West Australian Rowing Club

Raff McDonald, Jacob Lundberg, Miles Clode, Tom Jones, Josh Hantke, Sam Hoy, Alex Rossi, Lachlan Brown, Toby Warner & Jack O’Dea etched their names into the history books on Sunday taking out the win in the Championship Open Men’s Eight, a feat not achieved by a WARC crew since 1961, a crew that featured our beloved Alan Salisbury. The day was made extra special with Alan there to witness the historic victory.

The boys raced with grit, determination and grace and did proud all those who have sat in that boat before them as well as the entire club who backed them all season and on race day.

Congratulations boys, you’ve made history and you’ve made us proud.

❤️💛🖤

Congratulations to all of our 2026 State Champions:

🏅U191x Evie James

🏅CMO1x Lachlan Brown

🏅MB1x Tom Jones

🏅MB4- Josh Hantke, Jacob Lundberg, Tom Jones, Cameron Andrews

🏅MC8+ Jackson Steer, Tavis Harling, Xavier Nicoletto, Henry Gibb, Ethan Kingsbury, Nathaniel Hanna, Ben Sanchez, Lucas Bentley, Toby Warner

🏅MC1x Lucas Bentley

🏅Wc1x Elena Casas Huelin

🏅🏆CWO4x Stella Wandel, Chelsea Wulff, Evie James, Imogen Hubbard

🏅WC2x Ash James, Gabby Williams-Greene

🏅MC2x Chase Oosterweghel, Kayden Simmons

🏅🏆CMO8+ Raff McDonald, Jacob Lundberg, Miles Clode, Tom Jones, Josh Hantke, Sam Hoy, Alex Rossi, Lachlan Brown, Toby Warner

STATE CHAMPS 2026

2 epic days of racing.
11 state championship wins.
66 year drought broken.
1 incredible club.

This weekend wrapped up the 2026 pennant season and what an epic conclusion! We could not be prouder of every single athlete, coxswain and coach that represented WARC this season and at state champs.

Thank you to our wonderful coaches, supporters, parents, umpires and officials - without you all our achievements would not be possible.

Bring on 2027 ❤️💛🖤

WESTIES ANNUAL DINNER AND AWARDS NIGHT 2026
ROWING CLUB CHIC
Saturday 3 October - $79 per person
AGM 5:30pm - Dinner from 6:30pm

Join us for one of the highlights of the Westies calendar, our 2026 Annual Dinner and Awards Night!

This year we’re adding a little extra style with our Rowing Club Chic theme: classic, stylish and just a little bit old school.

Think formal wear with a rowing-club twist: suits, cocktail dresses, gowns and Westies blazers, with touches of vintage, preppy or classic club style. There’s no need to go full costume; simply dress up, make it your own and enjoy the occasion.

Your $79 ticket includes a three-course seated dinner, giving us the perfect opportunity to get together away from the boats, enjoy some great food and company, and celebrate another year at Westies.

Throughout the evening, we’ll also be celebrating the people who make our club what it is, with our annual club awards and speeches.

The evening will begin with the West Australian Rowing Club AGM, followed by dinner and celebrations.

Tickets: $79 per person - purchase here: https://www.trybooking.com/au/event/1650738?fbclid=IwcGRvZgNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA80Mzc2MjYzMTY5NzM3ODgAAR6ftffgEroVdoFkoeqFAzuoffR6cdi22kVUDPDcPwAY_BW3Sqd4igzqIIW57g_aem_-00bUzhpEqfS9vQgag5VQw

Includes a three-course seated dinner.
*Drinks are not included and are available to purchase at the bar.

When purchasing your ticket, please let us know if you have any dietary requirements or food allergies, so these can be catered for.

Dress up, bring your crew and join us for a great night of Rowing Club Chic. Good food, good company and a chance to celebrate the season and the people behind it.

Classic. Stylish. A little bit old school.

A huge day for Westies as we hosted Pennant Regatta #3!

A massive thank you to everyone who volunteered their time, donated food and supplies, and helped make the day possible. A special thank you to Sarah for her leadership and all the work behind the scenes to ensure the regatta ran smoothly — another great showing of why Westies is the family club.

On the water, Westies finished second overall while securing the most total medals of any club. Leading the way was Matt Cardaci with an outstanding three golds and a silver, while Aaron Crawley also had a huge day with three golds.

Another strong showing across the shed with plenty of promise as we turn our attention to State Championships.

