Welcome to the July-August bonus issue of The Catch!

This month(s):

• New members
• Updates from the Committee
• Safety alert
• Volunteers
• Trailer Tow-ers wanted
• Containers for Change
• Perth to Fremantle Head Race
• Pennant Regatta results
• All Schools results
• Development Squad
• Blast from the Past - Miles and Hayes
• Save the Date - Annual Dinner

NEW MEMBERS

Welcome to the new members in July and August:

• Alison C
• Phil C
• Patrick
• Joshua
• Jodie
• Donna

UPDATES FROM THE COMMITTEE

From the July and August committee meetings:

• With the end of membership season coming up on 30 September, there is a need for all members to complete the volunteer hours they committed to. Remember that invoices will be sent to all who have elected to take the $200 discount if the hours are not completed.
• Also with the end of season - please start reflecting on the season that was, we will be seeking your input on what worked, what didn't and how you think improvements could be made.
• Planning for the Head of the Swan has commenced, volunteers and crews will be needed. This races is open to Recreation, Racing and Junior members.
• Boat maintenance - it's great to see a reduction in serious damage this year, please continue to navigate obstacles safety. There has however been a noted increase in sand left in boats and on oars, please ensure equipment is washed after use.

SAFETY ALERT - TRESTLES

You may have seen some brand new trestles appearing in the shed recently, thanks to Steve B, Glen and Julie for whipping these up. Please note that these are NOT to be used for sitting on - trestles are designed for boats not bums! Small trestles are designed for boats around 30kg, a bit less than the load of the average person...

On the subject of trestles, please ensure that boats are not left unattended on them unless they are securely tied down. This is a requirement of our insurance policies, and rowers present at Champion Lakes last year would have witnessed the result of unexpected high winds on boats. Hint - carnage!

When it is windy, place the trestles so that the boat is positioned into the wind.

VOLUNTEERS

We have had a great volunteer turnout over the past fortnight, with helpers both at Pennant #2 and the Avon Descent. However it is a year-long struggle to meet the needs of our active Club.

If you have taken the option of paying discounted fees in exchange for providing volunteer assistance it is your duty to make sure you do the right thing, and that you record the times that you do. 

At the end of the season we review the spreadsheet and non-compliant members will be invoiced for unearned discount. Remember that the season ends on 30 September, and there are less opportunities to complete your hours as that date approaches.

Record your hours HERE, and be alert to requests for assistance.

Upcoming events are:

• Pennant regatta #4 - 29 August - boat drivers, commentators, BBQ, cake & coffee attendants
• Development Squad assistance
• Learn to Row 16 August to 13 September
• Post Learn to Row 

TRAILER TOW-ERS WANTED!

ANA RC are looking to increase the size of our Boat Trailer towing squad so that we can share the load and the love.  Suitable applicants should have access to a vehicle capable of towing a 3 tonne load along with sufficient experience to tow a fully loaded 12 metre boat trailer from Bayswater to Champion Lakes or other metropolitan location for rowing regattas.  If you have no experience but are keen - someone can be available to teach you.  If you are interested please register on the ANA Towing WhatsApp Group or email the CAPTAIN.

CONTAINERS FOR CHANGE

Fundraising for the Club and keeping your car free of empty drink bottles has never been easier thanks to Glen, Martin and Mary who have been key in managing our Containers for Change program.

The bag hangs at the back of bay 2 near the workbench, with a spare one on the shelves above the fuel storage cupboard.

PERTH TO FREMANTLE HEAD RACE

P2F is always a memorable race, and this year was no different. Initially scheduled in May to open the field for Eastern Staters attending AMRC, it was postponed due to horrendous conditions, and rescheduled to 18 July. Conditions were glassy at the Swan Brewery start line, but as always the water between Crawley and Blackwall Reach provided tougher water than our normal ANA RC water - the women's masters quad (and the rest of the Club!) learned that the Harrison has some design features that make it better for calm water...

Wins to:

• Warren destroyed the rest of the Masters single scull by over 8 minutes
• Hilary repeated her win from 2024, taking out the Masters single scull
• Richard, Andre, Max, Adam, Nigel, John, Stu, Rob & Courtney won the Men's masters eight

PENNANT REGATTA RESULTS

RWA Pennant Regatta season is underway with several ANA RC crews taking place.

Pennant Regattas are different from Master's regattas as races are categorised by rowing grades rather than age groups, with 18 year olds often racing against rowers 'somewhat' older. This generally results in less medals being won by ANA RC, but hey, that's not the point!

Pennant racing provides a great opportunity to get racing experience as well as providing incentive for crews to get out of the bed early in the cold months. 

Pennant #1 was held on 18 July 2026 with the following crews placing in the top 3:

• Andre & Max - 2nd, Men's 'D' double scull
• Mary - 2nd, Women's 'D' single scull
• Mel B, Mel Q, Kate, Clare & Courtney - 3rd, Women's 'D' coxed quad
• Rene & Elissa - 3rd, Women's 'C' double scull
• Sophie, Sandy, Jenni L, Mel Q, Courtney, Mary, Elissa, Rene & Marko - 3rd, Women's 'D' eight

Pennant #2 was held on 1 August 2026 - the highlight of this event was the sensational food and drinks provided by ANA RC volunteers. Great work by Alec in organising a trusty workforce of Anne, Brenda, Charmaine, Clara, Gail, Gerry, Kim, Liz H, Lucy R, Pamela and Phillip, with emerging talent Frankie and Peter also lending a hand. 

