OCTOBER 2020 NEWS Provided by your faithful correspondent Trident.

Past News can be found via the links on the right of this page

Above: Empty boathouses - the result of COVID-19

News covered this month:

• Mercantile's COVIDSafe plan and timetable • Happy birthday Bill Wallace • An image of the Club under COVID • Annual general meeting report • Annual General Meeting Saturday 17th October at noon • David Crawshay elected as Chair of the RA Athletes Commission • Vale Derek Marley • Latest advice from RV on access to the river • Mercs zootie seen at .... • Round 6 of the Rocket Challenge kicks off • Status of nominations for Committee • Drink wine to help the Club, now that is an idea • More disruption from Peppercorn lawn • 2020-21 dates • Member profile – Michael McKay • New member profiles

Mercantile's COVIDSafe plan and timetable Published 24th October 2020

The Mercantile COVIDSafe plan and tmetable for access is in the Member only documents section of the website.

Regardless, the following protocols now apply.

‘Get In, Train, Get Out…’

The Essentials -

• DO NOT COME TO THE SHED IF YOU ARE UNWELL. • UNSCHEDULED TRAINING IS NOT ALLOWED. • LET COACHES KNOW IMMEDIATELY IF YOU DEVELOP SYMPTOMS. • GET TESTED IF UNWELL & REMAIN ISOLATED UNTIL YOUR RESULT.

Club Rules -

• You must not be late to your session (if you miss your time slot then you don’t row) • You must not arrive early for your session • Come dressed and ready to get on the water, there is no changeroom access • Bring your drink bottle (filled up) and your own tools for rigging

Process Upon Arrival… 1. Use hand sanitiser before entering the building and touching equipment 2. Enter the building via the front steps and access the boat bays via the front entrances 3. Sign In using QR code (open the camera on your phone, scan the black and white image/code and answer the questions. This is important for our contact tracing.) 4. Bags can be stored in upstairs area. The gym area is blocked off for St Cath’s to store bags – please do not access this area if you are not a coach. 5. Wear a mask at all times except in the boat 6. Minimise traffic in the boat bays – wait your turn and maintain 1.5m social distancing 7. Wash and disinfect equipment thoroughly after use. Especially oar handles. 8. Hand sanitise upon leaving the shed 9. Sign out using QR code

Enjoy your training, thank you for your patience and efforts to keep us all safe and healthy. YEAH MERCS!

Happy birthday Bill Wallace, 94 today Published 25th October 2020

Past Captain Bill Wallace has reached the heady age of 94 years old today. Well done Bill and we hope to see you down in Melbourne from Sydney one day soon. We know that you were planning to visit last year but other factors prevented this. Happy birthday.

An image of the Club under COVID Published 25th October 2020

Most of us have not seen the Club for a long time. Here is an image of our sad looking gym - no equipment and no rowers.

Annual General Meeting report Published 20th October 2020

The 140th annual general meeting of the Club was conducted via video conference, the first time in our history, with nearly seventy members attending.

Whilst the meeting was conducted in an efficient manner, sadly it bore none of the humour, outrageous interjections or personality of past meetings. The President spoke for all in stating that an in-person meeting next year would be welcomed.

A scene from the virtual meeting

The meeting re-elected Anthony Johnson as President along with the following Vice-Presidents:

o N Philippe R Batters

o David E G Colvin

o P Henry C Edgar

o Andrew M Evans

o Warwick B Hutchins

o Jeffrey J Lawrence

o John Leeming

o David Pincus

o James B Tomkins OAM

o Roger B Wilson OAM

o David J Yunghanns

o William Webster

Your Committee for 2020-21 is as follows:

Captain - Meghan Hester

Vice-Captains - Skyla Froebel and Will Legge

Hon Secretary - Andrew Guerin

Hon Treasurer - Duncan MacKinnon

Performance Director - Tom Courtney

Boathouse and Equipment Manager - Simon Morrison

Social Manager - Jenny Fraumano

General Committee members -

o Sam Patten o Graham Barns o Felicity Frederico o Alex Clarke o Tom Nickson

The President spoke of the great work of outgoing Captain William Webster over the past four years as well the superb contribution of outgoing Committee members Angus Maloney, Peter Somerville, Hamish Fitzsimmons, Julie Orr, Sebastian Jenner and Gemma Sibillin. He was also pleased to see that the two Vice-Captains of the previous season had sought to stand for the position of Captain following the retirement of Bill Webster. This was a healthy sign for the Club.

