VETS GET SET TO ROW AGAIN

Gerringong veterans rowing crew braving the chilly winter mornings with a training session on Minnamurra River.

GERRINGONG veterans surfboat rowing team are aiming to build upon their already successful state medal tally that has netted them one golf and four silver medals over the past five years.

Returning members of the team include John Ring, Evan Prytherch, Bruce Mackie, Mark Booth and they welcome new member Mal Dunwoodi.

While the team bond and timing are crucial components of a surf boat team, luck plays an important part as bowman Bruce Mackie recalls the painful memory from the Australian championships on the Golf Coast last year.

We got done by a big wave at Aussies last year and our main aim was to make the final, he said.

The crew that won we had beaten four times during last year but we are we are all mainly part of surf life saving for the community involvement and to patrol our beaches to ensure they are safe, he added.

It is a long road ahead to the Australian Championships this year, which are to be held in Perth next March, the team will start their season with the South Coast Boat Series beginning in three weeks time.

The series consists of five carnivals but out main aim is state this year and Perth depends a lot on availability and the cost, he added.