John Simkins

John Simkins, 1948 – 2026

John Simkins, who has died at the age of 78, joined Cygnet in early 1974. If truth were told, he always regarded rowing as something of an elitist sport, yet as a British Telecom (tunnelling) engineer he perfectly matched the original criteria for Cygnet membership – an employee of the Post Office.

In contrast to the late 60s and early 70s, when graduate civil servants featured prominently among new intakes, Simkins (as he was invariably known) and his cohort were painters and decorators, electricians, plumbers and engineers. While tunnelling was not in high demand, John wasted no time in applying his skills to overhauling the boat trailer, painting the changing room and refurbishing the showers, ably assisted by his contemporaries, among them Noel Durkin, Peter Grebot, Jack Phillips, Nick Wylie and Dave Wynne.

Perhaps somewhat to John’s surprise, he rapidly developed an affinity for rowing. An early triumph was the Len Freeman Cup Novice lVs event in April 1975 which had attracted twelve entries. In the event, John stroked his crew (Messrs Wylie, Wynne and Phillips) to a four-length win, a performance that would be matched in other club events like the Balfour Fours. These were halcyon days: Phil Beckett and Wylie recall carefree outings on summer evenings coached by Alan Azzaro, followed by lengthy debriefings in the club bar afterwards. Beer and, for a short experimental period, wine flowed late into the night.

Winter training presented its own challenges, inviting suggestions of certain lifestyle changes such as moderating one’s alcoholic intake and giving up smoking. For a committed pipe smoker like Simkins, this was out of the question and he never acquiesced, notwithstanding missives from on high. Thus, minutes of a committee meeting in February 1976 noted that the captain suggested, to general agreement, that smoking in the showers and the changing room was undesirable. A notice making the committee’s view clear was duly posted (and firmly observed in the breach).

Despite this breach of etiquette, by now it was becoming clear that Simkins was seen as a safe pair of hands, always a bad sign in a bureaucracy-bound club like Cygnet, and by 1976 he had been sucked into the committee. Little did he know that he would be on fast track to higher office. Late 1976 found the club with a pool of 20+ senior C oarsmen, an iconic coach (George Plumtree) and a contested captaincy election. In the event, Richard du Parcq defeated John Bull to become captain, John stepped in as deputy and Nick Wylie as vice. And so, the stage was set for the Plumtree Years.

Throughout 1977–78, John rowed in the powerhouse of the Plumtree VIII (Pictured below at four in the senior C pennant winning VIII of 1977) while acting as George’s all-important point man, taking the pulse of the crew and conducting a delicate balancing act between coach and captain. Nothing less than six days training a week would do and John ensured that we all kept up to the mark, although he loathed doing sprint runs (in wellington boots) to the band stand and back before outings.

Nevertheless, the training paid off, and a bunch of rookie senior Cs ascended through the ranks to senior A by the close of 1978, having made two appearances in Thames Cup at Henley Royal along the way. John more than played his part, rebuilding the Joe Lee, an anachronism of a boat (pictured below), convincing a wavering crew to enter Henley in 1977 and pushing hard for a new boat – a state-of-the-art Carbocraft no less – in 1978.

When Alan Azzaro stepped down as captain in late 1978, John was the obvious choice for the job; he was joined by Richard Kemball-Cook (deputy) and Phil Beckett (vice). The victory years of 1977–78 were a hard act to follow and 1979 proved to be an uneventful year on the water, yet John kept the show on the road with the same steadying hand he always displayed.

By the mid-1980s, a romantic interest (Gill) found him transferring his allegiance to Auriol Kensington Rowing Club where he swiftly ended up with the task of secretary of Hammersmith Regatta. One of his last appearances on the water at Cygnet was in the 1990 Business Houses Head (pictured below, John third from right, back row) when the club marked its centenary with a captains’ VIII.

Sadly, ill health led to Gill’s untimely demise. John took redundancy from BT, started a boat chandlery business in St Neots and qualified as a gas engineer to ‘MOT’ pleasure boats. Somewhere along the way, he met Christine; they married in 2000 and emigrated to Portugal where he ended his days. Christine predeceased him. We are grateful to John’s niece, Lorraine, for informing us of his passing. John’s funeral was held in Portugal on 19 February. There will be a private customary sprinkling of his ashes on the Thames at some point, followed by a memorial gathering later in the year.

As fellow Cygnet member Rod Beer commented on being informed of John’s demise, he was an unassuming soul who loved his rowing and the Club. Whatever else, he surely hid his light under a bushel.

Paul Rawkins, 27 March 2026