Eric Waller remembered for his dedication, mentorship in rowing

A public memorial service was held on Sunday for the man who led the modern evolution of rowing in Ballarat, spearheaded the push for improvements to the Lake Wendouree rowing course, and in doing so touched so many lives.

Mr Waller died earlier this month aged 82.

The crowd who gathered at the Lakeview Hotel, fittingly overlooking the lake where he spent so many hours and contributed so much, heard about his devotion to the sport and the people he met along the way.

Daughter Jo Waller and her partner Peter-John Dimichiel said what hit home, after hearing so many stories in public and in private, was Mr Waller's involvement in different people's lives.

"His mentorship, his connection to everyone is amazing to see," they said.

"If everyone can take a bit of that on board in their daily lives, to reach out and have connection with people ... Eric established connection and we (hope) that people can continue that on in whichever way they can."

Ms Waller said her father, who was also well known in the Ballarat car industry, still had people ringing him for advice on used cars and car prices in his last weeks of life.

Having started rowing as a teenager, Mr Waller has become best known as the course manager for Ballarat Associated Schools' Head of the Lake regatta and the first point of contact for regattas on Lake Wendouree.

Wendouree Ballarat Rowing Club president John King read through some of Mr Waller's long list of rowing-related accomplishments which many in the crowd had also been part of, or benefited from.

Mr Waller was president of the Wendouree Ballarat Rowing Club from 1979 to 2014 following 20 years as club captain. He was Rowing Ballarat president from 1984 until 2022, president of the Victorian Country Rowing Association from 1989 to 2009, a board member of Rowing Victoria from 1993 to 2009, and a vice president of Rowing Victoria.

"Apart from those position he held was the influence on ... the course we have here in Ballarat," Mr King said.

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"He was instrumental in getting the judges box built, widening the course, lengthening the course and getting the course approved by FISA (the governing body of world rowing). Everything you see, the infrastructure, Eric had to do with."

Mr King said Mr Waller had put rowing on the map in Ballarat as one of the biggest school sports, and been an influential mentor to him and many others in the sport - a familiar face at every regatta on the lake and further afield.

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