Romsey

Romsey is known as a ‘rowing four’, the abbreviation for a four person rowing shell. It was built in 1922 by South Perth boat builder Harry Audsley for Christ Church Grammar School. Romsey was used by the school until the late 1960s and then by the Western Australian Rowing Club until July 1979.

Rowing is a sport which demands the highest standards of physical fitness, coordination and teamwork. At first glance Romsey looks like any other rowing four, with a narrow, elliptical shape, seats, riggers and sweeps. However, while the basics have not changed, the actual composition of modern craft is radically different from Romsey’s design.  Romsey is wooden and, figuratively speaking, ‘weighs a ton’. Modern racing shells are made from Kevlar or carbon fibre. Compared to Romsey, a modern shell is far lighter and flies through the water.

The forces exerted by a rowing crew in action, hauling back on the sweeps and sliding along on their seats, imposes huge stresses on the hull. This pressure can lead to the wearing out of a shell within a decade or two of its construction. However, Romsey, having been consistently in use for 57 years, endures as a beautiful, long-lived, example of the boatbuilder’s craft. Romsey still looks as good as the day, over 100 years ago, when the boat was launched for the first time.

A 'rowing four' lashed precariously on the tray and roof of a small truck in Victoria Park c1930s. This rowing four was built by prolific boat builder Bill Ninham who worked on rowing shells in his workshop in Victoria Park from 1937 to 1981. Throughout this period he built all shells used at Fremantle Rowing Club. Image courtesy of Fremantle Rowing Club.