World Champion single sculler. The name Mahé came from the largest island in the Seychelles....
- four time Single Scull World Champion and Olympic Bronze medallist.
History
The West End Rowing Club was founded in Ponsonby in 1884, with training taking place in St Mary's Bay (now Westhaven). Success came early to the Club with the first regatta win being recorded in 1885. As the city of Auckland developed so did West End with the growing in numbers and successes over the early decades of the twentieth century. Even the destruction of virtually all of the Club's boats in a cyclone which struck Auckland in 1914 where large seas flooded the boathouse was overcome.In 1949 the Club won its first red-coat (Premier title) with victory in the Premier Eight on Lake Karapiro. This entire crew were selected as the New Zealand eight for the 1950 Empire Games where they finished a close second, only a foot behind the Gold Medallists, Australia.
After this first redcoat the 1950s-70's were a golden era for West End Rowing Club with the club winning a 47 redcoats and two Olympic Gold medals. West End Rowing Club celebrated its centenary in 1984 with a premier title and another Olympic Gold.
After 115 years based at St Mary's Bay the club moved out to the Whau River in Avondale due to redevelopment at Westhaven. The Rt Hon. Helen Clark officially opened the new clubhouse in October 2001.
West End Rowing Club celebrated its 125th Anniversary in 2009.
West End sent its National Championship eight from 2010 to race at the Henley Royal Regatta in the same year. With two replacements, they managed to get into the final of the Thames Challenge Cup on ther first time. Mahé Drysdale also reclaimed his title in the Diamond Sculls at the same regatta.
Olympians
Dudley StoreyDudley Storey
Dudley Leonard Storey is a former New Zealand rower who won 2 Olympic medals. At the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico Storey won the Gold medal in the coxed four along with Dick Joyce, Ross Collinge, Warren Cole and Simon Dickie...
won the club's first Olympic Gold Medal at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City in the Coxed Four. Four years later Tony Hurt
Tony Hurt
Tony Hurt is a former New Zealand rower who won 2 Olympic medals. At the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich he teamed with Dick Joyce, Wybo Veldman, John Hunter, Lindsay Wilson, Athol Earl, Trevor Coker and Gary Robertson and Simon Dickie to win the Gold medal in the eights...
won another for the club when he stroked the New Zealand men's Eight to victory in Munich. Shane O'Brien won the club's last Gold Medal at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.