Noel knows best
From the outset, the name Noel Donaldson has been synonymous with success. Between 1990 and 2000, a period in Australian rowing
that perhaps should be labelled the ‘Oarsome Era’, crews under Donaldson’s tutelage claimed ;ve World Championship titles, two
Olympic gold medals, a World Championship silver and an Olympic bronze medal.
© Ross Kinnaird/Allsport/Getty Images
“They had talent before I even started with them,”
said Donaldson, referring to the cast of athletes
– James Tomkins, Mike McKay, Nick Green, Sam
Patten, Andrew Cooper and Drew Ginn – that at
some stage comprised the Oarsome Foursome.
“It was a case of the old truisms, ‘players make
coaches,’ and ‘great coaches make great players
better.’”
The “Oarsome Foursome” win
gold at the 1996 Olympic Games
in Atlanta, USA. Michael McKay
(l), James Tomkins, Drew Ginn,
Nick Green (r) carry their coach
Noel Donaldson and celebrate.
Drawn to the riverbank as a student at Carey
Baptist Grammar in Melbourne, rowing was
familiar territory for Donaldson. His grandfather
was an oarsman at Melbourne University and his
brother a coxswain. Encouraged by the boatshed
camaraderie, Donaldson continued his rowing
beyond school at Mercantile Rowing Club. “Being
a coxswain, there was always a demand for a
little fellow to steer a boat,” reflects 54 year-old
Donaldson.
In the early 1970s, Donaldson made a life-changing
decision when he ceased his tertiary training and
job in hospitality, accepted a coaching position
at his alma mater and returned to university >
