Ladies’ Rowing Club may need new boathouse

Faced with the possibility that in the near future they might have to leave their present boathouse for new headquarters, Bideford and District Ladies’ Rowing Club was assured of full support from sporting and other organisations in the town by speakers at the Club’s first annual dinner.

The present Club boathouse is on a site earmarked for a new Head Post Office.

Miss Mary Marshall, Mrs C A Grant, Mrs Grant, Mrs I Williams, Mr I Williams, Mrs P J V Fulford, Mr Charles Slee, and Mr A J Lee

The attendance of about 80 at the New Inn, Bideford, for this informal and friendly occasion included lady rowers, their husbands and friends, and representatives of kindred associations. The Club chairman, Miss M Marshall, presided, and during the evening there was a prize giving ceremony.

Referring to the formation of a West of England Ladies’ Amateur Rowing Association, the captain and secretary of the Club, Mrs I R Williams, said that they had discussed the idea many times and had agreed that in the future such an organisation would be really essential. At the moment, however, the Bideford club had rather a lot ‘on their plates. What with the ghost on the horizon that we may have to change our boathouse, we feel that we cannot undertake anything else,’ she said.

Mr E Frank Day, the founder of the Club, proposing the toast ‘Lady Rowers’, said ‘I am quite convinced that none of the local clubs is going to let the Ladies’ Rowing Club go out of existence because of a boathouse. If the worst comes we will fit them in somewhere.’

The prize distribution, of plaques to the A and B crews of the Club, and of a tankard to Mr Charlie Slee, their trainer, was made by Mrs C A Grant, wife of the Deputy Mayor, who added her good wishes to the lady rowers. Miss V Goodman, stroke to the A crew, thanked Mrs Grant and the A crew cox, Miss Doreen Balsdon, presented a bouquet to Mrs Grant and a button-hole to Mr Grant.

The plaques were presented to Misses Valerie Goodman, Marion Pilcher, Jean Harris, Pauline Screech, Doreen Balsdon, Janet Parker, Shirley Peel, Phyllis Marshall, Pat Smale, Gillian Taylor and Jean Taylor.

Mrs C A Grant and Miss Doreen Balsdon

Gazette article dated 11 February 1955