The ACT Rowing Community was saddened to hear of the death on 12 December 2025 of former Rowing ACT member, competitor and Board Member Robin Poke AM.
Robin’s association with rowing in the ACT commenced in the 1980s when he came to Canberra to pursue opportunities in television journalism. He quickly immersed himself in a variety of roles in rowing at the State and National level.
In Canberra Robin is best remembered for leverage of his journalism skills to promote key events in the growth of ACT Rowing. These included selection of the first World Championship crew from the ACT – the junior pair of Galloway and Thompson coached by Peter Shakespear. Robin’s media strategy created a sustained lift in the profile of rowing across the board in the ACT and that of representative rowing.
The ACT crew’s victory in the 1997 Kings Cup provided him with an opportunity he had only dreamt of. He was able to call the editor of the Canberra Times and say “hold the front page, ACT has won the Kings Cup”. The publicity and events associated with this success provided a strong stimulus in ACT clubs and schools for increased participation in the National Rowing Championships and Interstate regatta.
Robin generously lent his expertise to Clubs and the Association for diverse promotional projects including business sponsorships and facility openings.
In the mid-nineties Robin took on leadership roles as Chairman and then President of the ACT Rowing Association at a time when statehood was the first item on the agenda. Working with proponents David Butt (Chairman) and Leon Bower, Robin contributed to the careful assessment of financial and administrative implications that lead to separation of the administration of ACT and NSW Rowing.
In 1992 Robin joined Canberra Rowing Club continuing his association with rowing competition that began on the Thames and later the Mosman Rowing Club. He successfully competed in regattas at the Club, National and International level.
ACT Rowing will miss Robin’s contribution to so many aspects of the local rowing scene. We thank Robin for his lasting contribution and legacy he leaves behind in the ACT Rowing community.
Article prepared by Patrick Davoren and David Bagnall
At the 2025 CBR Sports Awards, Rowing ACT was awarded the Ministers Award for Excellence in Innovation, recognising the ongoing upgrades to our regattas through our digital optimisation project.
Over the past 18 months and moving forward, Rowing ACT has established upgrades to our umpire and regatta capabilities, through WiFi sites at regattas, eReader tablets for our umpires, creating Live Streaming Opportunities, with more to come.
We are incredibly humbled by this recognition and grateful to Minister Berry and ACT Sport and Recreation for this ongoing support through the Industry Partnership Program and other programs.
As noted by Rowing ACT President Kent Peters on the night, these projects expand on the offerings we can provide to our community throughout the regatta season. It is appropriate that as we head towards the regatta weekend, with the biggest entries of the season so far, we celebrate the work we have achieved across a number of years, and celebrate what is to come.
We also acknowledge and celebrate Isobel Egan (Radford-ACTAS) who was named as a finalist in the Rising Star category, and who just missed out on the night.
See ACT Sport and Recreations media release here
The agenda for the 61st Meeting of Rowing ACT Association Incorporated at the CGS Rowing Centre, Alexandrina Drive, Yarralumla on Tuesday 28th October 2025
- Apologies
- Confirmation of the Minutes of the 2024 Annual General Meeting
- Presentation of the Annual Report of Rowing ACT for 2024-25
- Presentation of the Audited Statement of Accounts for 2024-25
- Election of Directors
- Affiliation of the Red Shed Incorporated as a club of Rowing ACT (Vote)
- Update on Governance, Membership and Operational Processes
- Other Business
The Annual Report for 2024/25 can be found here