| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Australian |
| Born | 5 February 1957 |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Rowing |
| Club | Mercantile Rowing Club |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Olympic finals | 1980 Moscow M8+ |
| National finals | King's Cup 6 times (1975–81) |
Andrew Withers (born 5 February 1957) is an Australian former representative rower. He was a four time national champion, represented at the 1978 and the 1979 World Rowing Championships [1] and competed in the men's eight event at the 1980 Summer Olympics. [2]
Withers was educated at Melbourne Grammar School where he took up rowing, He rowed in that school's first VIII in both of his senior years of 1973 and 1974. [3] The 1974 Melbourne Grammar eight won the national schoolboy eight title at that year's Australian Rowing Championships. [3] His senior club rowing was from the Mercantile Rowing Club. [3]
Victorian state representative honours first came for Withers in 1975 when aged just 18 he was selected into the Victorian men's senior eight which contested the King's Cup at the annual Interstate Regatta. [3] He made six King's Cup appearances for Victoria between 1975 and 1981 and saw victories in 1979 and 1980. [3]
He twice stroked Mercantile coxless fours to senior national championship titles - in 1980 and 1981, [4] and in both those years also won silver medals in the coxed four event at stroke. [3]
Withers made his Australian representative debut in 1978 when selected in the coxed four to race at the 1978 World Rowing Championships on Lake Karapiro. That crew performed well, placing second in their heat then making it through the repechage to the A final where they finished in fifth place. [5] For the 1979 World Rowing Championships in Bled, the strong Victorian showing in that year's King's Cup saw Withers amongst a number of Victorians selected into the Australian men's eight. An injury during the campaign to Rob Lang resulted in the squad's selected sculler Ted Hale stepping into the five seat of the eight. That crew placed third in their semi-final and fourth in the final. [6]
For the 1980 Moscow Olympics the new Australian Director of Coaching Reinhold Batschi utilised small boating racing criteria and selected an eight with rowers from three states including Withers in the five seat. The Australian eight finished in fifth place in the Olympic final. [3] He rowed on in 1981 to state and national success but the 1980 Olympic eight was Withers' last Australian representative appearance.
Withers married fellow 1980 Australian rowing Olympian Sally Harding. [3]
David Hebbert Boykett OAM was an Australian representative rower and rowing coach. He was a six-time national champion, won a bronze medal at the 1956 Summer Olympics and competed at the 1964 Summer Olympics and at the 1962 and 1966 World Rowing Championships.
James Guthrie Howden was an Australian representative rower who won a bronze medal at the 1956 Summer Olympics and represented at the 1962 World Rowing Championships.
David Webster is an Australian national champion rowing coxswain who steered Australian crews at six World Rowing Championships and won two world championship titles in 2010 and 2011.
Peter Gillon was an Australian representative rower who competed at two Olympic Games. He competed at the 1960 Rome and 1964 Tokyo Olympics in the men's coxless four.
Russell Robertson, known as Rusty Robertson, was a New Zealand-born, world class rowing coach of New Zealand and later, Australian national representative rowing crews. He was the national rowing coach of New Zealand from 1967 to 1976, and the national coach of Australia from 1979 to 1984.
David Colvin is an Australian former rowing coxswain and a rowing coach. He is a ten-time Australian King's Cup champion, an Olympian and a medalist at World Rowing Championships.
Bruce Richardson is an Australian former representative rower. He competed in the men's coxed pair event at the 1964 Summer Olympics.
Neil Lodding is an Australian former representative rower. He competed in the men's coxed pair event at the 1964 Summer Olympics.
Robert Lachal is an Australian former representative rower. He was a national champion in 1964 and that year competed in the men's eight event at the 1964 Summer Olympics.
Kevin John Wickham was an Australian representative rowing coxswain. He competed as coxswain in the men's eight event at the 1964 Summer Olympics.
Chris Stevens is an Australian former national representative rower. He was three times a national champion in sweep-oared boats and once as a sculler. He competed in the men's coxless pair event at the 1972 Summer Olympics.
Philip Wilkinson is an Australian former representative rower. He competed in the men's coxed four event at the 1972 Summer Olympics.
David Palfreyman is an Australian former coxswain, rower and rowing coach. He was a national champion three times as a coxswain and twice as a rower and won a gold medal at the 1962 Commonwealth Games.
James Lowe is an Australian former Olympic representative rower. He was a four time national champion, represented twice at World Rowing Championships and competed at the 1980 Summer Olympics and the 1984 Summer Olympics.
Timothy James Young is an Australian former Olympic representative rower. He was twice an Australian national champion, represented twice at World Championships and competed in the men's eight event at the 1980 Summer Olympics.
Dr. Anne Elizabeth Chirnside is an Australian former representative rower rower and a general practitioner of medicine in rural Victoria. She was an eight time Australian national champion, twice represented at World Rowing Championships and was a member of Australia's first Olympic representative women's rowing crew, competing in the women's coxed four event at the 1980 Summer Olympics.
Verna Westwood is an Australian former representative rower. She was seven times an Australian national champion, represented at two World Rowing Championships and was a member of Australia's first Olympic representative women's rowing crew, competing in the women's coxed four event at the 1980 Summer Olympics.
Sally Harding is an Australian former representative rower. She was a thirteen time Australian national champion, three time representative at World Rowing Championships and was a member of Australia's first Olympic representative women's rowing crew, competing in the women's coxed four event at the 1980 Summer Olympics.
Simon Newcomb OAM is an Australian former representative rower. He competed in the men's coxless four event at the 1964 Summer Olympics. After competitive rowing he was a coach and administrator and heavily involved in the development of the sport of rowing in Queensland.
Lydia Miladinovic, is an Australian pioneer representative rower. With Evelyn Adams she rowed in Australia's first international representative women's crew. A five-time Australian national champion, accomplished as both a sculler and sweep-oarswoman, Miladinovic made her sole international representative appearance for Australia at the 1974 World Rowing Championships.
