Ron Smith Rowing Performance Scholarships – 2026 Recipients

The Cashmere High School Foundation are delighted to announce the recipients of the inaugural Ron Smith Rowing Performance Scholarships. These two performance scholarships have been made possible through the generosity of Cashmere alumnus Ron Smith (Class of 1969), a long-time supporter of Cashmere High School and its rowing community.

Ron’s gift provides meaningful, ongoing support for students involved in rowing; recognising excellence and commitment, encouraging potential and ultimately helping to ensure more students can continue their journey in the sport. 

Two performance scholarships will be awarded annually, with recipients each receiving $2,000 towards their rowing fees for the following season. 

We are delighted to announce the 2026 recipients below:

Aurelia Lind – Ron Smith Rowing Excellence Scholarship
(Awarded to a Year 11 or Year 12 rower who demonstrates outstanding performance, leadership and dedication to the rowing programme). 

Aurelia embodies the pinnacle of performance, dedication and leadership. In a truly spectacular season, she secured Gold and Silver medals at the South Island Secondary Schools Championships, followed by Silver and Bronze medals at the prestigious Maadi Regatta. What truly sets this rower apart is her outstanding discipline, backed by an elite physical baseline and the ideal attitude of a champion, consistently seeking out extra training to perfect her craft. As her technical finesse continues to sharpen, her speed on the water will become truly unstoppable. Beyond her performances on the water, she is already demonstrating excellent emerging leadership qualities that coaches expect will make her a core leader of the squad by her Under-18 season. 

Aurelia Lind

Tim Henderson – Ron Smith Emerging Rower Scholarship
(Awarded to a Year 10–12 rower who shows strong promise, commitment and potential within the sport).

Tim has demonstrated exceptional potential, unwavering commitment, and a deep drive to succeed on the water. In his novice season alone, he reached the B finals at the Maadi Cup and the A finals at the South Island Secondary Schools Championships, while consistently going above and beyond through extra training each week. With Tim’s exemplary work ethic, highly coachable attitude, and natural physical ability on the water, coaches are incredibly excited about his trajectory. 

Tim Henderson

The Cashmere High School Foundation is extremely grateful for Ron’s generosity, as through initiatives like this, the Foundation continues to strengthen opportunities for students to contribute positively to Cashmere High School.