The Club has very loose links to Catherine Grainger, we have a signed top she used at the Beijing Olympics and she was born a few miles away in Glasgow. That was until yesterday when one of our Hon Life Members encountered her at his work. I will let Sam Brown explain further:
“Came on site yesterday to find Kath coming on site too, in her little blue Mazda. She had been invited by Pitney Bowes to open the Grainger Room which is next to the Redgrave and Pinsent Rooms.The site was rammed as people wanted to hear her speak.
I was able to put her at ease as I spoke of my old rowing mates-George Parsonage, Sandie Walker and Alan Hodgins in Glasgow, Maureen Simpson in USA, Stein Hoff in Norway and Graham Butler and Tony Dean etc., she knows them all. I told her about rowing for Greenock High when Watson’s produced their fastest ever crew, John Munro at bow, Glass and McFarlane in the middle with their Italian rig and Mike Masson at stroke, she knows them all too.
I had my arm round her at one point, her body hard as a door. I don’t think she knows herself about Rio. I told her to forget it and concentrate on generating an income.
She went away with flowers and a nice little model sculling boat for her sideboard. Nice person.”
Catherine & Sam (proudly holding her medal)