History
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Following the 1956 Olympic Games, Mr. Stan Jeffery, who was Captain of the Hawthorn Rowing Club, recommended to the Club that it should stage a long distance race in Melbourne, and thus the " Head of the Yarra" for eight oared crews was founded.
The event is based on the "Tideway Head" annual race held on the Thames in London. It is essentially a time trial conducted over an 8.6km course. The event was 5.5 miles from 1957 (starting at Princes Bridge and finishing at Hawthorn Bridge (Bridge Road)). First mention of change is 1989 program detailing the 8.6km (5.3 mile) course from Henley Judges Box to Hawthorn Bridge.
The course is the Yarra River. The event starts in the City of Melbourne and winds its way upstream to the Hawthorn Rowing Club. Crews start at a time interval and each crew is individually timed.
The events special features are:
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Only open to eight oared boats
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Includes race categories ranging from School crews to Masters crews for both men and women.
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Includes a " mixed eight" category of 4 men and 4 women.
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Competitors range from Olympians to Novices to young School children all competing in the one event at the same time.
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Close to 200 crews now competing.
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The results are not known until the final presentation ceremony.
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3000 spectators follow the event over its 8.6k course and gather at Hawthorn for the finish and presentations.
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It is both a serious and fun event for competitive and social rowers.
The first "Head of the Yarra" was held in 1957 with fourteen entries of which eleven started. Initially there was only one race category.
In November 2003 all 130 entries started and finished. There are now 18 sections for rowers of all ages, both men and women from all walks of life who love rowing and are keen to participate in this great event. The 2004 event saw the awarding of the inaugural Stan Jeffery Memorial Trophy Universities Challenge to the fastest crew from a University Boat Club in the event, as well as the first entry from an international crew (2 crews from New Zealand competed).
In 2004 Head of the Yarra was awarded Regatta of the Year by Rowing Victoria, and in 2005, 2006 and 2007 it was awarded the People's Choice Regatta.
The event is conducted entirely by members of the Hawthorn Rowing Club and is widely regarded as a classic event in Australian Rowing.
You can view a video history of the event here. (This is a large file of over 9.3 meg - down loading not advised for those with dial up or slow internet access).
You can find out more in relation to number of crews entered, fastest times, number of race categories and more! Our history also provides an indication of the active clubs at the time (in Victoria at least), and provides some history for those clubs which have now disaffiliated or folded.
To view the history of results click here.
To see the list of clubs that have ever entered Head of the Yarra click here.
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Stan Jeffrey was born in 1927 and joined HRC in 1946 at the age of 19, and was therefore a member for 57 years at the time of his passing on 12th June 2003.
As an oarsman of some 193cm he was an imposing figure and was successful in Novice and Maiden rowing events, and in "Junior" competition won the Elswick Challenge Cup (Helney) for four oared crews in both 1952 and 1954.
He was Honorary secretary of HRC for the period of 1952 - 1954, was elected Captain 1955 - 1958 and it was during this period that he served as Assistant to the late Norman Cairnes in his position as Secretary of the Victorian Rowing Association.
In 1955 he acted as Manager of the Victorian King's Cup crew.
Following his involvement with the Olympic Games in 1956 he recommended to the HRC committee that as a club it should promotoe a long distance rowing event on the Yarra River, based on the English "Tide Way Head" event. The committee supported this proposition and thus emerged the "Head of the Yarra" which commenced in February 1957 with an entry of 14 crews of which 11 started and finished the course.
In 2002, after 30 years of starting the event, Stan was forced by ill-health to watch the event from the balcony of HRC. Stan had always been involved at the Henley Staging and it was the first time in 44 years of running the event that he had seen the finish... and none of us thought it would be the last time he would do so.
In 1999 Stan had been honoured by his rowing peers, being the 10th recipient of the "Tom Rodda Award for Excellence" sponsored by the Victorian Oarsmen and Women's Association. (Incidentally Tom Rodda had been an umpire on the HOY course during the 1960's.)