Yarra Yarra Rowing Club was established with a simple conviction: to bring hard working men from blue collar roles together in a place of community and joy in the simple pleasure of rowing on the Yarra. From those early days, the Club has developed its community spirit and a shared passion for the water. Welcoming women as competitive rowing members in the 1980's, Yarra now has a diverse, inclusive membership, with rowers of all ages and abilities, still united by a shared enjoyment of the sport and the club community.

Over the decades, we have produced generations of competitive rowers — some who have gone on to represent their state and country, and many more who simply found, on our stretch of the river, a place that felt like home. The Shed has been more than a storage facility; it has been a gathering place, a social hub, a quiet space for reflection after a long row, and a noisy one after a Club dinner. Through floods, through lean years, through the disruptions of a pandemic, the Club has endured. It has done so because our members give — of their time, their expertise, their energy and, increasingly, their financial support. That spirit of giving is what now calls us to think more formally and more ambitiously about how we sustain and grow what we have built together.

Running a rowing club with genuine ambition is not inexpensive. Boats are costly. Oars, launches, ergometers, coaching equipment and compliance — the list of what it takes to keep a competitive and welcoming club operational is substantial. Annual fees cover operating costs, but they cannot alone fund the capital investment our fleet and facilities require, nor can they build the reserves that will allow the Club to renew its Shed when the time comes.

We are establishing two dedicated funds — the Equipment Replacement Fund and the Future Fund — to allow members and friends who wish to give at a deeper level to do so in a way that is purposeful, transparent and enduring.