Eton Mission RC threatened by Gargantuan Olympic Death-Ray
Alistair
http://spitalfieldslife.com/2011/07/12/at-the-eton-mission-rowing-club/
Anthony
> via row2k, an excellent, lovely photo-blog of a club I'd never heard of.
>
> http://spitalfieldslife.com/2011/07/12/at-the-eton-mission-rowing-club/
Hear, hear. Deserves a wider audience, and is a club in need of some
practical help.
Henry Law
>
> Hear, hear. Deserves a wider audience, and is a club in need of some
> practical help.
Indeed. I'd go to support their regatta if it weren't 200+ miles away.
Disgraceful behaviour of LOCOG; but are we surprised? So much for
leaving a legacy of sport infrastructure.
Frankly the amount that would set Eton Mission right (despite having had
half their land taken away) would be completely lost in the noise of the
LOCOG expense machine, and the benefit that being magnanimous would do
to their reputation would be huge. They could do it if they wanted to;
it's just arrogance that stops them.
--
Henry Law Manchester, England
ng...@aol.com
> via row2k, an excellent, lovely photo-blog of a club I'd never heard of.
>
> http://spitalfieldslife.com/2011/07/12/at-the-eton-mission-rowing-club/
Solitudinem faciunt legatum appellant
Henry Law
Wonderful! I had to work at the word you've changed, but I get it now.
There is no language which does terse better than Latin.
Kit
>
> http://spitalfieldslife.com/2011/07/12/at-the-eton-mission-rowing-club/
What a great (and poignant) piece.
I can't help wondering, though : if they are threatened by a new
bridge for the media, may there not be an opportunity for some gentle
retribution making itself available?
Carl Douglas
Lex tremendae majestatis?
Carl
(who used to enjoy Latin terse at school)
--
Carl Douglas Racing Shells -
Fine Small-Boats/AeRoWing Low-drag Riggers/Advanced Accessories
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URLs: www.carldouglas.co.uk (boats) & www.aerowing.co.uk (riggers)
Carl Douglas
I've had the honour of knowing Bob Hall (senior) for many years, & was
aware a while back that they faced problems of this kind. Not having
heard further until Alistair's antennae picked out this quite excellent
report, I'd foolishly assumed the threat had somehow been averted.
That this can happen concisely sums up much of what is so utterly
abhorrent about this 5-ringed media circus. That Locog's
conscience-free obeisance towards the overweening demands of the 'meeja'
hordes is about to permanently cripple this fine, historic rowing club
encapsulates so much that is wrong about the 5th estate (where the media
become their own news), about the spreading tentacles of the so-called
Olympic family, about the selfish, self-regarding world of pro sport &
that of its grasping commercial sponsors.
The Romans believed you could keep the people happy with panem et
circenses. For how much longer will those of us who prefer not to sup
from that increasingly grubby trough see fit to support the progress of
unfeeling juggernauts wished upon us by spineless politicians in pursuit
of their own few moments of popular glory. Anyone remember Mayor
Drapeau (Montreal, 1976), the man who left a city in hoc for several
decades?
Carl
Charles Carroll
Amazing how greed and empire go together, isn't it? Doesn't matter the
scale! Study the latter and you almost always reveal the former. That
folly which is set in great dignity!
Cui bono?
Jim Dwyer
have to shut down during the Olympics for security reasons. They should be
able to open up after the Olympics are over.
We are not as fortunate at the London Rowing Club in Ontario on the Thames
river which has been empty of water for several years now due to a
malfunctioning "new" dam.
Jim
Carl Douglas
Damage to the well-being of any local sports club through the greed,
thoughtlessness or ineptitude of uncaring or grasping outfits is
regrettable, wherever it happens.
The value of a small rowing club to a deprived community, as is very
much the case with Eton Mission RC, is simply ignored by the fat cats
(whose connection with grass-roots sport is vestigial) who make their
personal millions out of this event, & from the systematic taxation &
disruption of that same community so that it can happen.
Any rower will sympathise with the problems of your club, Jim. You have
been eloquent on the subject & we wish you better fortune. Are there no
rowers in your area with sufficient clout to work together, to make a
solid case & to apply serious enough pressures to break down the
administrative log-jams preventing the restoration of your lost waters?
In the case of Eton Mission the problem is a bit worse than you think.
Their need in the bleak locality of E. London, England does not conflict
with or detract from the case you have in London, Ontario. You both
deserve support, & both clubs know the need to generate strong local
sympathies. Neither cause should never even seem to be presented as in
any way more worthy than the other.
The Ontario case is a fait accompli which you Canadians now have to work
to undo. The Eton Mission is one that is about to hit them & bids fair
to knock the final bit of stuffing out of them.
Eton Mission was established by the charitable actions of old Etonians
who did not see the big Banks as their personal playthings & taxpayers
as the poor suckers who should bail them out & shore up their guaranteed
pension pots when their folly found them out. It was founded as just
one of a several similar centres - to breath a better life & future into
an appallingly impoverished locality.
