Dick Fishlock

Dick Fishlock was born in 1936 in Uganda as the son of a civil servant who worked for the Colonial Service in a job that took him all over the world. Fishlock returned to England to receive his education at King’s College, Canterbury, before serving in the Royal Air Force (RAF). He then went up to St. Edmund Hall, Oxford to read philosophy, politics, and economics. Having started rowing at King’s, he continued while at RAF Benson in Oxfordshire, and then at Oxford.

Fishlock rowed at Henley with the King’s college first VIII in 1954 and 1955 and was stroke to Edmund Hall in 1959 when they won the Head of the River race for the first time in their history. Unfortunately, Fishlock had to drop out because of illness. The following year he gained some consolation when he won his rowing Blue. Also in 1960 he was in the Oxford eight that lost in the final of the Grand Challenge Cup at Henley to Molesey. Shortly afterwards, Fishlock was a member of the Oxford crew that made up the Great Britain eight at the 1960 Roma Olympics. Unfortunately, they failed to make the final after finishing second in their repêchage heat.

After university Fishlock worked as an advertising agent but maintained a connection with the sport and was one of the Oxford Boat Race crew coaches in the 1970s and was chief coach in 1972.