News & Events
Ronnie Lambe
14th September 2022
Ronald Edwin Lambe
1925 – 2022
‘Ronnie’ Lambe, who died at the age of 97 on 30th August 2022, had been a member of Cygnet Rowing Club for 75 years. Almost certainly the longest standing member of the club to date, he was also the last surviving link with ‘Wally’ Wheldal, the most memorable of the club’s founding fathers, whom he recalled meeting in person in the late 1940s.
Ronald Edwin Lambe was born into a large family on 7th May 1925. The family was originally from the East End but had upped sticks and moved to Walthamstow by the time Ronnie appeared on the scene. These were harsh times: the country was still coming to terms with the aftermath of the Great War and some of his earliest memories were of his father and uncles relating tales of their battle-weary times in France. “They lived most of their lives in mud and shit, but their recollections were not unhappy ones”.
His father was a successful insurance agent and the family moved around a lot, eventually settling in Putney where Ronnie went to Elliott Central School, a seat of learning that catered for “moderately bright young men who had not quite managed to gain a scholarship”. Ronnie always maintained that the school’s chief task was to mould boys into “clerks for the City, who were content to touch their caps and be nice to their masters as long as they got paid reasonably well”.
Upon leaving school in 1943, Ronnie went straight into the Royal Navy where he served for three years. To his eternal regret he never went to sea which may perhaps explain why he jumped at the opportunity to join Cygnet RC, having been invited to do so by his old school chum Vic Reeves. Messrs Reeves and Lambe were duly elected as new members on 16th August 1947, he under the happy impression a sparkling career as a club oarsman beckoned. In truth, and as Vic Reeves confessed some 60 years later, they had only ever intended him to be a coxswain, a role that he accepted with his customary equanimity.
In 2005, Ronnie penned some of his memories of those early post-war years: “Many members were returning from the armed forces which tended to engender a rather relaxed air in contrast to the enforced discipline they had become accustomed to.” Beer drinking was popular – Jenner’s Golden Ale was the chosen tipple – and Ronnie recalled the huge consternation that greeted the submersion of the club bar in the floods of 1953. Still, there were ‘pots’ to be had and Ronnie shared in the club’s haul of silverware throughout the heady days of the 1950s.
An astute observer of his surroundings, Ronnie recalled that “The river was rather different in those days. Not only was it very dirty, but there was a considerable amount of commercial traffic – mainly tugs pulling eight to nine barges loaded with coal up to the old Brentford gas works”. Nonetheless, “we still sometimes swam at the top of the tide through Barnes Bridge and back”. Small Profit Dock, opposite the boathouse on the Surrey side, was still in occasional commercial use and “it was…. there that I, as cox, put a brand new eight aground on its first outing”. Plus ςa change!
Despite his long tenure at Cygnet, Ronnie was never a civil servant. However, as an employee of a nationalized industry, he always considered himself to be one. Having been ‘demobbed’ in 1946, he initially became a vacuum cleaner vendor before taking up a clerical post at British Gas primarily because it was close to home, and he needed a stop gap until something better came along. He never left, serving 40 years as a “gas employee”; yet in all those years he never seems to have been tempted to join Horseferry, the gas board’s counterpart to Cygnet.
The Civil Service Boathouse has always been a marriage bureau first and a rowing club second and Ronnie duly married St George’s lass Anne Crewdson in 1960. Procreation followed: Stephen was first on the scene, then twins Philip and Rosemary. Thereafter, Ronnie’s active rowing days were few and far between. Nonetheless, while he may have vacated the coxswain’s seat, he never relinquished his quill.
A natural bureaucrat, he amply fulfilled the aspirations of Elliott Central, performing secretarial duties at Cygnet, the Civil Service Boathouse Executive, Putney Town and Borne at Chiswick regattas, Ranelagh Sailing Club, ‘Cygnets’ bungalow committee and the Hamhaugh Islanders’ Association among others. At times he must have felt his very sanity was on the line: Marjorie Israel, his successor as Secretary at Cygnet, recalls a classic occasion when he found himself writing a letter to himself at the CSBE from himself as club secretary. Nonetheless, he stayed the course as club secretary for almost two decades, while his association with Putney Town Regatta extended over half a century.
A safe pair of hands (and an obvious choice as a club trustee), Ronnie steered Cygnet through some turbulent times, not least the ultimately abortive negotiations for a merger with BBLRC. Yet he always remained above the fray and enthusiastically embraced the age of the word processor. Neil Pickford recalls that in later years he attracted the (affectionate) nickname of the ‘The Lambinator’ amongst the younger, active members of Cygnet and BBLRC, a pun born out of his predilection for creating laminated signs for the boathouse at every opportunity.
Among his contemporaries, Ronnie was unusual in escaping the clutches of the Golden Oldies and he rarely imbibed with them at the Boathouse on a Tuesday or Thursday afternoon. Still, he was never above having a good time. Family gatherings on Hamhaugh Island were common, while he and Vic Reeves were instrumental in founding the ‘veterans’ lunch at Henley which became the Leander lunch.
Bungalow committee meeting lunches at ‘Cygnets’ held a special attraction in latter times with all the great and the good – Peter Sly, Vic Reeves, Mike Arnold-Gilliat and Nina Padwick to name but a few – in attendance. Very much the gourmet, these occasions lent themselves to all sorts of Lambe culinary delights. His meat pies at Borne Regatta were legendary.
