On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the evacuation of Vietnam, we bring you a story about an old boy who had forged ties and deep friendships over four Olympics in that rich and colourful nation to our north. OIU News recently caught up with Old Ignatian, past parent, school administrator and master and Olympic Rowing Coach Joe Donnelly (OR69) on his love of the sport and some of the lessons we can learn from his rich and varied journey from the Lane Cove River to the Paris Olympics. 

We asked Joe about the lasting impact that Riverview has had on his life's work.

"I went to Riverview in 1964. The junior school was new that year. I was in the first intake, in year seven. I was the smallest kid in the school. I weighed four stone seven because I used to be sick a lot with asthma and I didn't eat much. I started rowing at the end of that year, coxing the tubs. The next year we moved to the senior school. And you'll all remember Fr Romanin. He used to stand up in that pulpit in the dining room and make sure all the kids ate their food."

"Ferrucio taught me how to cox. He moved me from the tubs to the Four and then the Second VIII. I coxed for 5 crews in six years at school. I thought I'd finished rowing, then I got a call from John Curtin at Sydney Uni saying they didn't have a cox. He was rowing for Sydney Uni, and they needed a cox for the State Championships." "I made the NSW Kings Cup crew in 1974. There were four 'View' boys in that boat including John Curtin. On the day of the final, it was really windy, with big waves. We had a great race plan that Mori Grace put together. We only rowed at 80% for the first 500 meters because it was really wind affected. But when you hit the reeds, you had about 600 meters of perfect water. That's where we put the pedal down. We took a length on them all, and they never caught us. 

Speaking briefly of his experience coaching athletes from Vietnam to four Olympics. "I've got friends everywhere in the world, like Steve from Riverview from 1968. We've rowed together many crews and one and when you win, the experience of winning is - you can't replicate it. In Orange, I wasn't rowing, but I was missing it. And now with the Vietnamese, I get it again, even though it's not the same level as rowing for Australia, the achievements are just as good. You know, I criticise Australian rowing. They're too hell bent on gold medals. They don't realize that most of the people in the Olympics haven't won a gold medal. But the difficulty to get there is far greater than a lot of people realise." Finally, fellow Ignatian and member of the College, Sydney University, NSW and Australian VIII with Joe, Steve Newnham (OR70) summed up Joe's approach. 

"I would make a couple of points about Joe's amazing achievements which I have witnessed over 55 years of being a mate. He epitomises all the life lessons we learn from team sport. He is very thoughtful in planning, structured and detailed, considered but overall considerate of all the issues facing those involved, from Governments, companies as sponsors, equipment suppliers, administrators, volunteers, coaches, and trainers and above all the athletes and their families- their well-being is paramount. He is patient but relentless. He is a careful manager of the budget. His achievements in Vietnam go beyond the team sport of rowing, to the bigger picture highlighting an important lesson and fundamental skill for all who are looking to do business overseas- spend time learning to understand how people interact and how decisions are made and be patient- all critical factors in Joe's success.

"We ended our chat by asking Joe what was it about rowing that makes it so special. "It's the best sport. Only good people last in rowing. It's a tough sport."