Let’s go Westies! ❤️💛🖤

In case you’ve been napping …. Patten💪💪💪💪
fastest qualifier in W4- @ World Rowing Championships 2026 Amsterdam, NED. Tune in Thursday 9:25pm for the Semi action !
https://worldrowing.com/event/2026-world-rowing-championships

What a way to wrap up an incredible All Schools season for Westies!

All Schools State Champs certainly gave us a bit of everything, with what felt like all four seasons in one day and the majority of racing affected by rain. Despite the conditions, everyone brought their best and there was plenty of hard, determined racing across the entire Westies school squad.

Some standout performances included our School Girls Year Ten Coxed Eight taking out the gold, alongside our School Mixed Open Coxed Quad with another fantastic result. In the singles, Cam Andrews took home gold in the School Boys Year Ten Single Scull, with fellow Westie Lucas Bentley right behind him claiming silver in the same event.

As a club, Westies finished 5th overall while securing the most total medals of any club, an incredible result that shows the depth our school groups have built throughout the season. From those fighting for wins through to athletes competing at State Champs for the first time, the results across the whole squad are a credit to how far everyone has come.

A massive thank you must go to Jack O’Dea, Sarah Newton, Xavier Nicoletto and Ben McIntyre for everything they have put into making the All Schools season possible. A huge thanks as well to our other coaches Miles Clode and Jaspar Marshall, and to Jacob Lundberg, Tom and George Byass, along with all the parents and volunteers who gave up their time to help with boats, trailers, rigging and supporting our athletes throughout the day and season. It takes a huge team behind the scenes to get everyone onto the water, and once again it showed why Westies is the family club.

With an exciting and successful All Schools season now coming to an end, attention turns back to the full shed and the final stretch of the season — two Pennant regattas and State Champs still to come.

Congratulations to all our school athletes on a brilliant season. The future at Westies is looking very exciting!

Another strong day out at Champion Lakes for Pennant Regatta #2, with Westies continuing to build on a great start to the season. Across the shed there was plenty of hard and fast racing, with crews putting together some great performances and showing the depth and determination that continues to grow throughout the club.

Some standout performances came from Cassius Evangelista, Zach Watkins and Chase Oosterweghel, who all had fantastic days out on the water. It was also great to see so many Westies crews across different events getting amongst the racing, building combinations and gaining valuable race experience as we continue through the Pennant season.

A massive thank you must go to Benny Mac for helping with running the day smoothly on his day off and Raff McDonald for towing the trailer and bringing a Westies private BBQ, as well as everyone who helped with rigging, trailers, boats, supporting crews and everything else that goes into getting Westies on the water. Once again showing why Westies is the family club.

With two Pennants now under our belt, there’s plenty to be excited about as we continue to build towards the rest of the season. Another great day of racing, another step forward, and plenty more to come.

Yeah Westies! ❤️🖤💛

What a way to kick off the Pennant season for Westies!

With 9 golds, 9 silvers and 3 bronzes, Westies finished second overall in the club standings, with Jacob, Miles and Sam H leading the way with three wins each. Strong results across the whole shed showed the depth we have behind us and laid some exciting foundations for the season ahead.

A massive shoutout must also go to Sarah for all the work behind the scenes, and to Tom Byass and Ben McIntyre for coming down to support, rig boats and load trailers, showing exactly why Westies is the family club.

One of the highlights of the regatta was seeing both Clubbies Women’s quads take to Champion Lakes, with every athlete making their Westies racing debut at the course. Despite limited regatta experience, they raced hard and fast and showed they’re already becoming a dangerous force to watch this season.

A brilliant start to the season and plenty more to come.
Yeah Westies ❤️💛🖤

Head Race season wrap up!

Three races. Countless kilometres. Plenty of early mornings.

From Guildford to Garrett, through Mettam’s Head Race, and finishing with the iconic Perth to Fremantle, WARC crews delivered a fantastic head race campaign.

Highlights from the season included:
🥇 Open Women’s Double Scull - Mettam’s Head Race
🥇 Masters Men’s Single Scull - Mettam’s Head Race
🥇 Masters Men’s Open Coxed Quad - Mettam’s Head Race
🥇 Masters Women’s Coxed Quad - Mettam’s Head Race
🥇 Open Women’s Single Scull - Perth to Freo
🥇 Open Men’s Eight - Perth to Freo

Behind those results were countless personal bests, strong debuts and determined performances across events.

Congratulations to every athlete, coxswain, coach and volunteer who proudly represented WARC throughout the head race season. The hard work over winter has set us up well as we head into Pennant racing.

Bring on the side-by-side racing! ❤️💛🖤