| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Australian |
| Born | 30 August 1955 |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Rowing |
| Club | Uni of WA Rowing Club MUBC |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Olympic finals | 1980 Moscow W4+ |
| National finals | ULVA Trophy 1978-1980 |
Verna Westwood (born 30 August 1955) 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. [1]
A West Australian, Westwood commenced her senior rowing aged 17 at the University of Western Australia. [2] She won the Australian University Championship title in a Uni of WA coxed four in 1976. [3] During her representative years at the elite level she raced at national regattas in Melbourne University Boat Club colours.
Her first state selection for Western Australia came in 1977 as a reserve for the coxed four contesting the ULVA Trophy at the annual Interstate Regatta within the Australian Rowing Championships. She did not race. [2] In 1978 she stroked the West Australian women's coxed four to a silver medal in the ULVA Trophy contest. [2] By 1979 Westwood had relocated to Melbourne and the MUBC to pursue her national selection goals. She was selected in the Victorian representative senior coxed fours at stroke in 1979 and in the two seat in 1980, both of which were victors at those year's Interstate Regattas. [2]
At Australian Rowing Championships in the late 1970s Westwood won a number of Australian titles. In Uni of WA colours she won the women's senior four championship in 1978. [4] Racing for the MUBC she won gold in the women's elite coxed four and women's open eight in 1979 [5] and 1980. [6]
Westwood made her Australian representative debut in the women's heavyweight eight whuch rowed to an eighth place at the 1978 World Rowing Championships in Lake Karapiro, New Zealand. [7]
In 1979 the Australian champion Victorian women's four including Westwood was selected intact to contest the 1979 World Rowing Championships in Bled. They rowed to a fifth place. [7] That same crew stayed together into the 1980 Olympic year and coached by David Palfreyman, Westwood, Anne Chirnside, Pam Westendorf, Sally Harding and Susie Palfreyman were picked as the first Australian women's Olympian crew, to race as a coxed four at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. They again finished in fifth place. [7]
The Australian Rowing Championships is an annual rowing event that determines Australia's national rowing champions and facilitates selection of Australian representative crews for World Championships and the Olympic Games. It is Australia's premier regatta, with states, clubs and schools sending their best crews. The Championships commence with the National Regatta - men's, women's and lightweight events in open, under 23, under 19, under 17 and school age events. Rowers at the National Regatta race in their local club colours with composite crews permitted. The Championships conclude with the Interstate Regatta - currently eight events competed by state representative crews or scullers selected by the state rowing associations. The states compete for an overall points tally which decides the Zurich Cup.
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.
David England born 25 June 1956 is an Australian former rowing coxswain, coach and rowing administrator. He was an Australian national champion, an Olympian and won a bronze medal at the 1977 World Rowing Championships.
Pamela Westendorf is an Australian former representative rower. She won twenty-three Australian national championships, was an Olympian, represented at five World Championships over a twelve-year period and won a silver medal at the 1990 World Rowing Championships.
Kim Jelbart is an Australian former representative rower. He competed in the men's coxless four event at the 1960 Summer Olympics.
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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.
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Jacqui Marshall is an Australian former representative rower. She was a fourteen-time Australian national champion, represented at the 1981 World Championships and competed in the women's single sculls event at the 1984 Summer Olympics.
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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.
