Thomas C Parker

 

Australian crew for Olympic games at Stockholm -

 

Thomas C Parker - Balmain Rowing Club, is a powerful oarsman, he scales 13st 7lb and rows every ounce of it over the whole distance. He rowed in interstate last year for the first time. His wins include champion and senior fours in 1910, and two senior eights (1911), besides a number of club races. T C Parker is a comparatively young oar, but he pushes away a lot of water. Like some of the other big oarsmen, his work is not perfection, and is not characterised by the mastery of the finer points of oarsmanship, but nevertheless he is well worthy of his seat in the boat.

 

Sydney Morning Herald - 23 January 1912

 

 

 

Thomas C Parker of the Balmain Rowing Club who rowed with the Australian eight-oar crew on the Thames and at the Olympic Games at Stockholm, has definitely decided to join the professionals. Speaking to the Herald representative yesterday Parker said that he was turning professional not because he had any fault to find with the amateur form of the sport but because he thought a change would be beneficial. “While I was an amateur oarsman,” said Parker, I endeavour to forward the interests of the pastime, and now that I have reached the highest plane in amateur rowing, I want to try the professional ranks, not for what I can make out of it - far from it - but because I think some impetus is needed to give professional four-oared rowing a start. If I enter into a thing it is my earnest endeavour to advance it throughly - witness the progress of the Balmain Club through my efforts - and, although I may fall foul of the officers of the New South Wales Rowing Association, who will doubtless think me ungrateful after the way I have been treated, yet I cannot be blamed for following my own inclination. So far as my trip to the old country and to Sweden is concerned, I did what was wanted of me there; but since my return I consider that they have no claim whatever on my allegiance. No, I am not taking this step as the outcome of anything that has occurred here, or in England, for I have nothing to complain about.’Parker said that now the move had been made he felt that there would be many more defections among the amateur oarsmen; but he would not commit himself by mentioning the names of any probable recruits to professionalism.

 

Sydney Morning Herald - 21 October 1913