Sydney University Sport has awarded Boat Club veteran, Chris Noel the title of “Administrator of the Year “ for 2020.
As an indication of the length of Chris’s service, he also won this award in its early years in 1995.
Chris has served in various capacities at the club, originally as Captain for two years 1976-77 towards the end of his active rowing career (1968-77) and later served as President or Vice President from 1987 to 2015 and again since 2016 as Club Secretary.
During this period Chris was also involved with Sydney Uni Sport, serving on the Management Committee from 1991 to 2009 initially as a Vice President and then as a Uni Senate Representative. Chris also served on the Sydney Uni Sport Blues Committee from 1988 to around 2004.
At state level rowing Chris has served as President of Rowing NSW for two years, served on the Rowing NSW Board for six years, and as a NSW State Selector and member of the Rowing NSW Competition Commission over this period.
Chris feels one of his most important achievements was his involvement (along with Steve Handley of Sydney Rowing Club) in changing the approach to selecting state crews and the support of these teams from Rowing NSW. The initial changes, coupled with a dedicated group of rowers, saw NSW reverse its fortunes winning win ten of the last twelve Kings Cups.
Chris has previously been awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the Senate of the University for his contribution to sport at Sydney University and an OAM for his services to the sport of rowing. Both Sydney University Sport and Rowing New South Wales have awarded Chris with Honorary Life Membership.
In 2019 Sydney University Sport underwent a governance review. Chris along with Boat Club alumnus John Boultbee was involved in representing the interests of the clubs in the new structure.
Chris was elected as Secretary of the newly formed Sydney University Sport Clubs Advisory Committee. This is a representative advisory body of delegates of the forty Sydney University Sport clubs.
The Awards Committee considered Chris’s work in this role in making the 2020 Administrator of the Year Award to him.
