Qrowunion

2026

queensland rowing’s
future is in the room

  • 23rd October 2026
  • 12:00 PM to 4 PM
  • The Star Brisbane

a friend raiser, not a fundraiser.

For too long, rowing reunions have been seen as something for the past – old crews, old stories, old blazers and “back in my day” moments.

QRowunion 2026 is different.​

This year’s lunch is about bringing the whole Queensland rowing community into one room – schools, clubs, coaches, parents, administrators, alumni, current rowers and future champions – to talk about where rowing is heading, what opportunities are emerging, and how Queensland can play a leading role in the decade ahead.

With Brisbane 2032 on the horizon, Queensland’s historic King’s Cup success reigniting state pride, and school rowing continuing to produce athletes who progress through national, U.S. collegiate and international pathways, this is more than a lunch.

It is a moment for the school rowing community to be part of the bigger conversation.​

Why Schools

Should Be in the Room

School rowing is often where the story begins.​

It is where young athletes learn discipline, teamwork, resilience and connection. It is where parents become volunteers, where coaches shape character, and where rowing programs build communities that last long after the final race of the season.

But the sport is changing – and schools deserve a front-row seat in shaping what comes next.

QRowunion 2026 will put the spotlight on the pathway from school rowing to the wider rowing world, featuring
voices who can speak directly to the opportunities now available for Queensland rowers.

Drew Ginn OAM

one of Australia's most decorated Olympic rowers, with three Olympic gold medals and one silver across four Olympic Games, sharing his Olympic journey and the mindset required to achieve repeated success at the highest level.

John
Bowes

Rowing Australia's Pathway Transition Manager, with deep experience in Queensland school and club rowing and the U.S. collegiate pathway.

Sarah Cook Oly

Chief Executive Officer of Rowing Australia, speaking to the national strategic direction for the sport on the road to Brisbane 2032. Rowing Australia's 2022-2032 strategic plan frames Brisbane 2032 as a generational opportunity for participation, engagement, volunteering and sustained success.

Phoebe Robinson

a Queensland rower who came through the school system via Stuartholme and went on to represent Australia across junior, under-23 and beach sprint formats, including a U23 World Championship bronze and success in U.S. collegiate rowing with the University of Texas.

this is your chance to

understand:

Where rowing is heading in Queensland and nationallybring your people. build the conversation. shape the future.
How school programs connect into club, state, national and international pathways
What the U.S. college system means for aspiring student-athletes
How Brisbane 2032 may reshape opportunity, visibility and investment in the sport
Why Queensland's recent King's Cup success matters for the next generation
How schools can be recognised as major contributors to the rowing ecosystem

This event is designed to bring school programs out of their individual lanes and into a broader Queensland conversation. It is a chance to connect GPS, BSRA, club and alumni communities around a shared purpose: building a stronger, more inclusive and more visible rowing culture in Queensland.

From School Crews

to State Pride

Queensland rowing has momentum.

The recent Queen’s Cup silver medal and King’s Cup gold medal breakthrough has reminded the rowing
community that Queensland is not simply a participant in Australian rowing – it can lead. The story of that victory has been framed as the end of an 87-year drought and a milestone for Queensland’s high-performance rowing culture.

For schools, that matters.

Because every state crew, every national athlete, every overseas scholarship recipient and every Olympic hopeful starts somewhere. Often, they start in a school shed, on an early morning bus, under the guidance of a teacher, coach, parent volunteer or director of rowing who saw potential before anyone else did.

QRowunion 2026 is a chance to celebrate that contribution – not as history, but as the foundation of the future.

a different kind of

rowing lunch

Yes, there will be reunions. Yes, there will be stories. Yes, there will be familiar faces from decades of Queensland rowing.

But QRowunion 2026 is not just about who rowed where, when, or in which crew.

It is about the next chapter. It is about the Year 9 rower wondering where the sport might take them.
It is about the parent trying to understand the opportunities beyond school.
It is about the coach looking for inspiration and connection.
It is about the director of rowing wanting their program recognised as part of something bigger.
It is about administrators who can see that rowing builds more than results - it builds culture, service, leadership and lifelong community.
And it is about making sure Queensland rowing is ready for the runway to Brisbane 2032.

The Call to Schools:

Become a Table Captain

Every school rowing program has people who hold the community together. At QRowunion, these people are our Table Captains – the community builders who bring the room to life.

The official QRowunion program describes Table Captains as the event’s equivalent of “Henley Stewards”:influential community leaders and social magnets who organise guests, reconnect alumni and help make the function special.

a school table can bring together

  • Directors of Rowing
  • Head coaches and age-group coaches
  • Rowing coordinators and administrators
  • Parent support group leaders
  • Alumni rowers
  • Current senior rowers or captains
  • Past Olympians, state representatives or club contributors connected to the school
  • Supporters who want to see Queensland rowing thrive
become a table captain. bring your people. build the conversation. shape the future.
take a table today