Up The Pond
The official theme song of the Royal St. John's Regatta is known by many names. Its official name is "The Banks of Newfoundland", but it is known as "Up the Pond" and sometimes even as the "Diddely-Dee Song" or "Dum-da-Diddely". However you know it, it embodies a rich tradition. Composed by Sir Francis Forbes in the early years of the Regatta in 1820, it is traditionally played as the crews pass the bandstand on their return to the stakes. The song "Garry Owen" is played at the start of each race.
In addition to this connection with the Regatta, "The Banks of Newfoundland" is part of the history of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment. Every military regiment has its own march and the march for the Royal Newfoundland Regiment is "The Banks of Newfoundland". When World War I erupted in Europe from 1914 - 1918, many Newfoundland men volunteered to go overseas and fight. Their bravery is legendary, and as recognition of their sacrifice the Regatta Committee adopted "The Banks of Newfoundland" as a fitting tribute to those Newfoundlanders who fought in World War I.
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Betting and Alcohol
Of course some traditions receive criticism from the general public. One such tradition is betting on the races. While at one time it was commonly accepted and practiced, betting was never officially sanctioned. It was, however, common knowledge and was often mentioned in newspaper reports. |
1937 Betting Slip
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Most of the betting was done privately among friends and acquaintances. One person would make up pieces of paper with names of the boats in the race and a bunch of boat names from years ago that were no longer used. Everyone would throw in a few dollars and then the person would put in a paper bag as many slips as there were bets. Each person would draw a slip of paper from the bag and if they drew one with a boat in the race, that was their boat. If their boat won the race, they collected the prize money.
A less formal tradition is the one of greeting the winning team as they cross the finish at the end of a race. It has been common in the past to see excited spectators wade into the lake and congratulate the team on winning the race. While it is not common to see that sort of thing now, it is one of the funnier traditions of the Regatta. Of course, more often then not, the person or peoples who waded in were under the influence of alcohol. This was something that just happened and there wasn't a whole lot that could be done to stop it. As long as they didn't interfere with the race, it wasn't a problem. Sometimes they would jump in at the boathouse, which was a little more of a problem because they got in the way, the water was deeper, and there was always the fear that someone would drown.
The Regatta Committee luncheon was a tradition for many years. Though abandoned at one point, it has recently been reinstated. The luncheon was held for the Committee and its guests, and gave the crews a chance to rest. The Regatta luncheon has been held during the lunch interval of the race schedule since the 1800's. At one time, the Committee would leave the course and go somewhere else for lunch, such as Rutledge's in Pleasantville, the Stirling Restaurant on Water Street, the Balsom Hotel on Barnes' Road, Hotel Newfoundland or City Hall. For the past 25 years, the lunch has been held in the Boathouse. The interval in races at lunch time was to allow everyone the time to eat, not just the Committee. Years ago there were still be food concessions, but many people would come prepared for a picnic or a big boil-up on the shores of the Lake.
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