The Cup was donated by Mrs Thompson, wife of John Thompson who was a former Club Captain of St Georges in 1898/99.
The Cup was donated in 1937 and St Georges Rowing Club executive decided that the Gold cup be competed for annually as an inter-business house rowing championship. The executive resolved “To work in full cooperation with the delegates from Auckland Rowing Club, Waitemata Rowing Club, West End Rowing, university and North Shore…”
There was a precursor to the cup with a regatta held in April 1926 as an inter-house rowing among the soft goods firms of Auckland and it was met with enthusiasm, this influenced the Executive in the focus of inter-business house rowing.
The Cup was first raced in 1938 and was won by Westfield Freezing Company. For the first few years of the World War II, between 1939 and 1941 the armed forces raced for the Cup. In 1948, after War ended, the Inter-business House was revived and the Cup was awarded to the winning businesses. The Cup continued to be raced until 1994 when other forms of racing such as long-distance racing too precedence.
2023 update
St George’s Rowing Club has graciously allowed the cup to be presented to the winner of the Business Rowing Challenge to be raced on 1st April 2023.
