Four Gippsland Grammar students have made school history by reaching the quarter finals of the world-renowned Henley Royal Regatta in England, the farthest any all-Gippsland crew has progressed at the elite event.
Current students April Harrison, Scarlett Tavasci and Lily Canfield joined Old Scholar Ella Gerrand to race for Melbourne’s Mercantile Rowing Club, representing the only all-Gippsland crew in this year’s Diamond Jubilee Challenge Cup at the annual Regatta on the River Thames.
The journey began at the Henley Women’s Regatta, also on the River Thames, in June where the crew stormed through to the quarter finals, defeating a strong crew from Shrewsbury School before bowing
out to local favourites Marlow Rowing Club.
Their impressive results earned the girl’s direct entry into the Henley Royal Regatta, one of the world’s most prestigious rowing competitions.
The girls opened their Henley campaign in early July in spectacular fashion, defeating Kew House School by two and a quarter lengths in their debut race.
While the girls’ Henley experience ended in the quarter final, again to Marlow Rowing Club, their efforts mark a new benchmark for Gippsland Grammar crews on the world stage.
Gippsland Grammar director of rowing Nick Bartlett delighted with the performance at the absolute pinnacle of school and club racing in the world.
“To be able to travel over and compete requires a huge investment of time, energy and passion, and the results achieved by the crew this year demonstrate how much they put into this endeavour,” Bartlett said.
The Gippsland Grammar school make no secret that they seek to identify opportunities that their our students to shine on a local, national or world stage.
“They certainly did shine, this is another step on from the first crew to attend the event in 2022, and we hope to see more students follow in their footsteps in the future.”
For year 11 student Scarlett Tavasci, Henley was a life-changing experience.
“Rowing at the Henley Royal Regatta in England was one of the best experiences of my life, so much training and time had been put into competing, and it was great to see it all pay off in such an unreal way,” Tavasci said.
It’s an opportunity that Tavasci won’t forget in a hurry.
“It was amazing to race the best
crews from all over the world, and
we are so grateful for everyone that made this trip possible. We will definitely remember this for years to come and will look back on it with pride,” she said.
The four rowers each began their rowing journeys through Gippsland Grammar’s Learn2Row program in year seven and have become leading athletes in the Gippsland Grammar School’s high-performance Rowing program.
The crew trains 18 to 20 hours a week across gym, erg and water sessions, and fuels their performance with “never-ending meals” and race-day energy gels.
Gippsland Grammar’s Rowing program continues to grow, with more than 100 students competing annually in regattas across Victoria, New South Wales and the Australia Capital Territory.
Gippsland Grammar was the first school east of Melbourne to establish a Rowing program in the 1960s and continues to be a strong presence in national and international competitions.
For this year’s Henley competitors, their experiences have opened new doors, with international scholarships, friendships across Australia, and lifelong memories among the many outcomes.
