The Old Diocesan Issue 13 - Magazine - Page 21
SCHOOL NEWS
50 YEARS OF ROWING
To celebrate a half-century of rowing at Bishops, we called up a few
ex-rowers and ended up taking a trip down memory lane to the early days
Since the first oars were dipped by
Bishops rowers in 1976, the sport
has come a long way. In those
days, they seemed to be making it
up as they went along. Today, the
school is proud to have the most
advanced indoor rowing centre
of any school in the country.
For any ODs interested in
reconnecting with Bishops rowing,
we recommend contacting Brent
Weldon (1993K), who will invite
you to the next dinner and arrange
your OD rowing tie. For the earliest
memories of rowing at Bishops,
though, we tracked down Tim
Rideout (1978W) in Scotland.
“My father John Rideout started
the rowing club in April 1976, for
me,” he writes. “That was because
I disliked rugby and hockey, and
he said I couldn’t just do nothing.
He had been in line for the pairs
at the 1952 Olympics…”
Anthony Mallett, principal at
the time, agreed to Mr Rideout’s
proposal “provided it cost the
school nothing”. Approximately
30 boys signed up that April.
“Parents had to pay all the
costs, such as a bus twice a week
to Zeekoevlei,” remembers Tim.
“Richard James, one of the English
masters who had rooms in White
House, was Master in Charge, but
I don’t think he ever actually went
to the vlei. He just managed the
money and kept a list of who was
in the boat club. The school never
put any money in, until 1978, and
my Dad probably paid a minor
fortune out of his own pocket.”
Bishops Rowing remains indebted
to the late John Rideout for launching
the sport as a going concern 50 years
ago. He was presented with this beer
tankard trophy by a grateful First VIII
in 1978. The magnificent new Bishops
Rowing Centre (below) was officially
opened in November 2024.
