Kicking off the 2023 Hancock Prospecting Rower of the Year Awards with a true champion of rowing! Mrs Gina Rinehart AO, the esteemed patron of Rowing Australia and generous sponsor through Hancock Prospecting, has been presented with the inaugural Service to Rowing Award.
Mrs Rinehart’s unwavering commitment and support have not only propelled the Australian Rowing Team but have also shaped the future of the sport. A heartfelt congratulations to a true icon!
Speech given by Mrs Gina Rinehart AO
Good evening rowers, distinguished guests, and all special guests,
I’m so delighted to be here, celebrating each of you, your hard work, persistence and your successes of the past year.
As I’ve said so many times before, you are all such wonderful role models for all Aussies, young and old. I am honoured to be your Patron.
I hope you well know, that although I understand how essential it is to have a person financially support athletes so you can spend hours training and competing, that I like to do more than only write cheques.
I like to visit you to see you row, whether that’s at Penrith, Rio, Royal Henley, that farm in Holland, or elsewhere, and share your excitement when you excel.
Just recently I enjoyed being with three of you at Royal Randwick, where we wore matching earrings and rings! And earlier, having many of you to my Sydney home, where you very politely ignored that I did look as though I’d just got off a plane from the other side of the USA. But it was a lovely evening nonetheless and, indeed, I was rather late to a function I was meant to be at!
It’s nearly that time of year again, National Agriculture and National Mining Day, where several of you have joined us in the past. I look forward to a few more of you joining us for the upcoming national days. Every one of these times, I’ve not just been happy to be with our young ambassadors, but also very happy to see the deep friendships amongst you; you understand each other’s successes, disappointments, how hard it is to achieve and the ups and downs along the way. You have built a true rowing family.
Now to the year you have had. Wow – what a year!
Special mention goes to our Tokyo Olympic Gold medallists, Jessica Morrison and Annabelle McIntyre, for winning Gold Medals at World Cups 1 and 2, and a Silver Medal at the World Rowing Championships. Keeping the medal tally up!
To have our two Australian Eights both winning Bronze medals in the important Olympic qualifying year is very exciting and demonstrates the depth of talent across the Australian Rowing Team.
And Jed Altschwager and Nikki Ayers winning the PR3 Mixed Double Scull at the World Rowing Championships and setting a new World Best Time earlier in the year in Varese. Fantastic!
Of course, there are many more rows worthy for special mention from the year, but if I keep going, I won’t leave opportunities for others, including our fantastic president, Rob Scott. Please join me in an oar raising round of applause.
And as we look towards Paris, how fantastic that we have nine boats qualifying for the Olympic Games Olympics and three boats qualifying for the Paralympic Games! Rob and I are so looking forward to being in Paris to cheer you on as you represent Australia.
I hope you know how proud you make your families, your country, your friends and me.
Wishing you all an evening of joy. And for more years of rowing and mateship, and building lifelong friendships with your rowing mates.
