BIS crew made history in 1992
John
Marclay Byrnes said in his book, ‘Pathways to Yesterday’, “The progress of age, or some other equally dire misfortune might steal away the entire five senses of a Newfoundlander, but deep down in that mystic sixth sense of his, would still linger the memory of ‘ The Day Of The Races.’”
It was that spirit of the Regatta that brought together the old timers crews of the 1990s.
In the weeks and days leading up to the 1994 Regatta, there was a great deal of excitement and anticipation due to the registration of a crew that had not competed in the races for almost 60 years.
The crew attracting so much attention was the Benevolent Irish Society (BIS) crew. Adding to public interest in the BIS crew was the fact that the rowers ranged in age from 46 to 63. Its members included stroke John Warren, 62; Bill Murphy, 61; Joe Sears, 62; George Walsh 46; Mickey Dwyer, 63, and Dan McGettigan, 60. Bud Boland was the crew’s coxswain.
Dwyer and Murphy had rowed with Warren in 1967 with the Warren’s Texaco crew and won that year’s championship.
The 1994 race was competitive from start to finish with the BIS crew first over the finish line leaving behind Labatt Blues, Sutton’s Bulls and East Coast Marine.
The welcome they received at the finish line failed to match the excitement at the boathouse wharf when they pulled alongside.
A large crowd of fans had gathered to cheer and congratulate the winners and the most energetic among them was well-known Regatta enthusiast Edgar Hartery, who had played a key role in raising funds at the BIS to sponsor the crew.
Just as the crew pulled alongside the wharf, Edgar jumped into the boat tossing his arms around John Warren to offer congratulations and in doing so almost capsized the boat. The rowers quickly stabilized the rocking shell and exited in good spirits’ shook the hands of the many well-wishers greeting them. After a round of interviews with the press, the BIS crew followed by their supporters retreated to a nearby garden to celebrate the occasion.
Coxswain Boland commented after the race, “When you consider rower’s in the other boats like Tom Power and Mike Hickey, you realize just how strong this crew was. They earned the advantage through conditioning and technique.”
Four of the BIS rowers of 1994 had made history in 1992 when they were part of the first Master’s Crew for veterans of rowing over 45 years old. Johnny Warren put together and sponsored a senior’s crew in the 1992 Regatta.
They competed against rowers half their age in the Mercantile Race. The Warren’s Texaco Crew included John Warren, Joe Sears, Bill Murphy, Mickey Dwyer, Dan McGettigan (all five rowed in the 1994 race) and Gerry Squires. Gordon Tilley was coxswain.
The return to rowing of a band of rower’s who built their reputations in the 1950s and 1960s caused widespread interest in the ’92 Regatta. The Evening Telegram sports writer Rosie Mullaley reported, “Most of them rowed in the 1950s and 1960s, capturing the 1967 men’s championship. The crew ranged in age from 48-67.”
They were veteran rowers who knew the challenges and hard work entailed in rowing on the pond. To prepare, they subjected themselves to rigorous training and diet to offset the age disadvantage. Sears later recalled, “The old rowing bug is still in the body. We’re all still in pretty good shape, so we figured we’d come back and give it a try again”
During their training, Dwyer was asked by a reporter how they were training. Dwyer replied, “When not on the pond, we’re working out on the rowing machines, biking machines and jogging.
“So, overall, we’re not in bad condition.” The training went on all winter. A difficulty the crew had to overcome was getting used to the new style of rowing shells, but through practice, they soon mastered the problem.
“The new boats were a lot lighter and much different from the old ones. We had to get used to the boats and the style of rowing and we did,” Murphy said.
Coxswain Tilley was on the pond since 1948 and pointed out that in those days, it was difficult to get a crew together and frequently they had to look for volunteers from among the crowd on the bank. By the 1990s, interest in rowing was so high that getting rowers was no longer a problem.
In 1992, winning was not as important to the Warren’s Crew as much as being able to experience the joy of participating once again. This did not mean they did not feel competitive because they put a tremendous effort into the contest. All the hard work the crew put into preparing for the 1992 Regatta paid off when they won the Mercantile Race.
“It was just like old times. We were able to relive our old glory days on the pond,” recalled Warren.
In 1993, Sears and Dwyer each had a son rowing in their crew. Cyril Dwyer and Todd Sears were both in their 20s. Cyril and Todd worked out with the senior crew and all rowed hard on Regatta Day. Although they did not win, It was an experience the four have never forgotten.
Last year, and leading up to this year’s Regatta, several members of the 1992 senior’s crew were making a serious effort to get together again for one last Regatta Day competition. John Warren was even prepared to use the duplicate ‘Blue Peter’ oars he had especially made in the 1970s and have been in storage since.
Prior to the 1994 Master’s Race, an unsuccessful effort was made to hold a Master’s Race in 1914 to mark the ‘Old Home Year Regatta.’
However, the idea was dropped due to lack of interest on the part of rowers. Almost eighty years later, in 1992, the first Master’s Race was added to the Regatta Day competitions.