27 May 2025

By David Sanfey

David Sanfey writes about his lost HRR medal.

I was Captain of Dublin University Boat Club (DUBC/Trinity College, Dublin) in 1976 and was a crew member [No. 3 seat] that won the Ladies’ Challenge Plate at Henley Royal Regatta in 1977. It was the club’s first win in the event for more than 100 years, and DUBC has not won at HRR since. So, it was quite a day for Trinity, DUBC, the Crew, and me personally. Lord Killanin, a proud Irishman, presented us with our medals.

In 1983, as a shiny new Partner in the Irish law firm A&L Goodbody, I moved to New York City with my wife, Jane Williams (the current President of Rowing Ireland), to run the USA branch of the firm.

One day, in February 1985, we returned from work to our lovely Apartment on the 27th floor of a building on the posh Upper East Side and noticed several items of jewellery missing, including my Henley medal. The door was not forced and there was no damage. We reported it to the police and to the management company but there was nothing that they could do. In fact, we didn’t even bother with the hassle of an Insurance claim.

We left NYC a few years later, a little sadder but much wiser. I told no one of the loss of the medal.

In 2017, the 40th anniversary of the historic win, the crew rowed over the course at HRR at the kind invitation of the Stewards. We met again for the first time since at Trinity Regatta in May 2025. David Hickey (or 6 as he is known) kindly invited us all to dinner that night to celebrate his upcoming 70th Birthday. The eight of us (cox was absent) had a wonderful get-together over many bottles of wine.

I put this group picture up on Facebook the next day with a reference to the 1977 Ladies’ Plate Crew from DUBC. Greg Denieffe, a Carlow man, AKA ‘Rebel without oars le cúpla focal Gaeilge’ spotted it. He sent me a note on Facebook referring to a recent eBay sale of a Ladies’ Plate medal, with the key date of 1977 visible.

I contacted the vendor on eBay; and told her I was pretty certain that the item advertised was my lost medal and that I would love to buy it. She responded very kindly with the following note and an offer to ask eBay to get permission from the purchaser to release his/her name to me.

I’m so sorry to hear that. It was in a box of junk jewellery and odd stuff that I found in my great-aunt’s attic. She was a flea market buyer and seller in Buck’s County, Pa., USA. It nearly got thrown away, but I enjoy researching pieces and managed to dig up its origin story. I sold and shipped it to a guy in England.

Quite separately, a day later, my amazing friend, and fellow ex-DUBC oarsman (though far more recently) – Enda Cahill – saw some of the above exchange on Facebook and sent me the following:

Hi David, I read on Facebook that the 1977 ladies’ plate medal on eBay is probably yours. As luck would have it, I know who bought it … my wife Madeline, who has bought several pieces of HRR memorabilia.

So, Madeline was ‘the guy on eBay’ who bought it in February 2025 – almost 40 years to the month after it went missing. They were about to make discrete enquiries to find the original owner.

Obviously, I was delighted to hear this, they offered to return the medal, and we plan to meet at HRR 2025. I made it clear I wanted Madeline to accept reimbursement. She and Enda have generously declined, and instead, I have promised them serious celebrations at this year’s regatta.

More from the wonderful vendor after I kept her up to date:

I’m so glad that it is making its way home to you. My efforts were primarily mercenary, but I’m fascinated with old things and finding their history. That said, your guardian angel had to be at work. I cannot impress on you the very slim chance it had of making it out of my aunt and uncle’s ‘mess.’ I’m attaching a photo of the entrance to the barn. It, like the house, was stacked floor to ceiling with their horde of stuff – 90% unsalvageable junk. A company was hired to throw it all away as my parents just wanted it gone. That your medal was among the bits that I scooped up and brought home is a miracle!

In all, the return of my medal this year is great timing because DUBC is returning to HRR after a long absence to compete in the Temple Challenge Cup for University Eights. We are all looking forward to being there to support them.

Enda told me that after we spoke, he and his wife were contacted by eBay for permission to disclose details to me, which of course they were pleased to do. Many thanks, eBay, for a great policy in these situations. Enda and Madeline contacted the vendor to fill her in – and received this note in reply:

Fabulous! This was found in my great aunt’s attic in Buck’s County Pa. She and my uncle bought and sold ‘stuff’. It seems they primarily bought. They died during COVID with a house and barn FULL to overflowing. A true hoarding situation. I managed to save a portion of the attic room boxes of costume and vintage jewellery and other bits and pieces she picked up. A great deal of it had already been thrown away, but there was still a lot. I had to rent a trailer to fit it all for the trip home to the Carolinas. As we are getting ready to move, I’ve been sorting, selling, donating or throwing out the last of it. It is truly a miracle that the medal did not end up discarded – thank Google Image Search! The medal must be charmed. Only a fraction of their thousands of pounds of possessions was not thrown away.

I’m so glad things worked out. Thank you so much for letting me know.

In short, I owe thanks to a lot of folk. So chronologically:

• To the vendor’s great-aunt (who sounds like she was a fascinating character) for buying the medal from a nameless someone whom I almost forgive, and of course, for keeping the medal safe.

• To the fantastic vendor for not throwing the medal out and putting it for sale on eBay.

• To no. 6 on our crew – David Hickey – for organising his birthday dinner on the 19th May.

• To the 1977 crew for being so photogenic or inebriated that I felt compelled to put our picture up on Facebook.

• To Greg for his observation, instinct, and record-keeping which was so good that he was able to show me the name and details of the vendor.

• To Madeline for her excellent taste in eBay purchases and of course her generosity.

• To Enda for (very rare, I understand) mooching around Facebook.

• To both Madeleine and Enda for their kindness as well as obvious generosity.

And so, to HRR 2025 – see you there – and hopefully again at HRR 2027, for a happier row over for the no. 3 man on our 50th anniversary.