Lionel Robberds
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nationality | Australian | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 2 April 1939 Sydney, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 31 March 2024 (aged 84)[1] Sydney, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Rowing | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Olympic finals | 1960 Rome | ||||||||||||||||||||
| National finals | ULVA Trophy 1951–1958 King's Cup 1955–57, 1959 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Lionel Philip Robberds, AM, King's Counsel (2 April 1939 – 31 March 2024) was an Australian representative rowing coxswain, national representative and world champion squash player and barrister. In rowing, he was seven times a national champion who won a gold medal in a coxed four at the 1954 Commonwealth Games; silver and bronze medals at the 1958 Commonwealth Games; and competed at the 1960 Rome Olympics in the men's coxed four.[2] In squash, he was a member of Australia's 1973 World Champion amateur four-man team. As a lawyer, his career at the New South Wales bar extended over fifty years. He was appointed a QC in 1982 and later a senior member of the New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
Robberds was educated at Sydney Boys High School though he did not cox at school. His club rowing was from Sydney's Leichhardt Rowing Club and from the Sydney University Boat Club.
State selection first came for Robberds a month after he turned twelve in 1951, to cox the New South Wales women's four which contested and won the ULVA Trophy at the Interstate Regatta.[3] For seven consecutive years Robberds coxed the New South Wales women's four and saw victories at the Interstate Regattas of 1952,[4] 1953,[5] 1955,[6] 1956 and 1957. In 1955 he also coxed the New South Wales men's eight in their King's Cup attempt at the Interstate Regatta. In 1956 and 1957 he again steered both the New South Wales women's four and the men's eight. In both years the four were victors and the eight placed second.[7] For the 1958 Interstate Regatta, Robberds was away with the Australian squad at the Commonwealth Games but in 1959 he was back in the stern of the New South Wales men's eight and steered them to a King's Cup victory.[8]
In 1957 aged seventeen and already at university, Robberds coxed the Sydney University eight at the 1957 Australian Universities Championships.[9]
International representative rowing
For the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Vancouver as was customary, that year's winning King's Cup eight - Victoria - were invited to represent as the Australian crew. They declined citing concerns on funding and the racing standard and so a squad was selected which comprised three New South Wales scullers in Wood, Evatt and Riley and two sweep oarsmen from the New South Wales eight Geoff Williamson and David Anderson. The squad were able to contest the single and double scull and a pair and coxed four. As the Leichhardt club coxswain of Williamson and Anderson, Robberds aged just fifteen, was selected to cox the four which rowed to a gold medal victory.[10]
Selection racing for the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games was conducted in January 1958 and New South Wales oarsmen and combinations dominated. The New South Wales eight was selected in toto to race as the Australian eight and Robberds selected as coxswain. In Cardiff the eight rowed to a silver medal and four of the crew with Robberds in the stern also raced as a coxed four and took a bronze medal.[11]
For the 1960 Rome Olympics the Australian eight was the winning King's Cup West Australian eight. A coxed four was selected as the fourth priority boat and a New South Wales four was picked with Robberds on the rudder. In Rome they made the Olympic final and finished in fifth place.[12]