Phil Cayzer

Phil Cayzer rowed for the Sydney Rowing Club, joining them in 1947. In 1949 he moved into the two seat of the New South Wales King’s Cup eight, which won national titles in 1949-51. The crew also won gold at the 1950 British Empire Games. It also won titles at the 1951 Canterbury Centennnial Games and the New Zealand Championships, leading to its selection for the 1952 Olympics. After winning bronze at the 1952 Helsinki Games, Cayzer was in a serious car accident in 1953 which sidelined him for the season. He returned in 1954 to stroke the Sydney Rowing Club crew to win the 1954 New South Wales Championships and place second at the King’s Cup.

Cayzer, who had attended St. Joseph’s College in Sydney, studying industrial chemistry, then turned his attention to business and coaching. He coached the Aussie coxed four that competed at the 1964 Olympics and also coached the Sydney Rowing Club until the 1970s when he moved to Victoria for work and then coached the Mercantile Rowing Club and the Victorian crews. A yearly competition between Mercantile and Sydney Rowing Clubs was formed, with the winning crew receiving the Cayzer Cup. In 1992 Cayzer was given an Order of Australia Medal for his lifetime service to rowing.