The members of the Committee of the Fours Head are sad to hear of the death yesterday of Jim Hopkins of Auriol Kensington RC, the competition’s President. Our thoughts and condolences are with his family.
Jim first took up coxing and then rowing 75 years ago in 1947, shortly befort starting work at the age of 15 at Aylings of Putney, the oar and scull maker. He served on the committee of the Fours Head (officially the Head of the River Fours until recently) for over 50 years and was actively involved in building the race into the national-level event that it is today. In particular, he was one of a small sub-committee who agreed the original sponsorship arrangements with Fuller’s in 1979. He was awarded the Amateur Rowing Association (now British Rowing) Medal of Honour in 1991.
The picture above shows 2003 committee members Chris Shea and Jim Hopkins on the left and John Booker and Mike Arnold-Gilleat on the right with Richard Fuller and Tim Foster at the prizegiving at Fuller’s Brewery that year.
The Fours Head 