June 7, 1886
The fourth and current version of the facility serving as the base of operations for Star Boating Club was officially opened in New Zealand’s capital city of Wellington. The origins of Star Boating Club can be traced to 1866. It is the oldest rowing club in Wellington and one of the earliest still-active sporting organizations of any kind in all of New Zealand. In its planning stages, this club was referred to as the Wellington Regatta Club. When it was formally established in 1867 with a fleet of only four boats, the club was designated as the Star Regatta Club. The club was given its present-day name shortly thereafter. Star Boating Club’s longtime motto has been “Semper Refulgens” (Latin for “Always Shining”).
The current facility for Star Boating Club was designed by architect and club member William Chatfield (1851-1930). The inauguration of this club house was marked with a great deal of fanfare. “Every effort was made to render this affair a thorough success, and such it proved,” reported the next day’s edition of the Wellington-based Evening Post. The upper floor was used for dancing, the band being stationed in the passage between the two largest rooms, and the lower story was divided into refreshment and dressing-rooms and a promenade” This newspaper also stated, “The walls and pillars on both floors were covered with flags and evergreens, and the premises were brilliantly lighted throughout.”
As the Evening Post likewise confirmed, approximately 200 couples showed up for this celebration. William Jervois (1821-1897), governor of New Zealand, had originally planned to attend as well but something that the Evening Post characterized as “indisposition” prevented him from doing so. He was represented at the event, however, by his wife Lucy Jervois (1832-1894) and their youngest son John Jervois (1854-1895). Other dignitaries on hand for the festivities at the new club house included Robert Stout (1844-1930), New Zealand’s premier; and his wife Anna Paterson Stout (1858-1931).
Over the years, quite a few of Star Boating Club’s more high-profile members have included the following individuals who each represented New Zealand in Olympic rowing competitions:
- George Cooke (1908-1941), the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles
- John Gibbons (born in 1943), the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City
- Peter Taylor (born in 1984), the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; 2012 Summer Olympics in London; and 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro
- Ruby Tew (born in 1994), the 2016 Summer Olympics
- Louise Trappitt (born in 1985), the 2012 Summer Olympics
As a part of a redevelopment of the waterfront in Wellington in 1989, the club house was moved to its current location next to the open public area known as Whairepo Lagoon. This facility was extensively renovated at the time. Additional work to reinforce the club house was undertaken after a major earthquake struck that region of New Zealand in 2011. Two years earlier, this structure had been designated a Category 1 historic place by the organization now called Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga (previously named the New Zealand Historic Places Trust).
Photo Credit: Pipjohn (licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en)
For more information on Star Boating Club, please check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Boating_Club
Additional information on the opening of this club’s current facility is available at https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EP18860608.2.10
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