Dave Wheeler.

David Wheeler joined Ryde Rowing Club in the mid 1950's after he left the Royal Navy when he was initially looking for a place to store his sailing dingy. Little did he know that nearly seventy years later he would still be connected with the club as a Hon. Life Member.

Over the years David served in a number of roles including; Committeeman, Club Secretary and later as Captain but he was best remembered for his boatbuilding skills. In the early 1960s, he used his skills, which had been honed in the navy, to work with a group of club members to build three new boats for the club.

David was also instrumental in finding a new home for the club at Appley Park when it was forced to vacate its premises on Ryde Pier in 1970. After a few years operating out of 'the old stoneboat house', a new clubhouse was build in 1974 and the opening ceremony was performed by Lord Louis Mountbatten with David acting as the host to his fellow ex-navy man.

Having secured a new home for the club David started working on another boat building project at the end of the 1970s. The pair of boats he helped to build was crucial to the most successful period in the club's history with a string of victories, including a hat-trick of South Coast Championship wins in the mid-1980s.

Work took David away from the Island for ten years but, he returned to Ryde in 1992 to retire and to resume his association with the club. In later life, as his legs began to fail him David used a mobility scooter to 'get down the club' and had his own key for the stair-lift in the club. David never missed a club regatta and enjoyed catching up with old friends from the Ryde and the visiting mainland clubs and of course, sampling the splendid food that was always available on regatta days.

Sadly on 1 April 2021, just a few weeks short of his 96th Birthday, David passed away leaving all those that knew him and have been associated with the Ryde Rowing Club with the opportunity to reflect on his legacy and to thank him for his near seventy years of service and support.

Paul Wheeler.