Rusty Robertson

Russell "Rusty" Robertson (1927–1989) was one of New Zealand's most famous rowing coaches, although at times his skills were appreciated outside the country more than within. He was the national rowing coach of New Zealand from 1967 to 1976, and the national coach of Australia from 1979 to 1984.

Robertson was born in 1927.^[1] He was from Oamaru in Otago. At 300 metres (980 ft) long, his home town has the shortest rowing course in the country, and Robertson devised a training method by which rowers would use one arm only and go round and round in circles.^[2] He had his first major success at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Perth, Australia, where the coxed four from Oamaru (Winston Stephens, Keith Heselwood, Hugh Smedley, George Paterson, and Douglas Pulman as cox) coached by him became Empire champions.^[1] His first Olympic success came at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, where his team of coxed four (Warren Cole, Ross Collinge, Dick Joyce, Dudley Storey, and Simon Dickie as cox) won gold.^[1][3]

The win in 1968 was the beginning of New Zealand's first golden era in rowing, and the era would last until the 1976 Summer Olympics.^[4] Both the 1968 coxed four and Robertson would later be inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame.^[1][5]

Robertson's career highlight was when the New Zealand eight trained by him won gold at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.^[1] The New Zealand team was regarded the race favourite and whilst they did not dominate in the qualifying heats, they dominated the final and won comfortably.^[6] The gold medal winning 1972 New Zealand eight would win Sportsman of the Year Awards in both 1971 and 1972. The crew of the coxed eight standing on the victory dais overcome with emotion and "bawling like babies" is one of New Zealand's most memorable sporting moments.^[7][8] One of the 1972 eight team members, Gary Robertson, is the coach's nephew.^[9]

Four years later, when the coxed eight came "only" third at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Robertson was dismissed as the national rowing coach; he went to Australia to continue his coaching career.^[1] Robertson was Australia's national rowing coach from 1979 to 1984.^[10]

Robertson died in 1989.^[1] A Rusty Robertson Cup regatta is held annually in Australia.^[11] The New South Wales Rowing Association (NSWRA) awards 'the Rusty Robertson MBE Award for services to rowing'. Their by-law reads:^[12]

References