The Hearing was formally closed at the end of this session and the Commissioners reserved their decision. We expect to hear the decisions sometime in November.

Quiz Evening - New Date
The fighting fund committee decided to postpone the quiz evening until a later date to allow them to be better organised and make the evening more fun. It will also give you more time to get your team together and to study up on your general knowledge.

Mark this in your diary:

• Date: Saturday 4 March 2006
• Venue: Brierly Theatre, Wellington College
• Tickets: $20

A plea from the organising committee: this is our major fundraiser for the Wharenui objection legal fees, a joint effort between both Wellington Rowing Club and Star Boating Club. What we need from Club members is support by way of prizes, auction items or raffle items (large or small, we'd appreciate your help) and of course ticket sales. Please contact Margaret Mather on 479-1529 if you can help.

The fighting fund committee and the committees of both clubs wish to thank all those who have made a donation to this cause. So far about 50 donations have been received for a total of just over $6,000. Donations are still coming in. You can make yours by writing a cheque to the “Star-Wellington Submission Account” and posting it to PO Box 3273, Wellington. A full acknowledgement of all donors will be published in a later issue of Perfect Balance.

From the Committee...
The following message was approved by the Committee at its meeting on 1 November 2005:

As you will all be aware the Club is now under severe financial pressure primarily as a result of our objection to the resource consent application for development on the waterfront. The total cost to both clubs so far is in excess of $35,000.

Donations and some fundraising have helped offset some of the cost but we will still have to find around $15,000 from this year’s operating budget to cover the balance of our share.

With careful budgeting and if we all take some responsibility for looking after our activities and equipment we may survive.

To this end the Committee has agreed to implement the following policies for the remainder of this season, and next season or until the club is again in a sound financial position.

(Also bear in mind that we do not have a result from the Commissioners as yet and there is still a chance we may have to fund an appeal to the Environment Court.)

The new rules/policies are:

• Regatta costs (i.e. entry fees, site levies, boat transport costs. etc): The Club will cover regatta costs for all Wellington regattas and for a maximum of three events per athlete at the Jury Cup and Wanganui Championships. Costs for all other regattas are to be paid by the athletes/squads/schools.

  Therefore, for this season at least, the club will not be covering entries to the National Championships, Maadi Cup, any KRI regattas, Marlborough Champs, NI Champs, NISS Champs, SI Champs, SISS Champs, Rosebowl, Wanganui SS Champs, Blue Lakes, Hawkes Bay, or any other away regatta.

  Note though that entries to all regattas are still to be made through the club so that entry numbers, boat allocation and transport can be coordinated. Entry to "excluded" regattas will need to be accompanied by the fees.

• Camp Costs: All costs relating to training camps are to be met by the camp attendees. This includes fuel for both the truck and coaching boats. The club will provide equipment.

• Maintenance and Repairs: All expenditure relating to repairs is to be authorised by the Club Captain and Shed Manager. Best practice will be to have either Laurie Counsell or Brent Ashley make any purchases - they have limited expenditure authorisation – all significant expenditure is to go before the committee for approval before the expenditure is committed.

  It is accepted that coach boat fuel is an exception.

  Note: A culture change is required – if a boat is broken we will have to accept that we cannot row that session – no matter how good the water is – we must all get out of the habit of scavenging parts from other boats and/or making rash/rushed purchases on weekends just for training.

• Subscriptions: No entry will be made for the next or any other regatta for athletes who have not paid full subscriptions, or entered into an arrangement with the Club Captain to make payments for subscriptions.

I apologise for being the bearer of such bad tidings but we must move into this "user pays" system until we are financially viable again.

Please contact me if you have serious issues with any of the above.

Brent Ashley
Club Captain

Competition Licences
Last season Rowing New Zealand introduced “Competition Licences”. For insurance and legal purposes any person (rower or coxswain) competing in any regatta anywhere in New Zealand is required to have a competition licence. But don’t panic – your club organises these for you. However this will not be done if you have not paid your subscription.

