A splash of champagne and Graeme Howard was born.
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A boat named after Graeme Howard – who has served the Ballarat High School community for over seven decades – was christened during a ceremony this week.
The boat will be used by Ballarat High School year 10 division one girls and year 9 division one girls at the upcoming Head of the Lake regatta.
The long-standing school council president said the honour had come unexpectedly.
“I was pretty flattered and honoured actually. It was out of the blue somewhat, it was quite a thrill,” Howard said.
“I’ve been around the school for a few years. It’s been quite a long enjoyable road.”
Howard said a school education was much more than an academic experience, but extra-curricular activities like rowing gave a student necessary life skills.
Howard attended Ballarat High School as a student between 1955 and 1959 before sending his four sons to the school between 1982 and 1994, all of whom were rowers.
He has been school council president since 1992 after joining the council in 1982.
Ballarat High School principal Gary Palmer said Howard’s loyalty to the school was unquestionable.
“He’s putting back into the school to ensure all the students have the same experience he and his four sons had,” Palmer said. “He was a great supporter of the school as president and during the drought he made sure the school continued to donate to the rowing program.”
Money was raised by the school boat club committee over two years to purchase the boat.