Rowing is life long at Murwillumbah regatta

THE first Murwillumbah regatta in five years went off without a hitch at Murwillumbah Rowing Club (MRC) last Sunday, November 17.

The event included 45 races of 100 competitors, and 200 crew entries represented record-breaking participation.

Junior and senior competitors outnumbered the masters’ participants, and the masters’ races resulted in some of the closest finishes. One highlight was a maiden win by husband-and-wife crew Michael and Jan Mills in the Masters Mixed Double Sculls event.

After their 0.2 second-win, Jan Mills said she’d never rowed so hard.

“I’ve not heard Michael ‘Millsy’ speechless for so long after any race,” she said.

Murwillumbah Rowing Club president Robert Gee said the event was highly successful.

“It was fabulous to see the riverbanks lined with boats and many exciting and close races,” Gee said.

“With competitors aged between 14 and 90, the regatta showed that

rowing is a lifelong sport in the Northern Rivers and Southern Queensland.

“Following the period of disruption after COVID and the floods, schools and clubs are rebuilding well,” he said.

Centenary Rowing Club member and regatta participant Kerry Tickle thanked the organisers for the successful event.

“On behalf of everyone at Centenary Rowing Club, I wanted to thank everyone for a really fantastic event,” Tickle said.

“Our kids and a couple of masters had a great day. I loved that it gave us the opportunity to get a few of our younger novice rowers out for their first-ever race.

“I was a Tweed rower many years ago, so it makes me so happy and very nostalgic to have the kids I coach row down in that neck of the woods.

“I dream of moving back down there as soon as my kids are off my hands. We had a blast and will certainly be back next year,” she said.