TORPOINT Rowing Club was built by public money and collections around the town and was opened in 1960 as a youth club and rowing club.

A bar was installed downstairs in the rowing club area and in around 1982 it was bought upstairs to what is now the lounge area.

The building has a lounge area, bar, and sports and entertainments area with boat storage underneath.

However, there are no rowing teams at Torpoint and the club is now more of a social club.

Marlene Jarvis is the treasurer at the club and was holding the fort this week as stewardess Bernice Andrews, former landlady from The Kings Arms opposite the club, was away.

Marlene has been treasurer for a year and her husband, Terry, was chairman although the elections take place later this month to decide on the positions for next year.

Terry and Marlene have lived in Torpoint for many years and Marlene was the former stewardess at the club.

The club has various teams including a pool team, darts teams and two euchre teams, all of which are in the Torpoint and district leagues.

The club also hosts a Saturday bonus ball draw, games of bingo, a meat draw during Saturday lunchtimes and occasional quizzes.

The club is a members only club and the joining fee for a year is £6 per couple, £4 single and £2 for an OAP.

The membership application goes forward to the committee where the decision is made and the member accepted if there are no objections.

Terry explained: 'We work as a close-knit town community. If someone is barred from one pub, every other pub or club gets to hear about it and that is kept in mind if that person applies for membership here.'

View

Ernie Harris has been a member ever since the club started. He worked on the dockyard tugs all his life from when he was 14 until he was 65.

He said: 'The club is good, there's a great view and I'm a member of the euchre team.'

Les Knott has been a member of the club for more than 10 years.

His mother, Mary Knott, and sister, Joan Kingsman, were the first to the run the club when it opened as a youth club.

Les and Ernie reminisced about Mr Ackland, Mr Bridge, Mr Nethercott and Mr Johnson raising the money to built the club and Les said: 'I remember people buying a block for a shilling when the club was being built.'

When the club was an active rowing club 'watermans' boats were used. They are 18 ft boats and used to be raced from the gasworks.

When the club was built, Cornish racing boats were used, these being 17.6 ft Flashboats and the 18 ft watermans boats.

The West of England rules and boats then came into being at the club and sliding seat boats were used. Rowing stopped a couple of years ago.

The Rowing Club serve Bass, Federation Brewery beers and LCL lager which are supplied by The Beer Seller from Bodmin. When the Cornish Times was visiting the club, a delivery arrived.

Dan Parker and Gary Dean from The Beer Seller popped in for a soft drink before continuing with their round.

Friendly

Dan said: 'We deliver here once a week and usually have a quick drink before moving on.'

He joked: 'It's always friendly here - I guess they have to be or else we won't give them their beer!'

Jack Spurnell, who is originally from Millbrook and now lives in Torpoint, said: 'I became a member soon after I moved here, about 12 years ago.

'It's a very good club and there's always a good atmosphere.'