Emma Pritchard

Under perfect summer skies, and with ideal conditions on the water, the Grafton Rowing Club celebrated a full weekend of action when they hosted the Head of the Clarence on December 9, and the Grafton Rowing Club 2023 Regatta on December 10.

More than 60 rowers from across the Northern Rivers region including Iluka, Grafton, Murwillumbah, and Lismore, competed across both days, along with several teams from Brisbane Boys College and one rower from Stuartholme College who also made the journey south across the state border. 

A number of athletes praised the Grafton Rowing Club for their hospitality throughout the weekend, with many rowers calling the Clarence River “the greatest stretch of water to host the sport in Australia.”

Treasurer of the Grafton Rowing Club Don Noble told the Clarence Valley Independent it was a fantastic weekend of racing, adding he was pleased to see so much enthusiasm and comradery amongst the competitors.  

“It’s great for the club to be in a position to host these events back-to-back,” he said.  

Neville Doughan, President of the City of Grafton Head of the River Committee couldn’t contain his happiness at seeing the Head of the Clarence make a long-awaited return.

“The event wasn’t able to go ahead during the Covid-19 pandemic, and we had a few other things go against us as well, but to finally bring the event back for the first time since 2019, it’s fantastic,” he said.

“To quote a famous Chinese proverb, ‘this is the first step of a thousand-mile journey’.

“The Clarence River is the best river in the world, and we love seeing it utilised during these events.”

15-year-old Sophie Fryer representing Stuartholme College in Brisbane was the sole female competitor in the Head of the Clarence this year and celebrated two victories in the 1000m single scull and 2000m single scull.

“The conditions on the water were really good,” she said, describing her passage from start to finish as “very smooth” in both races.

“It’s a great river to row on.”

Local rowers also enjoyed plenty of success during the Grafton Rowing Club 2023 Regatta.

The full list of official results from both events was not available at the time of publication.

They can be viewed online at www.rowingnsw.asn.au