Robert Whitla Richards (July 9, 1909 – May 19, 1989) was a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

rower Rowing, often called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars (called blades in the United Kingdom) are attached to the boat using rowlocks, while paddles are ...

who competed in the

1930 British Empire Games The 1930 British Empire Games were the inaugural edition of what is now known as the Commonwealth Games, and was held in Hamilton, Ontario, from 16 to 23 August 1930. The event was organized by '' Hamilton Spectator'' sportswriter Bobby Robinso ...

, where he won a gold medal alongside his cousin Elswood Bole. A native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Richards won the Canadian national championships in the

double scull A double scull, also abbreviated as a 2x, is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for two persons who propel the boat by sculling with two oars each, one in each hand. Racing boats (often called "shells") ar ...

s six times between 1928 and 1950, but missed qualifying for the Summer Olympics in 1932. He also had a term as president of his

Winnipeg Rowing Club Winnipeg Rowing Club (WRC) is a rowing club on the Red River of the North, Red River in downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba. WRC provides adult and youth competitive rowing programs, and regularly sends crews to events like the Royal Canadian Henley R ...

. By career he was a stockbroker and he served in the Canadian Army during World War II. He was inducted into the

Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum The Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum is a Canadian museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba, dedicated to honoring the history and achievements of sports in Manitoba. The organization began in 1980, and then opened a museum in The Forks in 1993. Afte ...

in 1988.

Early life

Richards was born in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

, on July 9, 1909. In addition to rowing, he was athletically involved in cross-country skiing, golfing, ice hockey, sailing, and squash. In 1926 he began a career as a stockbroker and, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he served in the

Canadian Army The Canadian Army () is the command (military formation), command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also re ...

, eventually reaching the rank of

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

Rowing career

Richards took up rowing in the 1920s with the

and won his first Canadian national championship in the

s in 1928, alongside his cousin Elswood Bole. They defended their crown the following year and were selected to represent Canada at the

, where they captured a gold medal. They also won the Northwestern International Rowing Association's doubles titles that year in

Kenora Kenora (), previously named Rat Portage (), is a city situated on the Lake of the Woods in Ontario, Canada, close to the Manitoba boundary, and about east of Winnipeg by road. It is the seat of Kenora District. The history of the name exten ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

. Richards had his first international success as a single sculler in 1931, when he won the Northwestern title in that category in

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

. He then attempted to qualify for the double sculls event at the

1932 Summer Olympics The 1932 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the X Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1932) were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932, in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held du ...

with Theo Dubois, but they were defeated in the trials by

Noël de Mille Noel or Noël may refer to: Christmas * , French for Christmas * Noel is another name for a Christmas carol Places * Noel, Missouri, United States, a city *Noel, Nova Scotia, Canada, a community *Noel Park, a suburb in Greater London, Engla ...

and

Ned Pratt Ned Pratt (born 1964) is a Canadian photographer based in St. John's, Newfoundland. Pratt grew up in the community of St. Catherine's in St. Mary's Bay, Newfoundland. In 1986 he graduated with a BA in Art History from Acadia University then mov ...

of the

Vancouver Rowing Club Vancouver Rowing Club (VRC) is a rowing (sport), rowing club in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Originally formed in 1886 as the Vancouver Boating Club, the first clubhouse was built a year later. In 1890 one of the city's early athletic riv ...

. In 1933 Richards and Bole won the doubles at the Northwestern regatta in

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, ...

Prior to his career being interrupted by World War II, Richards won the national doubles title again in 1935. Richards' first post-war competition came as the stroke of a Canadian eights crew in an inter-services regatta in September 1945. Soon after, he began serving as president of the Winnipeg Rowing Club. He won the national doubles titles three more times, in 1947, 1948, and 1950, before retiring after the latter victory.

Later life

During his career as a stockbroker, Richards served as a manager of Richardson's Securities from 1958 until his retirement in 1974. He also served as head of the Winnipeg Stock Exchange and the Lake of the Woods Yacht Club and was board chairman of the

Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO) is a Canadian orchestra based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Founded in 1947, the orchestra plays most of its concerts at the Centennial Concert Hall. Including travelling performances, the WSO presents an average of ...

. In November 1988 he was inducted into the

. He died on May 19, 1989, at Winnipeg's Heath Sciences Centre. The R. W. Richards Society, which recognizes the top achievers at Richardson's Securities, was named in his honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Richards, Bob 1909 births 1989 deaths Canadian male rowers Rowers at the 1930 British Empire Games Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Canada Commonwealth Games gold medallists in rowing Rowers from Winnipeg Canadian military personnel of World War II Medallists at the 1930 British Empire Games 20th-century Canadian sportsmen