Good morning official party, parents, students and guests.

I would like to start off by thanking Mr Nick Collins for his immense influence within the Aquinas Rowing community. This shed wouldn’t run as smoothly as it does if it wasn’t for him.

But there’s more to rowing than just oars and boats. Rowing is a sport of teamwork, culture and passion. It’s working together as one to achieve a set goal.

Great things are never done by just one person. They’re done by a team of great people. Here at Aquinas College, we are one team, one squad, one unit striving for greatness this Saturday.

Many people have asked me in the past. Why do you row?

Now there isn’t one specific answer to this question. But if I were to describe it. It’s the passion, the culture, the comradery. There’s no other sport like it.

I started rowing at the end of year 8 along with a few of my close friends. I didn’t think much of it and I really didn’t know what I was getting myself into. I started by rowing in the second-lowest crew, the 9G quad, but enjoyed every minute of it. By the end of that season, I worked my way up to the 9C’s and now every year I continue to strive for improvement along with the help of my teammates and coaches.

If you’re thinking of joining rowing or haven’t decided on a summer sport yet I would 100% recommend coming down to rowing. It has a positive and welcoming culture, an enjoyable environment and it’s a great source of fitness! And it’s never too late to join, as shown by one of our first 8 members Cam Sharp who only started rowing last year in year 11 and is now a vital part of the rowing squad.

Strength, Determination, Dedication, Perseverance and Focus. This is how I would describe the first 8 crew this season as well as the rest of our rowing squad.
But if I were to ask you to think of the true leaders of Aquinas rowing, who would you think of? Personally, I think of those boys rowing in the 5ths and 6ths. Those boys who won’t be rowing this weekend but still continue to show up to training and keep fighting for the squad. These boys are the reason that our shed is the strongest in the PSA and their support will be vital for our competing crews this weekend.

All boys sitting behind me have been training for this week’s regatta for the past 2 years, after the sudden cancellation of Head of the River in 2020. The training load for rowing is unmatched by any other sports as we have completed 750 hours of training in the past 24 months. That equates to 1-month straight day and night of the past 2 years being dedicated to the Aquinas College rowing program by each of these boys behind me. This training includes gruelling rowing camps to Bunbury and Albany, as well as the amazing opportunity to visit and train in Tasmania alongside the Australian Olympic rowing squad.

This season has been a very successful one so far with plenty more to come. This is highlighted through the 10A’s and 10B’s crews. With the 10A’s going undefeated throughout all 2k races this season. Thanks to their outstanding physical and mental strength. And also, a little bit of coaching from Mr Brown.

As well as the strength in our year 10 crews, our senior crews are performing very well. Last week the senior quad, 4th VIII, 2nd VIII and the 1st VIII won their races, and our 3rd VIII came 3rd. These outstanding results set us up for a big day this weekend.

The last time Aquinas won the 1st VIII race was 1998. And 1999 was the last time we won the Hamer cup which is the overall points tally for the day. Both of these 20+ year droughts could be broken on the 20th of March as the 1st VIII took out their race on the weekend and this also led to an overall win for last Saturday’s regatta.

A true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him. Here at Aquinas rowing, we depend on each other and at the same time we give everything to each other every race, every training session and every stroke.

This season has been extraordinary and there is only 1 more thing that could top it off. I know that all these boys behind will give everything for each other, they are the driving force towards making this dream a reality.

The lead up to 4 regattas for the 1st VIII race has seen 4 different schools share the line honours and as little as 10 seconds across the whole field. It’s shaping up to be a 1st VIII race for the ages.

So, come down and support the rowers if you can this Saturday at Champion Lakes.

And I know this has been said every year, but I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t truly believe it.

THIS IS OUR YEAR!