CRC had a ceremony to honour the members that have had boats named after them - congratulations to current members Geoff Thomson, Marcela Necas, Jacquie Deeble and Fiona Abbott! We also made tribute to one of the founding members of CRC Joe Goddard with the naming of the Joe Goddard II, as well as life member Lynne Charge, who generously donated the ‘Free of Charge’ single scull.

Geoff Thomson - Geoff has held leadership positions in the club since 2010 when he was Secretary for a year, followed by 3 years as President and has been our Treasurer for the last 4 years. He is integral to the warm community feeling of the club, and is always ready and willing to help out, whether it be buoying the course, towing the trailer, starting the Winter Sculling races, showing off his barista skills in the café or sharing a bobby or two after a long regatta day… and always with a smile on his face. Quite fittingly, this boat has a strong history with the club. And much like Geoff, it is strong, reliable, comfortable, forgiving, complimentary for all rowers and although it has been knocked around a little bit, after a little bit of repair it’s back in fine form. When it was suggested that we re-name this boat, 100% voted that it be named after Geoff and we couldn’t agree more!


 

Marcela Necas - It was a chance meeting in 2013 that brought Marcela Necas to CRC. After a conversation with Glenn and Mary on the banks of the Barwon River at the Australian Masters Games, Marcela decided to come back to the sport after a 40 year absence. Like a fish to water, the former Czechoslovakian representative was soon arriving at the CRC sheds most mornings. Since then she has become part of the furniture at Carrum; turning up to row at every opportunity regardless of whether she has someone to row with or not. Marcela used to row this boat a lot before it came to an untimely demise, but thanks to the fantastic restoration efforts of Paul Lewis the scull has been bringing home gold for the fluro once more. Marcela, too, has demonstrated her ability to pull off a sensational comeback, bringing CRC home a gold medal from the Australian Masters Rowing Championships only 6 months after having a heart attack. Marcela’s dedication to rowing (and tim tams at coffee time) is quite an inspiration, and we all hope to be on the water as much when we're 75!
 

Joe Goddard - Joe was originally a member of Melbourne Rowing Club, where he stroked the 1949 Kings Cup Eight for Victoria. He then went on to found Carrum Rowing Club in 1990.  Joe poured thousands upon thousands of hours into this club both on and off the water. He is remembered for being generous with his time and was always willing to share his vast experience and knowledge with other rowers, acting as both Head Coach and President of CRC from 1992-2000. Joe certainly helped foster the love of the sport for many. He had a great sense of humour and at 6'2" was one of the only club members to ever successfully cox a boat by sitting on top of it, rather than in the cox seat. Carrum Rowing Club would not be where it is today without the hard work and generosity of Joe.  Now that the “Joe Goddard” red 8+ has been retired, it seems only fitting that our golden single should bear his name. The “Joe Goddard II” will be an integral part of the club’s future success and will ensure Joe and his legacy will never be forgotten. We welcome Joe's daughter Amie to christen the Joe Goddard II.
 

REX-ONA - REX-ONA is named after Jacquie Deeble and Fiona Abbott, two of the most focused and driven members of our rowing club. Jacquie started racing for Carrum in the 2012/2013 season after a decade-long hiatus from the sport (I think it was about that long), with Fiona joining the following year. Despite Jacquie’s tiny arms and long legs (hence the name Rex), a positive dynamic was established in the double and they had their first race on the 2015 Australia Day weekend in Geelong (winning their heat and coming second in the final). Not the type to settle for second, the double made sure that they took home gold in the next regatta a month later - the Rowing Victoria State Championships! This drought-breaking win in this boat cemented the combination and they’ve rowed the double together ever since. With sensational times at the World Masters Games in New Zealand in 2017 and numerous golds in domestic competition, we’re sure to be seeing a lot more success from this double in the future.

 

Free of Charge - "Charge" is a name that has been at Carrum Rowing Club since the late 90's, with the family of four contributing to the club both on and off the water for two decades. Both Lynne and Ken Charge have boats bearing their name in the CRC shed, and the late Ken Charge kindly donated his single the "Charge with Courage" to the club when he became too ill to continue rowing. Life Member Lynne Charge has made a significant contribution to CRC, not only as an athlete but as President (2 seasons), Secretary (5 seasons), Treasurer (2 seasons) and Captain (5 seasons). Lynne has also helped the rowing movement in Victoria, as a volunteer Boat Race Official, Umpire and Rowing Coach as well as holding numerous roles in the Rowing Victoria administrative office. Continuing this theme of generosity, Lynne Charge has donated this single scull the "Free of Charge" to the club.