By Alex Crowe, Bridie Smith and Noel Towell
If Spence Millear could rewind to Tuesday, the day his 17-year-old son headed off to his final rowing training at Melbourne Grammar School, he would.
Edward Millear died in hospital hours after collapsing while using a stationary rower at the Simon Fraser Memorial Boat House on the banks of the Yarra River on Tuesday afternoon.
“In hindsight, I wish he’d never gone to rowing training that day. In hindsight, I wish he’d gone and played tennis that day,” Millear said.
Melbourne Grammar student Edward Millear.
“I wish a lot of things in hindsight, but that’s the sport.”
Edward’s second VIII rowing crew was counting down to the biggest event of the season for the 11 private schools that compete each year in the Associated Public Schools Regatta (Heads of the River).
He was a strong, fit teenager and, like his teammates, took his sport seriously.
His dad said dedication was the expectation at Melbourne Grammar’s rowing program, as it was at all the schools in the APS group.
“It’s more than just a schoolboy sport, it’s next level. You push yourself … that’s just how it goes,” Millear said.
“He’s the sort of kid you want in a crew or a footy team or a cricket team because he’ll keep going.”
Edward Millear
The school community is reeling from the sudden loss of a student whom “everyone loved”.
Melbourne Grammar headmaster Philip Grutzner told secondary students by email that those who wished to wear a black armband to honour Edward could do so at this weekend’s sporting activities.
“Should you or your team wish to observe a minute’s silence at the start of any match, that would also be appropriate,” Grutzner wrote on Thursday.
He said the school chapel would be open after classes on Friday to allow students and parents to pay their respects.
Edward’s death, like any unexpected fatality, will be investigated by a coroner. WorkSafe said on Thursday that it was making inquiries to determine if a full workplace safety investigation was warranted.
Spence Millear, himself old Grammarian, said he had no criticism of the school or its rowing program, adding that recriminations would not bring his son back.
“The school are doing everything. I think they’ll be reviewing this within an inch of their lives. We all want to know what happened. This will really shake them to their core,” he said.
Melbourne Grammar has made contact with the family multiple times, including visits from the headmaster.
In a statement to The Age, Grutzner said the school’s focus remained on the grieving students and staff members, particularly those who had provided first aid after Edward collapsed at the boat shed on Tuesday afternoon.
He said the school’s current head rowing coach, Noel Donaldson, who was appointed in 2023, ran a program focused on skills, rowing knowledge, race strategy, diet, fitness and mental health.
“Caring for mental health and welfare of these individuals, as well as those in our broader school community, continues to be our priority at this time,” Grutzner said.
Melbourne Grammar School rowing training.Credit: YouTube
Melbourne Grammar rowers are – alongside Wesley College, Scotch College, Brighton Grammar and Geelong Grammar – among the strongest APS competitors.
A spot in the first boat at a top school can draw the attention of scouts at major events or provide a pathway into a US Ivy League university.
Families of students who sign up are advised early on about the program’s significant commitment, which for those at senior level can mean most mornings and evenings.
A former Melbourne Grammar rowing coach, speaking on condition of anonymity, said students worked as hard as young athletes in any elite school sports program.
The coach said welfare was always a priority and the young athletes were not encouraged to push beyond their limits.
“The first thing I’d always think of is the wellbeing and the pastoral care of the student. That was my motivation,” he said.
Students pushing themselves to exhaustion, including occasionally vomiting, was not unheard of but was uncommon, the former coach said.
“I’ve seen it in all sports, not just rowing. If kids came down and said to me, ‘Hey, look, I’m tired or unwell’, I would always put their welfare ahead of all else.”
Melbourne Grammar rowers on the water in February 2002.Credit: Pat Scala
The coaches and students in the tight-knit community of school rowers who train on the Yarra nearly every morning are expecting a more subdued atmosphere than usual when they come together for this year’s Heads of the River at Nagambie Lakes in the state’s north on March 22.
An APS spokesperson said schools could request a tribute be made to a student at the event.
“APS Sport would be open to any suggestion from the school,” they said.
Spence Millear said he was still coming to grips with the loss of their “loveable, beautiful kid”.
“I still think maybe he’ll come in the door tomorrow. We’re gutted this has happened … it’s unimaginable,” he said.
“If I could bring him back, we’d bring him back ... but it’s just the sport. I’m not defending them, it’s just what they do.”
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