Rowing Unites Behind Christchurch
For immediate release: 7 October 2010
23 days to go!
Rowing Unites Behind Christchurch
A special
collection will be made for Christchurch’s Union Rowing
Club during the Opening Ceremony of the 2010 World Rowing
Championships on 30 October.
Union Rowing Club’s
clubhouse has been condemned for demolition after the recent
earthquake that devastated the South Island city. Although
the building was insured, it does not appear that it will be
possible to rebuild on the same site as the ground liquefied
during the earthquake. It will take considerable funding to
get the club up and running again as a new site needs to be
found.
2009 world bronze medallist Emma Feathery, who will
represent New Zealand in
the women's double sculls at
Lake Karapiro, started her rowing career at Union Rowing
Club.
“We know that everyone in the world of international rowing is aware of the devastation caused by the earthquake,” says CEO Tom Mayo. “The Organising Committee and Rowing NZ want to help. Competitors, officials and spectators will all give generously to help Union Rowing Club recover.”
Union Rowing Club Life Member James
Sheehan, who is also a volunteer at the 2010 World Rowing
Championships, expressed the club’s gratitude for the
support.
“It’s been a very hard month,” says
Sheehan. “This support is a huge surprise and we’re
extremely grateful for it. It has put new heart into the
club and its members. We will come back from this.”
The initiative is fully supported by Kiwi top rockers OPSHOP, who perform at the Opening Ceremony.
“It seems in times of trial, the best of our community rises to the surface and it’s initiatives like this that demonstrate just how alive and well that spirit is within the rowing establishment here in NZ and indeed internationally,” says OPSHOP lead singer Jason Kerrison. “A collection for the Christchurch Union Rowing Club to assist with getting back on the water after the earthquake will go a long way I'm sure both financially and emotionally. Back at St. Bedes, I spent couple of years with a crew at those facilities so it's reassuring to know that they're being supported after such a devastating event.”
ENDS