1980

The sport of rowing and history is bringing about a revival of friendship between Newcastle, England and Saint John area communities.

The Renforth-based Kennebecasis Rowing Club, for example, is among groups and individuals who have been invited to attend Newcastle’s 900^th birthday ceremonies. The mayor of Saint John, Samuel Davis, has also been invited.

Competition between area oarsmen and Newcastle goes back many years beginning with the exploits of the famed Paris crew from Saint John.

Here’s how the relationship has evolved:

In 1867 four rought-edged young men from Saint John, New Brunswick, stunned an elite rowing community by winning the world’s four-oared championship over a slick English crew from Newcastle-on-tyne.

The competition took place in France and from there the Saint John four went on to fame and fortune as the Paris crew.

A meeting between Paris and English crews in Lachine, P. Q., in 1869 produced highly controversial results with the Newcastle boat claiming victory.

This set the stage for a "race to end all races" and the location chosen was the Kennebecasis River: the year 1871.

The thousands of spectators, however, from all corners of the globe gathered near the little community known as The Chalet were to be sadly disappointed for James F. Renforth, stroke of the English crew suffered a heart seizure during the contest, and died. The Chalet later became the Village of Renforth and a statue in the man’s honor can be seen today in an English Square.

To commemorate the 100^th Anniversary of The Great Race oarsmen from Newcastle were invited to take part in a re-enactment during the 1971 Renforth Regatta. Since rowing had been dead for about 40 years in the area, competition came from a city of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, crew. At this time letters and gifts of goodwill were exchanged between Newcastle and Renforth and subsequently a Stanley Cup-type award, the James F. Renforth Trophy, was donated by Old Country friends.

Centennial year activities renewed interest in Saint John are rowing and out of this was born the Kennebecasis Rowing Club, and organization which in a few short years has achieved remarkable success. A case of "pull themselves up by the boot-straps," the fledgling group began, in 1972, with a four cast-off by a Nova Scotia Club, and gradually by way of various fund-raising projects has obtained a fleet of modern boats, including an impressive eight-oared craft.

Along the way, competitions at National and International levels have secured for the club no less than six gold medals. Few clubs in a lifetime produce oarsmen of Olympic calibre, however, one of Kennebecasis protegies is a prime candidate for the Canadian team and will likely be rowing in Moscow this summer.

Now in 1980, and invitation has come to the Kennebecasis Club to take part in activities that are to celebrate the City of Newcastle’s 900^th birthday. This is seen as an opportunity not only to maintain, but to enlarge upon the history of friendship and goodwill established over many years and at the same time further Saint John’s prominence, again in the sport of rowing.

An energetic campaign to publicize the affair and raise funds to get six club members to England is currently underway. Not to be neglected in undertakings of this type is the emphasis placed on community self-start, self-help activities by persons responsible for decision making as regards choice of Canada Games sites.