ARC Update - 16th January 2026
- Jan 16
- 6 min read
Updated: Feb 16
Welcome to 2026 at Adelaide Rowing Club, with our first ARC Update of the year!
Happy reading!
In This Issue:
President's TED Talk
This year promises to be another fantastic year for our grand old Club, as we pick up 2026 from where 2025 finished - with Ambition, Respect, & Camaraderie!
It is fantastic to see the activity & energy levels rising across our Club. Step into the Torrens Shed on a Thursday afternoon, or West Lakes on a Tuesday morning, and you will immediately see that the feelings are upbeat, the enthusiasm is raging, and the vibe is electric! There is a real sense of 'can-do, will-do' about the Club at the moment, so let us keep that momentum going in everything we do!
On the Water
On the water, there is tons of action at the moment!
The first Big Boat Tuesday for 2026 saw 23 ARC Seniors hit the water at West Lakes, with two eights & a four charging up and down the course! You can check out the crews in action at the end of this post!
Tuesday mornings have been locked in as THE regular rowing day for the Senior Club squads, with ARC Supercoaches, Daren, Tom & Simon attending!
5:30 am start - Be there or be square!
Thursday Night Socials are drawing in the punters for a paddle on the duck pond and a feed from ICG. Last night's session saw several new members & guests jump in to give it a go! If you know of someone who might be interested, send them down to the Torrens on a Thursday night for an intro!
Tomorrow's West Lakes Regatta has 23 ARC boats racing across all events. This regatta is the final selection event for our State Champ crews!
A final reminder for nominees to submit their 2km ergo times to selectors@adelaiderowingclub.com.au.
11 ARC rowers will be racing at Semaphore Beach on 24th January in SA's first-ever Beach Sprint Regatta! It sounds like a great event and a chance to try something new & different - entries are still open if you want to give it a go!
Off the Water
Off the water, we are making inroads into our ambitious goals for the year!
Over the past few months, I have been vocal in saying that re-establishing a Learn to Row programme is THE most critical measure that would define the success of this season. It is essential that we grow our Club and our Sport in ways that broaden our base and membership intake beyond the existing pathways.
So, I am incredibly thrilled by this week's launch of our 2026 Learn To Row programme. While there is more to do to make the programme a success, we have made the critical first step and shown our intent. This programme simply cannot happen without coaches - so a most special thanks to Erica, Zoe, Petra, Donna & Claire who will join alongside me as our ARC LTR coaches!
Hot off the press is yesterday's news that we received a $3,000 Active Club grant from the Office of Recreation, Sport & Racing. This will go towards replacing the exercise bikes in the gym with 2 new BikeErgs. This comes off the back of a $1,500 Community Impact grant received from the City of Adelaide in December to support our reinvigorated Learn to Row programme.
The Torrens Building Project is building some momentum & starting to take shape, with our plans & scopes firming. An overall project plan will be released in the next few weeks.
Some key decisions have already been locked in. We are tightening our focus on the upstairs function room (for now) & plans for a 3rd bay extension as being beyond reach in the short term. We are exploring an option to re-configure the function room by relocating the bar & kitchen to the rear of the main room, so as to maximise the strength of the balcony area. This decision has some complexity around it which will take some time to get right - our aim is to make a call on this by mid-2026.
A few things like replacing the carpet and full-opening bi-fold doors onto the balcony are locked in as "no-brainers", but we need to work out whether we re-configure the room or not before doing these.
In the meantime, we will crack on with other separate items, working around existing function bookings and the Crows Central schedule, including:
Installation of a solar battery to eliminate our power bill.
Re-pin & paint the timber ceiling to modernise and lighten up the main room.
Installation of additional lighting & ventilation.
Renew the upstairs toilets.
Structural repairs to the balcony.
Replace all the external windows, which are falling apart with rot.
The Committee has also appointed former ARC Captain & Mechanical Engineer, Joyce Dilettoso, to the Building Sub-Committee, joining Alex, Chris, Nath & myself.
The Committee and I are really excited about what 2026 will bring for our Club - we hope you are too! The challenges are ambitious and will stretch us - but great gains are made with small steps. With your energy, passion, and tenacity, we will have a great year and set our Club up for many years to come.
Let us get after it, ARC!
Mitch
What's Coming Up at ARC?
Upcoming Events
2026 January West Lakes Regatta
Date: 17 January 2026 at 9:00 am
Location: West Lakes Shore
2026 Beach Sprint Come & Try, and Regatta
Date: 24 January 2026 at 9:00 am
Location: TBC
ARC Pasta Night & Crew Presentation
Date: 5 February 2026, 6:00 – 9:00 pm
Location: Adelaide Rowing Club
2026 South Australian Rowing Championships
Date: 6 February 2026 at 9:00 am – 8 February 2026 at 5:00 pm
Location: AM Ramsey Regatta Centre, West Lakes
2026 February West Lakes Regatta
Date: 21 February 2026 at 9:00 am
Location: West Lakes
2026 Adelaide Rowing Club Annual Dinner
Date: 9 May 2026, 7:00 – 11:50 pm
Location: Adelaide
Welcome New Members & Thank You Volunteers!
Please welcome the newest members of ARC!
Ben Phillips
Isabella Lease
Elizabeth Lynch
Shout out to these legends for their recent contributions to our Club - THANK YOU!!!
Erica Webb, Claire Rogers & Adam Pope - Regatta volunteering
Trent Collins - Battery business case
Daren Potts - Repairs to the Brownhill & the Clarence
Tom Merrigan - Overhaul of the Adelaide VI
Iron Chef Chris Greening - Culinary magic
Learn to Row is a Go in 2026!
We are excited to announce the resumption of the ARC Learn to Row programme in 2026! Each LTR programme will run for five weeks from 9-11 am on Sunday mornings out of the Torrens Boatshed.
Participants will be introduced to our great sport in coxed quad sculls under the safe supervision and expert tutelage of an accredited ARC Coach. The LTR programme fee is $250 all inclusive for all five sessions, paid upfront at the time of application.
Places in each block are strictly limited to 12 rowers per block, and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis (strictly, no holds!). The programme is open to participants over 13 years of age.
Please share the news to anyone in your networks who might be interested. For more details, check out Learn to Row | Adelaide Rowing Club or drop us an email at learntorow@adelaiderowingclub.com.au.
We are also looking to expand our pool of LTR coaches - please reach out if this is of interest to you!
Adelaide Rowing Club extends its sincere thanks to the Adelaide City Council for their generous support towards re-establishing our Learn to Row program via the 2026 Community Impact Quick Response Grant programme. Council's contribution will help us introduce more people to the sport of rowing, fostering community engagement, health, and inclusion. We are proud to partner with a council that values active lifestyles and community development.
2026 Coxing Equipment Appeal!
We are looking to quickly raise $3,000 in support of our Learn to Row programme & re-activation of rowing on the Torrens by purchasing three new coxing audio systems, including replacement speakers, harnesses & units. The equipment will be shared across the LTR programme, social rowing & any other crews rowing out of the Torrens.
You can make a real difference to ARC by making a tax-deductible donation towards this cause via the Australian Sport Foundation! 2026 Learn To Row Coxing Equipment Appeal | Australian Sports Foundation
ARC Members Facebook Groups & Squad Chats
Are you keeping up with the latest happenings at ARC? Check out the invite links below to ensure you are informed about who is doing what at ARC!
Let us embrace the year ahead with enthusiasm and commitment. Together, we will continue to foster a vibrant rowing community at the Adelaide Rowing Club!