ROWERS, family and friends turned out for the unveiling of a memorial tribute board to a club stalwart who made waves for decades in his sport.

Monmouth Rowing Club have also named their Wyeside base the ‘John Hartland Boathouse’ in tribute to their former chairman and regatta secretary, who spent nearly 60 years fostering the sport on the Wye.

A get together in the clubhouse on Saturday also said ‘Bon Voyage’ to MRC’s Eric Froggatt, who is off to sail around the world in the Clipper Race and built the board, beautifully illustrated by local calligrapher Tess Cooling (www.tesscoolingcalligraphy.co.uk).

John, spent 30 years as master I/C rowing at Monmouth School and led Welsh Rowing as national chairman and team manager, including at the 1986 Commonwealth Games.

He was instrumental in the building of Monmouth RC’s clubhouse in 1969, which replaced a rickety old wooden warehouse, and the 1996 Lottery-funded extension.

The board was unveiled by one of John’s Old Monmothian and former MRC rowers, 11-time Cambridge Boat Race chief coach Robin Williams, who guided Helen Glover and Heather Stanning to two Olympic gold medals in 2012/ 2016.

Robin said: “John embodied the key ingredients of a good coach, with that energy and drive to bring a programme along. He was the glue, the personality, involved in so many aspects of Welsh rowing... he had a conversation with myself and Mike Partridge as juniors about rowing internationally, and it sparked a dream.”

Club president John Jenkins, who first met ‘JWH’ when he moved here in 1964, added: “He must have coached thousands of youngsters in the art of rowing on the Wye, including some who went on to win Olympic medals, one who even became Minister of Sport.”

John’s children Nick Hartland and Kate Callaghan – who runs the rowing at Monmouth School for Girls RC, who row out of MRC and which he founded in the 1990s – were delighted with the tribute, which includes a resume of his rowing life.

“It’s a lovely honour from the club and we’re very grateful to everyone involved,” said Nick.

“This clubhouse, which he helped build, was very much his spiritual home.”