Anne's Story
Anne Young began her senior rowing career with Melbourne University Boat Club in 1973. She later spent three seasons with Melbourne’s YWCA Rowing Club before returning to Melbourne University. Young emerged as one of Victoria’s leading rowers, winning the interstate women’s coxed four championship in 1978, 1979 and 1980 and collecting eight Australian championship titles during her career. In 1979, Young rowed in the bow seat of the Australian coxed four at the World Championships in Bled. The crew finished fifth, a performance that strengthened the case for sending an Australian women’s rowing crew to the following year’s Olympic Games.
At 25, Young made history at Moscow 1980 as a member of Australia’s first women’s Olympic rowing crew. Alongside Sally Harding, Pam Westendorf, Verna Westwood and coxswain Susie Palfreyman, she again placed fifth in the coxed four. Australia finished as the leading Western nation in the event, behind four Eastern European crews. After retiring from international competition, Young coached rowing at Geelong College and pursued a career as a general practitioner in rural Victoria.
