Bob Cooper is an Australian former lightweight rower. He was an Australian national champion and won a bronze medal at the

1978 World Rowing Championships Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...

Club and state rowing

Raised in Adelaide, Cooper's senior rowing was from the Torrens Rowing Club. State representation first came for Cooper in 1965 in the South Australian lightweight four contesting the Penrith Cup at the Interstate Regatta within the Australian Rowing Championships. He rowed in further South Australian Penrith Cup crews in 1966, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, stroking the 1974 South Australian four. His 1970 crew was victorious breaking the long stranglehold held by Victoria and New South Wales in this event. In 1966 Cooper rowed in a composite South Australian eight contesting the lightweight eight title at the

Australian Championships The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Th ...

. In 1968 and again in 1974 in Torrens colours and rowing with

Vaughan Bollen Vaughan Bollen is an Australian former lightweight rower. He is from a prominent South Australian rowing family, was a seven-time Australian national champion and won a bronze medal at the 1978 World Rowing Championships. He competed over an eig ...

, Cooper won the national lightweight coxless pair title at the Australian Rowing Championships.1974 Australian Championships
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International representative rowing

Cooper made his sole Australian representative appearance at the

in Copenhagen in the Australian men's lightweight eight. That crew won a bronze medal. Cooper at World Rowing
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Current life

Robert Cooper is now a rowing coach at The Southport School, located on the Gold Coast and predominantly coaches eights. He is currently coaching the TSS Yr 11 1st VIII, rowing in the Jeremy King. The crew is as follows: Macdonald Chandler, Lachlan Frith, Tom Houlahan, Mason King, Toby Goffsassen, Rory Sampson, Sidney Bradnam, George Milson and Cox Samuel Sweetland. Placing 2nd at the annual Head of the River, at Wyaralong Dam with a time of 5:53.49, the crew has been expertly coached by the prestigious Cooper. Mr Cooper fondly remembers his favourite coached crew thus far, the 2020 TSS Open 2nd VIII - crew: Max Cook, Isaac Whitsed, Alec Turnbull, Oscar Billson, Lewis Cole, Zac Rossiter, Tom Schwerkolt and Cox Cameron Vele.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Bob Living people Australian male rowers World Rowing Championships medalists for Australia Year of birth missing (living people) 20th-century Australian sportspeople Rowers from Adelaide Sportsmen from South Australia