Footnotes

Henry Robert (Bobby) Pearce (1905-1976)

Bobby Pearce was born on September 30th 1905 at Double Bay, Sydney, the son of Harry Pearce, Australian Professional Sculling Champion, and Grandson of Henry (Footie) Pearce, a noted Sydney Waterman.

He started rowing early under the tutelage of his father and won his first open race at 14. By 1926 he had won the New South Wales Sculling Championship and the following year secured the first of his President's Cup wins for the Amateur Sculling championship of Australia. Such was his reputation that by 1928 he was the obvious choice for Olympic Games selection, despite some reservations about his amateur status. He went to Amsterdam as the only rower, where he was hugely successful and endeared himself to the crowd by actually stopping during his heat with the French Rower, Saurin, to allow a group of ducks to cross the course, then going on to win by twenty lengths. He defeated the American entrant Kenneth Myers in the final, who was so disgusted that he smashed his boat. His win gained him the Philadelphia Gold Cup, the Amateur Championship of the world. He was the first Australian to win a rowing Gold Medal, and the only Australian prize winner at the Games, and the first from the Dominions. He returned via England, but was denied a chance to row at Henley, because, as a carpenter, he was considered an artisan.

In 1930 he went to Hamilton, Ontario, to compete for Australia in the British Empire Games, again winning a Gold Medal. As work was difficult to find in Australia, Pearce decided to remain in Canada, where he was given a job by The Distillers Company as a salesman. No longer an artisan he was able to travel to Henley the following year where he won the Diamond Sculls, one of the three premier amateur sculling prizes. After being pressed in the first heat, he went on to dominate the remaining heats and won in the final by six lengths. He also found time to win the American and Canadian Sculling titles.

Although a Canadian resident, Olympic rules meant that he was chosen to compete again for Australia at the Los Angeles Olympiad in 1932, driving across America to compete, with his sculling boat on the roof of his car. His win there made him the first to retain an Olympic Rowing gold medal.

On his return to Canada he decided to turn professional and the following year challenged his friend, Ted Phelps of England, for the Professional Championship of the World in a wager match at Toronto. He won the race by a staggering quarter of a mile. Despite accusations from the English Governing Body, he retained the title and went on to defend it successfully in 1934 & 1938, relinquishing it undefeated after WW2.

During the War he initially served in the Naval Reserve, training recruits. He transferred to the Navy in 1951 where he was employed principally as a recruiting officer until he retired in 1956 as a Lieutenant Commander.
Although booked to commentate at the Montreal Olympic Games, he died of heart disease on May 20th 1976.

Regarded by many as the best Sculler ever produced by Australia, he was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1986.