Alice Coster: Oarsome proposal for the mighty Yarra
Victoria is in the running to launch another major international event and Australia’s top universities would be in the mix to compete for the spoils.
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Melbourne is set to row in the latest world-first sporting event next year. Page 13 hears plans to host Henley-on-the-Yarra is under way, with the City of Melbourne leading the charge on the big-scale spectacular.
It’s understood this time university crews from Oxford, Cambridge, Stanford and Yale are being invited to float their boats in an international competition. It would be another major-event coup for the Andrews Government and Visit Victoria following big-ticket events such as Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the newly tarted-up Princess Theatre.
Not to mention the upcoming President’s Cup and a potential hole-in-one visit from US President and golf fanatic Donald Trump.
It’s understood the international Henley-on-the-Yarra concept will be similar to the Henley-on-the-Thames regatta, which is steeped in tradition and a posh part of the English social season.
Unlike the famous boat race in which Oxford and Cambridge crews pull for glory, colleges from all over the world will also compete along with Australia’s top universities.
Lord Mayor Sally Capp was once on the board of Rowing Australia. When asked, a City of Melbourne spokeswoman said it was to early to make a comment.
Australia’s Henry Pearce won back-to back gold medals in the single sculls at the 1928 and 1932 Olympics in Amsterdam and Los Angeles and the Diamond Sculls at Henley in 1931.
The “Oarsome Foursome” won Olympic gold at Barcelona in 1992 and went on to defend their title four years later in Atlanta. Australia has consistently been on the Olympic podium with 10 gold, 13 silver and 14 bronze rowing medals.
Sponsors with deep pockets have been approached to see if they can turn the regatta into an even greater spectacle than it was before it was overtaken by Moomba in the 1950s.
It lacked the world profile now planned by organisers but was one of the most important events on the Australian sporting and social calendar.
Like the Spring Racing Festival, the event was then as much about fashion as it was rowing with women dressed in their spring finery at the annual regatta first staged in 1904. Celebrations went on into the night with fireworks, and houseboats with bands and dancing.
The event peaked in the roaring ‘20s with 300,000 people along the Yarra, with yesteryear’s social influencers on the south bank between the Princes and Morel bridges and the then working classes on the north bank.
Rowing Australia said it did not have a comment to make. The regatta, rumoured to be slated for the end of next year, will have everyone row their own boat.