The 2025–2026 rowing season is underway, and the program is drawing from Old Newingtonian oarsmen to inspire and guide the sport forward.

According to Mr Will Anders, Director of Rowing, the season ahead presents challenges perhaps not yet faced by the program. 

‘The full schedule of GPS regattas comes fast in the school rowing season,’ he says. 

‘In early November, Newington hosted the first regatta of the AAGPS season at the Sydney International Regatta Centre (SIRC) just two weeks into Term IV. Our Seniors and Junior Eight went out to extend their training toward racing. 

‘These same crews are now preparing for the upcoming Scots College Regatta at SIRC on Saturday 22 November, and our 1st VIII will participate in the 2025 AAGPS Sculling Trials on 28 November.’ 

Meanwhile, this Saturday, 20 of our Year 8 rowers (Year 9 Quads) will compete in the 2025 Melbourne Head on the Yarra River. This event features all boat classes including Octo, Eight, Four, Quad Scull, Pair, Double Scull and Single Scull.  

‘The Melbourne Head course is 3500m in length and gives the younger students an opportunity to experience another side of racing beyond Hen and Chicken Bay,’ says Mr Anders. 

‘It’s a fantastic opportunity for our rowers to extend themselves, and we look forward to seeing how they embrace the opportunity.’  

Full stroke ahead to the thrill of upcoming events, our rowing community has also recently taken a walk down memory lane. At the 2025–2026 Rowing Season Launch in October, staff, students and alumni and families came together to celebrate the legacy of three of Newington’s most distinguished rowers.  

Mr Marty Nicholas (ON 1987), Mr Rob Jahrling (ON 1992), and Mr Lambrinos Notaras (ON 1948), who each received the prestigious Major Rennie Trophy awarded to the most outstanding crew in the GPS competition, were honoured during a ceremony at the Newington College Boatshed in Abbotsford. 

Both Mr Nicholas and Mr Jahrling had a boat named after them, marking a symbolic, and symbiotic connection between past champions and the current generation of rowers. 

Meanwhile Mr Notaras, a member of Newington’s 1947 Major Rennie-winning crew, was honoured with the presentation of his oar to the Newington Boatshed. The 1947 crew famously broke the race record, winning the Head of the River for the first time since 1921. Mr Notaras rowed in seat seven of a crew that surged ahead in the final stretch to claim victory in six minutes and 31 seconds, a record at the time. His daughter, Ms Marina Fahey presented his 1947 oar to the College, saying she believes he would have been truly honoured by the occasion.  

‘Since Dad’s passing in 2005, his highly regarded oar has been hanging in our family home with pride – but I felt it was time for it to be placed where it can be admired by all the Newington rowing community for future generations,’ she says. 

Mr Nicholas, who coxed Newington’s victorious 1st VIII in the 1987 Head of the River and has since played pivotal roles as president of the Newington College Rowing Association (NCRA) and coach to upcoming Newington students, reflected on the enduring spirit of the sport at our College. 

‘Rowing teaches you discipline, resilience, and the value of teamwork. It’s not just about winning races – it’s about the journey, and the lifelong friendships forged on the water,’ he says. 

Mr Jahrling, who led Newington to victory in 1992 and went on to represent Australia at three Olympic Games, says having a boat named eponymously is incredibly humbling. 

‘This is where it all began – where I learned what it meant to push myself, to lead, and to dream big. I hope this boat inspires the next generation to chase their own greatness,’ he says.  

‘Looking back at the success of our Old Newingtonians certainly gives perspective to our current rowers,’ says Mr Anders.  

‘It is a reminder of what is possible, and of what crews have been capable of. With all our students currently training relatively consistently we are looking toward the February-March racing season.’ 

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