Words: Row360

PHOTOGRAPHY ELLEN DE MONCHY

There have already been many obituaries of Peter Spurrier, the renowned rowing photographer who died aged 77 in mid-April 2023 after heart problems. This is a joint commemoration of the great man from the Row360 writers, athlete-turned-editor Tom Ransley, and contributor Rachel Quarrell, who knew Pete for thirty years.

Running through our thoughts is the fact that Pete himself would have been surprised at the fuss. His whole modus operandi was unassuming, calm, contained. Although he fully knew his worth as a top-class rowing photographer, he wasn't impressed by showing off, so he didn't do it himself. As others became noisier and showed off more, he became quieter and more reserved. Not in any way shy, but reserving judgement, not competing for space.

Rachel Quarrell first met Pete Spurrier after being adopted by the massed GB rowing hacks in 1993. Thanks to Dan Topolski and Hugh Matheson, members of a badly behaved bunch of OUBC alumni whom she occasionally coxed in masters races, she was invited to join the press boat, to cheer her up when as the Observer and Independent rowing correspondents they were following the Boat Race crews just after she'd been binned as a trialling cox. Membership of BARJ (the British Association of Rowing Journalists, of which Spurrier was later treasurer) followed. Amongst the flamboyant talents of Topolski, Matheson, Geoffrey Page, Chris Dodd and Mike Rosewell, Spurrier was always there, getting on with his job in the background.