Rowing Victoria's Weekly Local Legend - Jim Skidmore (YYRC Club Patron) and Peter Gill (YYRC Club Archivist)
Between them, Jim and Peter have about 130 years of YYRC membership. Peter joined first in 1955 as a schoolboy, and Jim one year later as a junior. They have seen a lot of changes since then: women members, Masters racing, a renewed fleet, and a very different regatta schedule.
“We raced 2.5 miles from the mouth of the Maribyrnong to Spencer Street, and other races started at the head of the Victoria Dock to Spencer Street or to the Polly Woodside,” Jim said. “These courses weren’t buoyed, and we had a lot of crashes. Our crew was disqualified in one regatta after three crashes.” They both attended regattas in Yea, Yarrawonga and other towns such as Colac, where the regattas sometimes coincided with the opening of the duck shooting season.
Jim and Peter rowed together in a Lightweight 8, winning the lightweight premiership for YYRC in 1957, finishing their successful campaign at the Easter regatta in Mildura and Wentworth. “We borrowed boats for that regatta,” Peter said. “We raced at Mildura on the Easter Saturday, then entertained ourselves on Easter Sunday while the local clubs tied all the boats together and towed them to Wentworth, ready for us by Monday morning.”
While Jim towed the YYRC trailer for many years, he laughed about some of the early arrangements. “We hired trucks and stacked the boats on the tray backs, wedged between bags of straw,” he said. “People walked their boats to Albert Park Lake on makeshift trolleys with bicycle wheels, and we would take them to country regattas by train.”
Both Jim and Peter have contributed to YYRC for many years, as racing members, Boat Race Officials, members of the YYRC Committee (Jim served 20 years as Treasurer), and in the Regatta Committee which organised a Metropolitan Regatta series to keep novices and junior rowers engaged during winter.
Jim’s proudest achievement was his narrow second place in trials for the Tokyo Olympics 1964. That story started earlier, with his purchase with Allan Rice of a double scull named Bottles (best thing since they put beer in bottles), which is now displayed in the ceiling of the YYRC club house. The two of them rowed to the mouth of the Yarra every day, and spent Sundays re-adjusting the riggers.
Olympic trials were in Lake Burley Griffin, Canberra. Jim tied the boat to his car for the drive. “It hung out 10 feet front and back,” he said. “We had a great race, but unfortunately lost by 0.3 seconds. Mind you, we had won every 2x race in Victoria that season: that is, the Henley.” The crew wasn’t coached, but Peter took Super8 films of them, which they compared with footage of 2x races from the Henley UK.
Both Peter and Jim work hard on the Club’s archives and trophy displays, and look forward to resuming their Wednesday evening rowing sessions later in the year.
Jim’s history
Joined 1956; Life Member 1989/1990; Patron 2014/2015
Wins in LW8+, LW4+, 1x, 2x, 2+, 4+
20 attempts at Head of Yarra, with wins in Intermediate, Open and Masters categories
A number of attempts at the Flying Doctor marathon
Won Herald Shield for overall leader in the Winter Sculling Handicap series
Committee member, Vice-Captain, Treasurer and Vice President between 1958/1959 and 2000/2001
Peter’s history
Joined 1955; Life Member 1993/1994
Wins in 4+, LW4+, LW8+, 2+, 1x
Committee member 1957 to 1993, including as Social Secretary and Regatta Secretary
Interested in club history since early in membership, now in charge of Club Archives
- 1958, lightweight 8+: Peter in 2 seat, Jim in 3 seat.
- 2017, YYRC balcony: L-R Jim Skidmore (“Skiddy”), Peter Gill, Kerry McDermott
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