The two highlights of the meeting were the unanimous election by acclamation of both Duncan MacKinnon and Warwick Hutchins as life members, and the President advising that he had appointed Arthur Atkins DFC as Patron of the Club. The President spoke at length about Duncan's and Warwick's extensive service to the Club and how pleased he was that Arthur had accepted the position of Patron.

The meeting concluded with the virtual awards presentations.

We are already looking forward to the next annual general meeting which will be in person, not virtual!

Annual General Meeting Saturday 17th October at noon Republished 1st October 2020

The Club will break new ground in October with it's first digital annual general meeting in its 140 year history. Notices of the meeting will go out this week with the details.

Further there will only be an announcement of trophy and award winners as it will not be in person.

This will be a very interesting experience for us all.

We look forward to seeing you at the meeting.

David Crawshay elected as Chair of the RA Athletes Commission Published 11th October 2020

Club member David Crawshay OAM has been elected Chair of the Rowing Australia Athletes Commission.

Well done Crawsh. Mercantile has again a member on the RA Board.

Rowing Australia has reported as follows:

Rowing Australia (RA) today announced that Olympic gold medallist, David Crawshay, has been elected as the new Chair of the Rowing Australia Athletes’ Commission (RAAC) and in turn has been appointed as a Director on the RA Board. He takes over the Athletes’ Representative position vacated on the RA Board by Hannah Every-Hall whose term on the Commission and Board concluded earlier this month.

Crawshay, who won gold at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in the Men’s Double Scull, will join the RA Board for his first meeting on 20 November 2020, via video conference.

A three-time Olympian, Crawshay is highly respected among the athlete body. As an athlete, he first competed for Australia in the Nations Cup in 2000 in Copenhagen, Denmark, where he won a silver medal in the U23 Men’s Quadruple Sculls. He went on to represent Australia at 17 World Rowing Cups and 10 Senior World Rowing Championships, while he of course also rowed for Australia at the Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Olympic Games.

Siobahn and Daniel and Crawsh. David and Siobahn managing all aspects of life in 2015

Off the water, Crawshay is a lawyer with a Bachelor of Laws from Charles Darwin University and Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice from the College of Law, Melbourne. He currently sits on the Administrative Appeals Tribunal as a member hearing appeals in the Migration Division.

Upon the announcement of his appointment, Crawshay said, “It is a real privilege to be elected the Chair of the Athletes’ Commission and to be appointed to the RA Board. Rowing has been such a large part of my life and it is great to be involved once again.

“Firstly, I would like to say thank you to Hannah Every-Hall for the excellent work she has done chairing the Commission and representing the athletes on the RA Board. I have always been impressed with her engaging personality and her work ethic and so it’s no surprise that she leaves both roles in good shape.

“I’ve had an association with the Athletes’ Commission since 2005 and I appreciate the types of issues that are discussed and resolved. I look forward to chairing the Commission, but also being a member of the RA Board and contributing the athlete voice to the strategic growth and development of rowing, especially during these challenging times.”

Crawshay joins the nine-person RA Board. The RA Board is made up of Chair, Rob Scott, Deputy Chair Flavia Gobbo and Directors Merrick Howes, Ben Dodwell, Bryan Weir, Sarah Cook, Georgia Beattie, Andrew Michelmore and now, Crawshay.

Rowing Australia President, Rob Scott, added: “We are delighted to have someone of David’s calibre elected to the Chair of the Rowing Australia Athletes’ Commission and in turn to be the voice of the athletes on the RA Board. The Commission is a vital conduit for the athletes to communicate to not only the RA Board but also the organisation as a whole.

“David’s international rowing career speaks for itself, he’s an accomplished Olympic gold-medal-winning rower, respected worldwide, and I join with the entire RA Board and wider community in welcoming him as a Director of Rowing Australia.

“Finally, I would like to pay tribute to outgoing RA Athletes’ Commission Chair, Hannah Every-Hall, for her sterling efforts leading the Commission and her commitment and passion in the RA Board room.

