ANA Rowing Club

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ANA Club History.

The following is a brief and by no means complete history of the ANA rowing club.  The club is always interested in hearing from past members who can fill in the gaps and provide any information, photos or memorabilia.  Please contact the club if you can help out.

ANA Rowing Club was formed in 1921 by a group of Swan River Rowing Club Members who were frustrated by overseas members taking places in senior crews.  The Club became affiliated to the Australian Natives Association and its rules at that time were that members must have been born in Australia.  The Club was based at the Australian Native Association’s aquatic clubrooms located on the Riverside Drive foreshore just upstream of the current West Australian Boat Club boatshed.

The club operated successfully from this location winning several senior premierships and providing a considerable number of representatives for State crews.  In particular, the winning 1955 Kings Cup crew was made up mostly from ANA members.  In January 1962 disaster struck when the boatshed was destroyed by fire with the total loss of all boats, other equipment and memorabilia.  A core of members at the time voted to continue and relocated, using borrowed equipment, to the rowing headquarters at Canning Bridge which was established for the 1962 Empire Games.  Most of these members undertook countless hours of part time work in addition to their normal jobs and contributed the extra funds to the club to get it operating again.  Notable names from that difficult period include Rod Cooling, Richard Deshon, Barry MacKinnon, Reg Clairs, Digger Bottrell, Dick Day, Ron Dodd and Paul Higginson.

In 1992 the Club relocated to Bayswater into a new boatshed constructed with the assistance of Rowing WA.  The move to Bayswater was very traumatic for the Club and most of the eighty or so Canning Bridge members decided to join other Canning based clubs closer to their homes rather than move with the Club. 

The loss of most members and accumulated experience meant that the remaining members had to work hard to rebuild the membership base at Bayswater and further develop the club’s facilities.

After ten years at Bayswater the membership base has increased to over 120, with less than five of these being members from the Canning Bridge days.  Over this period, the fleet of boats increased from the sixteen boats that the club held at Canning Bridge (two eights, five fours, five pairs, two sculls and two tub pairs) to over fifty including the addition of a fleet of sculls.  At the same time members have put in countless hours to convert what was a run down and disused ablutions building on the reserve, into a comfortable and functional clubhouse with a social area, change room and basic gym.

The Club has a high proportion of beginners, novice and recreational rowers and is continuing to extend its membership base while looking forward to re establishing itself at senior level.