For many of us, one of our last memories of Ronnie will have been of him wearing his stripy club blazer at Old Blades on Henley Friday. In 2009, Ronnie sat down with Vic Reeves and recorded a Talking History looking back over a lifetime at Cygnet Rowing Club. At the close of that recording he reflected that “joining Cygnet was a major action in my life and a source of the greatest pleasure”. Anne predeceased him in 2009; he is survived by Stephen, Philip and Rosemary, five grandchildren, and a wealth of committee minute books.
Ronnie’s funeral will be held on Friday, 23 September at 10.30am at Guildford Crematorium and afterwards at Philip and Viven’s home, 13 Hamhaugh Island. Please contact the Secretary if you plan to attend the reception.
Paul Rawkins, September 2022
Captain's Log: Preparing the Season Ahead
12th September 2022
The 2022/23 Season
After several quiet weeks on the rowing front since marking the end of the 2022 Regatta Season and my re-election as Captain, I am pleased to announce the final preparations for the forthcoming 2022/23 season, along with the new Captaincy Team: Deputy Captain Matthew Gutteridge, Vice Captain Henrik Jonstromer.
The Squad, together with Coach Beth and the Captaincy Team, will meet at 1900 on Thursday 15th September at the Club to kick the season off and present our training and racing plans for the forthcoming Heads Season. Please join us and pass the message on to any who may wish to join.
Land training sessions resume from Wednesday 14th – details/sign up on Fitclub.
Finally, a heartfelt thanks from me to all who have wished Samantha and I well and for our wedding on 27 August, we have enjoyed some wonderful celebrations and a very relaxing honeymoon but both very much looking forward to our return to rowing and getting back in our respective boats! Thanks to you all for the best wishes and kind messages.
Look forward to seeing many of you on Thursday and many more of you at the Centenary Ball on the 24th.
Best wishes
Rupert
Captain's Log: Issue 20
19th June 2022
Good Evening Cygnets, this is your Captain speaking,
I hope you’re keeping cool Cygnets amidst the sweltering heat of the last few days. I am pleased to say racing and training continues apace and those working hard through training are really seeing the dividends on the water, we’re hoping for a strong finish at the remaining regatta this season.
Our summer learn to row (this year a Get Fit & Row) is just around the corner, hot on the heels of Henley Friday. Please spread the word for both – all the details you need are below.
We send our congratulations to Barnes Bridge Ladies who took a fleet of boats to race at Henley Women’s Regatta on Friday, including qualification in the coxed four event – well done BBLRC for a strong showing and marking the Centenary Year on the Henley course.
Barnes & Mortlake Regatta Report
We had a good showing at our last local regatta of the season at Barnes and Mortlake on Saturday 11th July. The return of the Ozyurt/Bailey 2x saw us take Vesta in the Semi Final despite some challenging conditions with a convincing victory of 3 lengths. Alas the youthful exuberance of Team Keane saw us outmatched by 1¾ Lengths in the final but we fought them to the line and were pleased with a semi final win and well contested final.In the 4x straight final, sandwiched between two Fulham Crews, we raced well and raced hard with our best performance of the season clearing third place Easily and to miss out on victory by 1 ¼ Lengths to the winning crew.
The takeaway from both events and from the recent training is that the effort and commitment is clearly paying off, those attending regularly are making great strides of progress with some really competitive racing with Coach Beth taking us through some key changes and big steps forward – well done to those of you involved, keep up the hard work and the rewards will come.
Learn to Row Course 2022 – From 03rd July 2022
Spread the word: This summer’s learn to row kicks off from the 3rd July and we’re hoping to run a full Get Fit and Row Course, but we need your help to spread the message and get recruiting to get the most from the event. Details can be found here, the course will be a mix of land and water training. All offers of volunteers will be welcome – all enquiries to Deputy Captain Martin Drage who is organiser in chief. Spread the word if you know of keen rowers-to-be.Forthcoming Races
We have two away races left in our regatta calendar for the season which will round off our summer campaign by the end of July – and plenty of time between now and then to get some solid race prep and training in to finish the summer strong. We have a mix of boats entered already across 4+, 4x 2x and 1x categories for those who have signed up. So if you’re thinking about it, now’s the time to commit – sign up on FitClub.- 23–24th July St Neots
- 30th July Henley Town & Visitors
Boathouse Maintenance Day
A big thank you to all who gave up their time and effort last weekend to help out with maintenance around the boathouse and in the garden to make a real difference to the upkeep of the boathouse and facilities. Huge thanks to you all.CSBE AGM: Thank you too to those who will be representing Cygnet on the CSBE Exec Committee this coming year after the elections at the Boathouse AGM and to the outgoing cast for your excellent contribution in keeping the boathouse standing, the clubs functioning and boating operations slick and smooth!
Social Matters
HENLEY FRIDAY – 1st July
Members of both Cygnet and BBLRC are invited into the most exclusive Henley enclosure, namely the garden at Old Blades during Henley Royal Regatta Friday, which this year falls on 1st July. This invitation has been very kindly made by our hostess, Mrs Pat Sly, who is one of Cygnet's Life Honorary Members. Club members are welcome from around 12 noon until 6pm (end of racing).Taxis will be arranged from Barnes/Mortlake, for those local and interested.
CENTENARY BALL 24th September – Tickets on Sale
Tickets are now on sale for the hottest date of the year for the Centenary Ball on 24th September – a black tie affair promising to be a great occasion. We are looking forward to rowers and friends past and present joining us at the Richmond Hill Hotel. More info and tickets on sale here
- Friday 1st July: Henley Friday
- Sunday 31st July: OGM (Captaincy Elections) & end of season party
- 9th – 11th September: Sculling Camp
- 24th September: Centenary Ball
- 18th September: Scullers Head
- 1st October: Rhine Marathon
- 2nd October: Pairs Head
Rowing and Racing Calendar
