Kaniva’s Jess Hawker has been selected to compete at the renowned Henley Royal Regatta in England this July.
The 21-year-old daughter of Tom and Kim Hawker has represented Victoria in state rowing teams since the age of 17. A former Ballarat Grammar student, Jess now rows for Melbourne’s Mercantile Rowing Club and trains most mornings at 5.30am on the Yarra River.
She is in her fourth year of a six-year Law and Arts (Human Rights) degree at Monash University and is the cousin of Olympic gold medallist Lucy Stephan, who also discovered rowing during her school years.
Jess and her crew will compete in the Wargrave Challenge Cup—one of the club events at the historic Henley Royal Regatta. The regatta features head-to-head knockout racing over a 2,112-metre course on the River Thames and attracts top crews from around the world.
“This will be my biggest race to date, and I’m incredibly proud to represent Mercantile on this stage,” Jess said.
To help cover the substantial costs of travel, equipment hire, and accommodation, the crew has launched a fundraising campaign. Supporters can contribute via their GoFundMe page: www.gofundme.com/f/mercantile-womens-henley-royal-regatta-campaign.
This article appeared in Nhill Free Press & Kaniva Times, 14 May 2025.