Rene & Elissa were the only place getters for this regatta, coming 2nd in the Women's 'C' pair.

Pennant #3 was held on 15 August with ANA RC getting three 3rd places:

• Lucy, Mel Q, Clare, Tempi & Nadja in the Women's 'D' coxed quad
• Oliver & Oliver in the Men's 'D' double scull
• Xavier, making his debut as a racing member, in the Men's 'D' single

State Championships are approaching - if you want to pre-purchase merch, please order through the Regatta Shop - orders close 31 August.

ALL SCHOOLS REGATTA #2

Some promising results from the All Schools Regatta held on 27 June 2026, despite some last minute cancellations of the Year 9 single sculls races to accomodate severe weather conditions.

Wins were recorded by:

• Priya, Olive, Isabella and Ava in a Yr9 coxed quad scull composite with All Saints College
• Sarah, Chloe, Zoe, Sofia and Luca - Open quad scull

Six crews took out second place in their respective races, with two further crews taking out third place.

ALL SCHOOLS REGATTA #3

It's this time of the year when regattas happen faster than the newsletter!!!

Our Juniors had amazing results at All Schools #3, collecting five golds, seven silver and three bronze to finish in sixth place overall.

Wins to:

• Spencer & Alex W - Yr 10 Boy's double scull
• Spencer - Yr 10 Boy's single scull
• Chloe - Yr 9 Girl's single scull
• Caelan and Luke - Yr 9 Boy's double scull
• Priya, Chloe, Zoe, Sofia and Oliver - Yr 9 Girl's coxed quad

Its fantastic to see so many Juniors taking on the challenge of the single scull - nice work Chloe, Isabella, Marko, Mason, Olive, Priya, Spencer, Sofia, William and Zoe.

And finishing the Juniors season with the 2026 ALL SCHOOLS STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS held on 8 August 2026!!

Somehow the Junior's managed to score all the terrible weather this season, well done for just making it to the start line!

Congratulations to the Yr 9 Girl's coxed quad (Priya, Chloe, Zoe, Sofia and Ollie) who completed a sensational year by winning their division, and taking out second place overall. Priya and Chloe combined to get third place overall with Zoe and Sofia not far behind. These girls also raced in the Yr 9 Girl's single scull events, showing the strength and confidence that has made them such a good crew this year. 

Special thanks to Coach Liam and Coach Mark, as well as the parents and families of all our Junior members. 

DEVELOPMENT SQUAD

ANA RC's Dev Squad is the next step from Learn To Row, or a handy refresher for those returning to the water after a significant break.

At 7.40am on Sundays you will see Alec taking the squad through its paces, reinforcing the skills learned in LTR classes with the additional challenge of mastering rowing in a crew boat.

The success of the Dev Squad is evident in the number of new members progressing to Tim’s group or the racing squad, with several members now training for the upcoming Head of the Yarra.

In addition to the Sunday morning sculling option, John W runs a sweep squad, with sessions on Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings resuming mid September.

As always, additional volunteers to assist are welcome - this can be to cox, make numbers or assist in coaching. For further information on training or assisting please email Dev Squad, or respond to Alec's requests on WhatsApp.

BLAST FROM THE PAST

Getting back to the quads after paying our respect to the Beech last month!

ASH MILES

Ash Miles commenced rowing at ANA in 2006 and competed in State, National and International regattas. In 2008 Ash won four silver medals at the Australian Rowing Championships, in the WA Queen’s Cup crew, Under 19 double, U19 quad and the U19 eight. 

This success led to her selection in the 2008 Australian Youth Cup Regatta in Queensland and the Australian Youth Olympic Festival held at Penrith against crews from Great Britain, New Zealand and China.

Ash represented WA in the Queens Cup crews from 2008 until 2013.

ALEXANDRA HAYES

Alex commenced rowing with ANA in 2004.

After achieving success in WA regattas, Alex was selected in the State Under 19 eight that won bronze medal at the Australian Rowing Championships in 2006.

She continued performing well at State and National levels, resulting in her selection in the Under 23 Australian Lightweight Quad Scull for the 2010 Under 23 World Championships in Belarus, finishing 4^th.She was then selected in the Australian lightweight quad scull for the 2011 World Rowing Championships in Slovenia (bow seat above), finishing 6^th, and again in 2013 for the event in South Korea, finishing 5^th.

After achieving success in WA regattas, Alex was selected in the State Under 19 eight that won bronze medal at the Australian Rowing Championships in 2006.

She continued performing well at State and National levels, resulting in her selection in the Under 23 Australian Lightweight Quad Scull for the 2010 Under 23 World Championships in Belarus, finishing 4^th.

She was then selected in the Australian lightweight quad scull for the 2011 World Rowing Championships in Slovenia, finishing 6^th, and again in 2013 for the event in South Korea, finishing 5^th

SAVE THE DATE - ANNUAL DINNER - 7 NOVEMBER 2026

Its getting to that time of the year again! The dedicated party animals of the club, (Nancy H, Maren, Hilary, Nora & Alec) are busily planning this event, further details will be published closer to the date.

This year we are trialling a potentially risky option - allowing guests to add their selection of songs to the soundtrack! Contributions can be made through the Music Options list.