2024 RA National Service to Rowing Award winners - Bob & Wendy Alexander

2024 Hancock Prospecting Rower of the Year Awards
National Service to Rowing Award winners
Mr. Bob Alexander OAM & Mrs. Wendy Alexander

At the recent 2024 Rowing Australia Rower of the Year Awards held on Saturday 2nd November on the Gold Coast, Bob and Wendy jointly took out the 2024 Service to Rowing Award. Following is their story of over a century of love of rowing between them.

Photo: Bob and Wendy Alexander, accepting their award

Bob & Wendy between them have loved the sport of Rowing for over a century. Bob started his involvement in rowing during his attendance at The Southport School on the Gold Coast, QLD. Wendy started her love of the sport during her time at teachers’  college in Victoria as rowing at school was not available.

Bob has an extensive rowing history in Queensland including being selected to compete for Queensland in 1965. He represented Queensland at national level in the prestigious Kings Cup Eights event in 1966, 67, 70, 72, 73, 74 and 1980, along with competing in the Single Scull for Queensland in 1975, 76, 77, 78 and 1979. In 1975 he was Australian Champion in the event and represented Australia in the same event at the 1975 World Championships. Wendy will be the last person to share her accolades in the sport, but her rowing career culminated in representing Australia twice in both 1975 and 1978. (Fun fact – Bob and Wendy were introduced by Chic Graham at the 1975 World Championships in Nottingham, UK)

Their love of the sport, despite their individual accolades extends far beyond their careers as Australian representatives. Wendy in the early years of her rowing career in Victoria held the volunteer position of Treasurer of the YWCA Rowing Club and later was on the Board of the Victorian Ladies Rowing Association (VLRA). She also helped on a subcommittee between the VLRA and the Victorian Rowing Association for creating new clubs.

After meeting Bob, she furthered her volunteering and served as the Secretary of the Queensland Ladies Rowing Association and at one stage was also the Secretary of the Queensland Amateur Rowing Association. After a break from rowing to have children, she started helping out as a judge at Wivenhoe Dam during her three son’s time rowing for Churchie. When RQ moved school regattas to Kawana, Dr Stephen Hinchy OAM roped her in to formalising her knowledge of rowing to become a Boat Race Official (BRO). Still to this day she can be seen in umpires’ boats as a Level 2 BRO at local and state level regattas across Queensland. Not happy with just being a BRO, as soon as a Queensland BRO association was established, she served as secretary up until the AGM in 2023 when she timed out and retired from the position.

She has also joined a team labelled ‘The Tuesday crew’ (roped in by her middle son who now works for RQ), and every available Tuesday will help a small group of volunteers at the Queensland State Rowing Centre doing everything from cleaning toilets to building lane ropes in aid of the current rebuoying project.

Bob has served school, club, state and national level rowing through his time volunteering for close to 4 decades. After his rowing career as a competitive athlete through school, open and masters rowing, Bob is only too happy to impart his vast knowledge and passion for the betterment of the sport. In terms 4 and 1 you would find Bob at the Churchie Rowing Shed coaching a grade 8 crew. In terms 2 and 3 you would find him at St Margarets Rowing Shed again coaching a grade 8 crew imparting his love, knowledge and passion for the sport into the young rowers of tomorrow. He would also help with any questions other coaches and Rowing Directors would have about the sport be it rowing or administration. Somehow on top of this you could find him at Brisbane & GPS Rowing Club in his spare time where he is a life member helping coach anyone who needed it.

As well as his love of coaching school and club rowers, he has served as the Regatta Secretary for RQ since 1986, some 38 years. All of these positions have been on a volunteer basis and done for the love of the sport and his experience and time has been an invaluable part of the administration and organisation of the sport throughout the state. His belief in the potential and future of the sport in Queensland has greatly contributed to its competitive and social growth, it is easy to see why Bob is also a life member of Rowing Queensland.

He has been a member of the RQ Management Committee since 1986 and has been instrumental in aiding the sport come to terms with the changing face of amateur sport in Australia, and he has met and exceeded the challenges faced by technology and professionalism.

Photo: left to right - Bob Alexander OAM, Samara Quinlan (RQ Chair), Matt Bialkowski (RQ CEO), Wendy Alexander, Sally Kehoe (RQ Director and Councillor), Dave Alexander (RQ Operations Manager). 

Their tireless commitment to fostering a friendly and inclusive environment within our community is nothing short of exceptional. Through their quiet yet impactful leadership, they have instilled a sense of teamwork and mutual respect that resonates throughout our greater community. This positive atmosphere not only enhances individual experiences but also weaves a stronger, more tightly knit fabric within the rowing community in Queensland. Their unwavering dedication, passion, and ability to inspire others make them true champions of the sport and invaluable assets to our community.