We have a fantastic team of coaches at Mercantile with years of experience at an elite level. In fact, Mercantile has more coaches than any club in Australia. This means that you will be guided to develop as an athlete, and perform at your best to ensure you are able to make the most of the representative opportunities that Rowing Victoria and Rowing Australia offer.

Mark Fangen-Hall

HEAD COACH

Mark comes to us from Queens University and, prior to that, was at Cambridge. He has a rowing-family background, and competed himself at Upper Thames, Leander and Molesey, experiences which culminated in a coxed IV at the Nations Cup in 1991.

Having completed a degree in sports science at Brunel University, Mark has coached in both the United Kingdom and Ireland. Mark’s wife Victoria, and son Luc, have joined us at Mercantile – as well as their dog, our new boatshed mascot, “Oscar”!

Mark was drawn to the record and pedigree of Mercantile Rowing Club.

“This is a club with a proud history, and I see an opportunity to lead it not only to further accomplishments but to develop it, also, into a sporting hub which is open to all. I want Mercantile to succeed at every level, from its junior and youth levels through to the involvement of its masters. I want to see its core values promoted through every tier of our membership.

“Rowing is a demanding sport, and each athlete needs the support that is only possible at clubs like Mercantile. With my background in talent identification and development, I’m determined to attract many of the exciting juniors I have already seen.

“Youth development is a top priority at Mercantile, and we’re investing in new boats, big and small, to facilitate the talent within our squads.

“This is a very exciting time for Mercantile, and I’m honored to be a part of the team which will strive to make this club the Mecca for expanded levels of rowing.”

Tom Abramowski

WOMEN’S COACH & ASSISTANT HEAD COACH

Tom joined the coaching staff in 2009 after retiring from competitive rowing at Mercantile. He coached Lauriston Girls School to two national championships and wins at the Head of the Schoolgirls. Since joining the Mercantile coaching team, Tom has coached two Victorian Youth Cup teams, the 2010 & 2011 Victorian Women’s Youth 8+ and the 2012 winning Queen’s Cup 8+ at the Interstate Regatta.

Tom has also enjoyed success in developing and coaching athletes onto State and Nationals teams. He has coached at several Rowing Australia development camps including Junior and Under 23 and was a member of the 2012 Rowing Australia Junior Development Team, which toured to New Zealand. He has also coached crews who represented Mercantile at the Hollanbeker Regatta and Henley Royal Regatta.

Sandy Mitchell

MEN’S DEVELOPMENT & JUNIOR COACH

Sandy started his rowing career at Scotch College in Melbourne, where he coxed the 1st VIII for three years as well as Captain of Boats. He joined Mercantile in 1978 as a junior and coxed several club crews through to the end of 1982 when he moved interstate to study.

Since returning to the sport in 2000, Sandy has co-founded the Melbourne Argonauts Queer Rowing Club; held the position of Head Coach at the Argonauts, YWCA and La Trobe University Rowing Clubs, where he coached several crews to success at local and international regattas and served as a Director of Rowing Victoria.

Since joining the coaching team at Mercantile, he has been heavily involved in the Rowing Australia National Talent Identification and Development (RA NTID) program and has been a member of the coaching team on the RA NTID New Zealand tours in 2010 and 2011 as well as coaching Mercantile athletes to success at State and National Championships as well as onto State, Junior and Under 23 National Teams. In 2011, Sandy accepted the position of Development Coach at Mercantile. He is also a member of the coaching staff at Brighton Grammar School.

David ‘Chipper’ Colvin

UNDER 23 WOMEN’S COACH

David brings to Mercantile tremendous understanding and experience from his time as an elite coxswain, having coxed the Australian men’s VIII at the 1992 Olympics, as well as numerous World Championship-winning crews in all classes of boats.

Over the last ten years, David has developed some of Australia’s best under 23, lightweight and senior women rowers, including coaching the Victorian women’s VIII. His technical knowledge is second to none, and he is a constant sounding board for rowers and coaches alike.

David ‘Fradge’ Fraumano

MEN’S LIGHTWEIGHT COACH

David graduated from Carey Grammar School in 2001, having already spent a season in the Mercantile program. His coxing career at Mercantile began with the Victorian men’s youth VIII in 2003 as well as the Mercantile senior men’s crew from 2002 to 2003. His efforts were rewarded with the Max Bailey and NW Cairns Trophies.

Since turning his attention to coaching, David has helped prepare Mercantile crews at senior, U23 and youth levels for elite competition. Between 2004 and 2009, he coached senior rowing at Caulfield Grammar School and since 2003, he has also coached men’s rowing at Monash University. In 2009, he completed a Masters Degree in Sports Coaching from the University of Queensland.

David has achieved Mercantilian crew success at the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston (2004), the Australian University Games, Victorian Championships, NSW Championships and Australian National Championships. Most recently, David has worked to build a lightweight men’s program at Mercantile like no other in Australia.