“Hannah continues to be active in our community, especially in Victoria, coaching and supporting newcomers into rowing and those who are aspiring for international selection. I am delighted that Hannah will continue to serve on the FISA Athletes’ Commission until the end of 2023.”

Vale Derek Marley Published 8th October 2020

One of the sad sides of sending out the notices of meetings is that occasionally we receive advice of a passed member. This was the case sadly with Derek Marley.

Derek was not one of outstanding athletes but was one who genuinely loved club life and maintained his connection with the Club through to his death in 2019. He grew up in London during the war and so was a Blitz survivor. When he migrated to Australia after the war he joined Mercantile. He clearly was one who loved the camaraderie perhaps more than the sport.

To find out more about Derek, go to the member profiles page.

Latest advice from RV on access to the river Republished 1st October 2020

Our HP squad can now return to the water with the biggest restriction being the 5km. Our coaches have set up some boats at St Kevins at the Princes Bridge.

We look forward to the third step when we can get everyone back on the water.

Mercs zootie seen at .... Published 4th October 2020

Will Legge has sent in an entry into the old but good story of Mercs uniforms seen around the world. This one comes from Cambridge and was posted by Rob Baker (CUBC head coach) of some boats on the Ely straight. Will Legge reports that: When I left the U.K. I gave the three freshers from last year one of my zooties each (one mercs racing, one mercs training, one Deakin zootie) and here you can see ex-Hampton boy Oli Bridge stroking one of the fours (on the right) in the Mercs colours!

Round 6 of the Rocket Challenge kicks off Republished 1st October 2020

Red Matthews has done an outstanding job with his invention, the Rocket Challenge. Round 6 kicked off on 27th September.

The competition has evolved with each round and has been a great part of keeping the competition group fit and interested.

With lock down becoming increasingly tiresome for our ambitious rowers, we hope that restrictions will be lifted soon the Rocket Challenge evolving to the water.

Status of nominations for Committee Republished 1st October 2020

The current nominees for Committee can be found in the member only documents section of the Documents tab of this website. Nominations close noon on 10th October 2020.

Nominations for Committee can be sent to the Hon. Secretary at secretary@mercantile.org.au noting the nominator and seconder as well as the approval of the person nominated.

Drink wine to help the Club, now that is an idea Republished 1st October 2020

Wild Fire Wines is a premium wine producer located near Warburton in the Upper Yarra Valley. One of the owners, and the chief winemaker, is John Harry, a club member. John competed at senior level in the 60s and 70s and was Captain of the Club; he is also a major supporter and Trustee of the Mercs Foundation.

Wild Fire has agreed to provide the Club with a substantial donation for each case of wine purchased by members and their friends and family. Bill Webster and Julie Orr are co-ordinating the recruitment of Mercs athletes to help publicise the sales effort. The Committee believes this program has great potential to assist our fundraising efforts and is keen for all Mercantilians to get behind it.

mailto:secretary@mercantile.org.au?subject=Nomination%20for%20Committee%202020-21&body=Dear%20Andrew%2C%0A%0APlease%20accept%20the%20following%20nomination%20for%20the%20position%20of%20%5Bname%20position%5D.%0A%0ANominated%20person%20who%20has%20approved%20the%20nomination%0A%0ANominated%20by%3A%0ASeconded%20by%3A%0A%0AKind%20regards%2C%0A%5Bname%5D

The Committee has sampled John’s offerings and is confident that members will find the wines of excellent quality, and good value. Wild Fire won two medals at the 2019 Victorian Wine Show (Riesling and Cabernet) on its first try so its future looks promising.

So, how can you help the Club?

Grab some wine at www.wildfirewines.com.au and enter the code "MERCANTILE" at checkout. This ensures any sales will be attributed to the Club.

Sellers Competition

The Club is also holding an internal competition to incentivise sales. The athlete who sells the most wine in the next 2.5 months to the end of November will win a car pass to the restricted parking at the rear of the boathouse. If you'd like to enter, please email philwild@wildfirewines.com.au to obtain your unique code that your friends and family can enter at checkout. Happy selling, and remember, each sale benefits the Club.

This is an efficient and practical way for members to help the Club - we look forward to the development of the Wild Fire relationship as a solid source of funding for us for many years to come.

