"Row, row, row ..." are words commonly associated with a popular nursery rhyme. Are you mentally humming it now?
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However, a cox of a rowing eight, Mr Jim Coquhoun, was yelling these three words to divert an oncoming disaster, as reported on the front page of The Canberra Times, on this day in 1965.
Generally, Lake Burley Griffin is an ideal water playground. The last thing rowers expected was to get run over by the ACT Water Police.
The article, featuring on the front page 56 years ago, revealed that an ACT Water Police launch drove over a fully-crewed rowing eight on the lake.
A few rowers suffered minor bruising but no one was seriously injured in the incident. The $1200 eight, the former Victorian Kings Cup craft Morell, was a write-off.
It belonged to the Australian National University Boat Club. Mr Colquhoun said when he first saw the launch coming from the east, he thought it would cross the eight's bow.
Instead, it changed course coming towards the eight at ramming speed. The driver did not hear Mr Colquhoun yell out, "row, row, row".
Number six, George Ritchie, said the crew was broken-hearted after the accident.