It is mindlessly criminal for them to be steamrollered in this way. Any
compassionate, intelligent & genuinely sports-minded outfit (i.e. _not_
the London games organisers & Mr. Coe) should have seen the great value
& credit to be gained, & the good to be done, by working not to wound
but to enhance the health of that tiny club. Wouldn't it have been
wonderful, & so easy, to have worked with & to have helped the tiny Eton
Mission RC by doing everything possible to ensure that it should
flourish & be seen to do so right alongside & throughout the massive
Olympic extravaganza?
Sadly, the goons who organise such splurges have no soul, no heart &
give not a damn.
Alistair
while Eton College is rubbing its hands together at the thought of the
IOC descending on Dorney.
For the record, here's a few more details of a some of the names that
decorate the board recording original founders:
* Lord Ampthill - captain of boats at Eton, president of OUBC, (1889,
1890, 1891) Grand winner, Henley steward, served on the IOC, Viceroy of
India (acting)
* Lord Grimston (Viscount), OUBC Boat Race (1900)
* Rupert Guinness Earl of Iveagh, Diamonds and Wingfield, President
Upper Thames
* Walter Guinness Baron Moyne, Captain of Boats at Eton
* W F D Smith, Viscount Hambledon, Oxford University Pairs (with Lord
Ampthill)
* Hon. Trevor Lewis, CUBC stroke (1893, 1894)
* J J J de Knoop, OUBC (1896, 1897), Grand
* Arthur Pemberton Heywood Lonsdale, OUBC (1856, 1857) Goblets
* Sir Frederick Charlton Meyrick, Bt, CUBC (1883)
* R S de Havilland OUBC (1882, 1883)
* Stanley Muttlebury CUBC 5x Boat Race (1886 - 1890), Ladies Plate (Eton)
* S R Fothergill OUBC (1888)
* M C Pilkington 3x OUBC (1893, 1894, 1895)
richard pratt
Exqueeze me, but if I remember correctly, David Cameron, Boris Johnson
and Sir Matthew Pinsent are all Old Etonians (even if they are not all
wet bobs) and rumour has it that at least two of them have some
influence in the UK. Has anyone considered drawing this ghastly
situation to their attention?
Petition, anyone? News item perhaps?
The irony of the disruption this would cause to this historic club,
when rowing is expected to win the greatest number of gold medals for
GBR in 2012 would not entirely be lost on the public, I think.
Cheers,
Richard
Carl Douglas
Richard, that is an excellent proposition.
Might I suggest that it would be best for the petition to be launched by
Old Etonian rowers in the first place. I have no idea who, among
readers & writers on RSR, falls into that category, but I hope some will
come forward or be made aware as a result of this discussion.
Of course such a petition should be supported by as many other rowers as
can be mustered, in which latter category you will certainly have my
signature.
I hope old Etonians will continue, in this way, to shelter & support
this offspring of their predecessors' practical philanthropy.
Tinus
> via row2k, an excellent, lovely photo-blog of a club I'd never heard of.
>
> http://spitalfieldslife.com/2011/07/12/at-the-eton-mission-rowing-club/
What would have been the alternatives with their associated harms?
richard pratt
> URLs: www.carldouglas.co.uk(boats) &www.aerowing.co.uk(riggers)- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
First choice would of course be Sir Matthew Pinsent. I wonder if
Constantinie Louloudis would lend his name as well: past and future
olympians......
boatie
Rowperfect blog for today in the hope of getting more support.
Sadly the Number10 Website which used to accept petitions for the PM
has stopped doing so - saying it's transferred to the DirectGov site
which hasn't yet started... And I can't find a place on the Greater
London Authority site to petition Boris.
Suggestions?
coach
small issue that will affect all those rowing fans who live in South
West London. If you have tickets for the first two days of the
regatta, consider how you might get there. From what I have been told,
a barrier will be put up running from Buckingham Palace, via Hyde Park
Corner, Knightsbridge, South Kensington, Fulham Broadway, Putney
Bridge, Richmond Park, Twickenham, Teddingington,Hampton Ct, Molesey
Walton, Weybridge etc. No vehicles, and this may include bikes will be
able to travel on or across the Cycling Road Race route from midnight
prior to the races untill after both the Men's and Women's races have
passed by.
Also, this event could well put your life at risk as it passes by or
close to several of the major London Hospitals. Chelsea and
Westminster, Charring Cross, Kingston, Royal Marsden,
mruscoe
Here's the map showing the test event road closure times:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/London_Section_Road_Closures_Map.pdf
meganc...@gmail.com
My organisation Eastside Community Heritage is very interested in the history of the Eton Mission Rowing Club. Eastside established the East London Peoples' archive which holds over 3500 oral histories and 28000 photographs. Over the years the company has undertaken a total of over 300 community heritage based projects and we would love to hear from members of this thread to contribute to our next project.
Our exciting new project ‘Talking Sport’ will focus on how East London's relationship with sport has changed since the 2012 London Olympics. We are collecting oral histories from before and after the stadium was built and are looking for participants from all age groups to gather a broad range of perspectives.
I would be happy to discuss the project further with any interested parties who wish to participate. If you would like to take part or find out more about this oral history project please contact me via email:
me...@ech.org.uk
Kind regards,
Megan Christo
https://www.hidden-histories.org/