More disruption from Peppercorn Lawn Republished 1st October 2020

Advice from the government on the Metro Tunnel works on peppercorn lawn disruption attached. A lot more truck traffic will occur.

2020-21 season dates Published 1st October 2020

Your Committee is an optimistic mob and have laid down some social function dates for members, even during a 'state of emergency'. Please keep the dates free.

• 17 October 2020 - Annual General Meeting • 13 December 2020 - Christmas President's Luncheon and boat namings (fingers crossed that we can do this) • 19 February - Henley Eve Cocktail Party at the Boathouse. • 20 February - Henley on Yarra • 27-28 February - Victorian Championships • 13 March - Scotch Mercantile Regatta

https://wildfirewines.com.au/?utm_campaign=mercantile-newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_source=partnermailto:philwild@wildfirewines.com.au?subject=Mercantile%20Wine%20Selling%20Competition%20-%20Code%20please&body=Please%20send%20me%20a%20sellers%20code%20for%20the%20Mercantile%20wine%20selling%20competition.%0A%0ARegards%2C%0A%5Bname%5Dhttps://cdn.revolutionise.com.au/cups/mercantilerc/files/qh6knaujpimdnln8.pdf

• 22-28 March - National Championships • 25 April - ANZAC Day Service and Luncheon • 28-31 July - Olympic finals - Brunch at the Boathouse

Member profile - Michael McKay Published 1st October 2020

Our senior high performance coach Mike McKay is a true legend of the sport, internationally. We all know his outstanding sporting record but not everyone knows about his international acknowledgement.

He is a Keller medallist which recognises a retired rower (not more than 5 years) who has had a long and successful rowing career and who has made an outstanding contribution to rowing as a competitor and as a sports personality. In principle, only one medal may be awarded in any one year. It is the highest recognition available in our sport.

Presentation of the Keller Medal in 2007

To find out more about Mike, go to his profile.

New member profiles Updated 9th October 2020

We regularly add new member profiles. This month we have added profiles of more members of old. H S Alywin, a member of the Club's first ever senior eight win in 1898, Roy Adam who competed at Henley Royal Regatta in 1906 when visiting the UK, George Anderson, a key senior rower from the 1930s, Derek Marley a member who loved club life, Frank R Browne a novice coach and auditor of the Club, Horace Stevens a great singer and rower of pre WWI, F T Brennan a pioneer of the Club, our longest serving Treasurer Alec Clarke, past President Arch Dobbie and past Captain George Horder.

https://www.rowinghistory-aus.info/rower-profiles/mckay-michaelhttps://rowinghistory-aus.info/rower-profiles/aylwin-h-shttps://rowinghistory-aus.info/rower-profiles/adam-royhttps://www.rowinghistory-aus.info/rower-profiles/anderson-george-ihttps://www.rowinghistory-aus.info/rower-profiles/marley-derek-chttps://www.rowinghistory-aus.info/rower-profiles/browne-frank-rhttps://www.rowinghistory-aus.info/rower-profiles/browne-frank-rhttps://www.rowinghistory-aus.info/rower-profiles/stevens-horace-ehttps://www.rowinghistory-aus.info/rower-profiles/brennan-t-fhttps://rowinghistory-aus.info/rower-profiles/clarke-c-alec-rhttps://www.rowinghistory-aus.info/rower-profiles/dobbie-archibald-lhttps://www.rowinghistory-aus.info/rower-profiles/horder-capt-george

Also added is one of our most noted members, John Bostock. John was not a champion rower, in fact he probably holds the record for the number of starts without a win! However he is a champion member who loves Club life and the members love him.

https://www.rowinghistory-aus.info/rower-profiles/bostock-john-b

OCTOBER 2020 NEWSMercantile's COVIDSafe plan and timetable‘Get In, Train, Get Out…’

Happy birthday Bill Wallace, 94 todayAn image of the Club under COVIDAnnual General Meeting reportAnnual General Meeting Saturday 17th October at noonDavid Crawshay elected as Chair of the RA Athletes CommissionVale Derek MarleyLatest advice from RV on access to the riverMercs zootie seen at ....Round 6 of the Rocket Challenge kicks offStatus of nominations for CommitteeDrink wine to help the Club, now that is an ideaMore disruption from Peppercorn Lawn2020-21 season datesMember profile - Michael McKayNew member profiles