Our history
Commercial Rowing Club is the oldest amateur sporting club in Queensland. Commercial was established at a meeting on 4 October 1877 between a number of leading Brisbane businessmen. The club's early membership was drawn from various commercial sectors of Brisbane – hence the name ‘Commerical Rowing Club’ – which is an abbreviation of the original club name ‘Commercial Men’s Rowing Club’.
A boat house was erected near Victoria Bridge and paid for by club members. For the first three years, the club's fleet consisted of a string test gig and two double sculls. In 1880, Commercial purchased its first racing four. In 1885, an eight-oar boat was purchased and the first eights race in Queensland was organised by Commercial at a regatta held in October 1885. Three clubs competed at the regatta with Commercial taking first place in the eight.
In 1885, a new boat house was built, but was washed away in 1890. A second boat house was then erected (paid for by the club members), and was officially opened on 11 September 1890.
By 1893, Commercial had 137 members and its boat fleet consisted of three training fours, three racing fours, one eight, two double sculls, two skiffs and a pleasure boat. However, the great Brisbane flood of 1893 again resulted in the boat house being washed away.
An old barque named the ‘Beatrice’ (which had been fitted out by the government as a smallpox hospital but was never used) was purchased by the club and adapted for use as a boat house. However, in 1896, some members coming down one afternoon for a row, found the Beatrice sinking at her moorings. The club's fleet was re-located to the Brisbane Rowing Club and Commercial Rowing Club was once again without a boat house.
In 1897 a new boat house was constructed at North Quay. In 1905, Commercial decided to build a new boat house to cater for the club's increasing membership. Membership at this time had grown to 147 members. The boat house was officially opened on 21 October 1905 and a regatta of 24 mixed crews was held against Brisbane Rowing Club to honour the occasion. In 1927, Commercial celebrated its 50th anniversary by staging a jubilee regatta on 12 November 1927 attended by Toowong Rowing Club, Brisbane Rowing Club and GPS.
Queensland oarsmen earned a reputation as formidable long distance rowers. A remarkable performance was put in by the Commercial Rowing Club Champion Four who rowed 38 miles up to Ipswich on 15 January 1893 (leaving the Commercial rowing shed at 6.30 am and arriving 4 hours and 52 minutes later at Ipswich at 10.55 am). In the season from 1901 to 1902, Commercial won every Rowing Association Race except one. In 1903, Commercial came second to Victoria in the interstate eights race on the Yarra River, Melbourne.
The club continued with its strong rowing tradition up to the outbreak of the Second World War. There was no racing during the war years apart from a service regatta in 1941. In 1945, the club's fleet consisted of one eight, one four, three light clicker fours and three tub pairs.
Rowing resumed after the war with a newfound enthusiasm. On 13 August 1949, the record time recorded for rowing from Brisbane to Ipswich in a coxed four was smashed. From 1950 through to 1980, Commercial Rowing Club members continued to row and compete at a high level.
In 2001, Commercial Rowing Club erected their new and current boat house at West End named the ‘Wal Hughes Boat House’. Club members continued to row with high distinction, and medals were won at the Commonwealth Games by Adair Ferguson (women's lightweight scull) and Mal Batten (men’s eight). In one season of the 1980s, seven members of Commercial represented Australia in the World Championships and Commonwealth Games. That period was especially significant to the club as those members continued to train out of the club's boat house and provided a source of inspiration for the club's other members.
Adair went on to become the Australian and World Champion women's champion sculler in 1985. Kate Dearden represented Australia in 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1995. From 1990 – 1992, Robin Bakker was selected to represent Australia in the men’s quad in 1992. In 1991, Gary Lynagh won gold in the Australian men’s quad at the World Championships. Michael Smith and Shaun Coulton won silver at the 1997 World Championships in the double scull. 1998 saw Shaun Coulton take out gold at the Nations Cup World Championships.
Currently, Commercial has over 170 members. Competitive membership ranges from 16 years old, through the Junior, Intermediate, Senior B and Senior A ranks to veteran rowers in their seventies.