Rowing New Zealand publish the Rowing Magazine. This is sent free to all rowers who hold competition licences, provided they have your current postal address. Please make sure you provide your address when you pay your subscription and please advise any change of address you may have during the year. (Please advise your email address too, to ensure you receive Perfect Balance which is published by email only.)

Website
The Wellington Rowing Club website is back fully operational and better than ever. This newsletter is published on it, you can find the regatta programme for the year, results are regularly updated, and soon we will be able to publish photos.

Visit www.wellingtonrowing.org.nz soon.

Contributions can be sent to webmaster@wellingtonrowing.org.nz (please make sure any photos have been compressed to the smallest possible size before you send them).

Regatta Results
Norton Cup results have been posted on the website (www.wellingtonrowing.org.nz). Wellington came third again! There was once a time, like about 2 years ago, when Wellington regularly won these regattas – what’s up? Are we now happy with third place? Or even second?

One of the trophies we present each year is the Manning Pritchard Trophy which is awarded to the rower or coxswain who earns the most points for the club at regattas. We did not present this last season because we failed to keep a record of individual results. But this year we are back on track. Three points are awarded for a win, two for 2nd and one for 3rd. Double points will be given for the Wellington Championships regatta. Coaches are to provide their results after each regatta. But make sure you let your coach know if you race for another squad, as those results will count too – this is especially important if you cox a crew.

Regatta Programme

• 19 November: Mothes Shield (Although still being held during exams, this regatta is now open to all, but boat allocation preference will be given to adult rowers).
• 26 November: Jury Cup (at Wanganui)
• 10 December: McLachlan Shield (schools)
• 28 January: Wellington Championships
• 4-5 February: Wanganui Championships

The Pages of History
The following advertisement appeared in the Evening Post on Thursday 2 July 1885:

This meeting was attended by 20 people who unanimously decided that a second club was needed because the existing Star Boating Club was insufficient for a city the size of Wellington.

James Stewart was elected the first club captain, and promptly donated a boat – an in-rigged clinker four.

And so began the Wellington Rowing Club. (Actually there was an earlier Wellington Rowing Club which was formed in 1871, but that folded a few years later. That club was the home of the famous Dolly Varden crew – more on that crew in a later issue of Perfect Balance.)

The original colours of the Club were pink, but these were changed to maroon and white in 1894 and have stayed that way since.

The first club race was the “trial fours” held in January 1886, with 52 members being entered. The winners were presented with silver mounted walking sticks!

The club had been housed in temporary rented sheds for the first couple of years of its existence but on 17 December 1887 its first permanent home at the bottom of Cuba Street was opened “in beautiful weather”.

At the Wellington regatta on 23 February 1889 the Club won it first championship fours title (the “Senior Four Oared Outrigger Amateur Championship of New Zealand”). For their efforts the crew won £30 (a lot of money considering the annual rental for the shed had been £10.10.0), the Young Trophy (which is still held by the club), the VSS Cup, Gold medals, and Champion Coats, Caps and Badges.

In that same year it was decided to hold a schoolboy rowing race. St Patrick’s College was rowing in the club then, but they were disqualified because some of the rowers were teachers, not school boys! The race was ultimately won by Wanganui Collegiate who defeated Wellington College by half a length.

Later in 1889 the annual ball doubled as the prize giving. Guests included the Governor General (Lord Onslow) and Lady Onslow (who presented the prizes), the Mayor and Mayoress of Wellington and many other city dignitaries. Twenty five dances were on the programme and “dancing continued until a late hour in the morning”.

In the annual report for the 1893-1894 season the committee reported that it “was disappointed with the number of older members of the club who showed little interest in the newer members”. It was also reported that there was difficulty in collecting payment of subscriptions with 38 members being struck off the membership list and the club having to take out a bank overdraft. Some things haven’t changed much!!!

More history in later issues...

Next Issue
If you have anything you want to include in Perfect Balance send an email to perfectbalance@wellingtonrowing.org.nz. The aim is to produce a newsletter once a month, but it needs contributions from members to be successful. Even just a few words would be nice, something about your crew, your coach, your goals, anything you like.

Meanwhile row well and win.