1. Stephen Fairbairn was a rower and an influential rowing coach at Jesus College Boat Club, Cambridge University, Thames Rowing Club and London Rowing Club in the early decades of the 20th century, and founded the prestigious Head of the River Race in 1925.
Steve Fairbairn was born on 25 August 1862 in Toorak, Victoria.
Steve Fairbairn was the son of Virginia and George Fairbairn.
Steve Fairbairn's father, born in Scotland, was a wealthy grazier with significant pastoral holdings and married the daughter of his business partner George Armytage.
Steve Fairbairn topped his leaving year in mathematics and was a senior school prefect.
Five of Fairbairn's brothers, including future Australian MP George, had attended Jesus College, Cambridge, and Steve followed them to read Law from 1882.
Steve Fairbairn rowed for Jesus College Boat Club, like his brothers and six of his cousins had done.
Steve Fairbairn won the hammer throwing and putting the weight at the Freshmen's sports for Jesus College.
Steve Fairbairn rowed for Cambridge in the Boat Race, in 1882 and 1883 and later while conducting post-graduate studies in 1886 and 1887.
Steve Fairbairn was an early proponent of training his crews to slide in their seats to facilitate leg-drive.
Steve Fairbairn had realised that the secret to world-champion sculler Ned Hanlan's uncanny successes was not that he rowed a longer stroke, but rather that he used his legs to great effect during the stroke.
Steve Fairbairn was an advocate of fitting longer slides into boats to better allow the use of the legs.
Steve Fairbairn's observations led him to develop a revolutionary rowing style featuring concurrent use of the legs, back and arms at the catch.
Steve Fairbairn coached that crews should not focus unduly on positioning their bodies according to rigid rules but should instead concentrate on the movement of the blade, creating an easy, flowing movement.
Steve Fairbairn's philosophy was that rowing, when done well, should be a sublimely enjoyable experience.
Steve Fairbairn was an iconoclast with strong views and great charisma.
Steve Fairbairn corresponded widely and wrote four volumes on coaching, and his views were therefore adopted by many coaches across the globe.
Steve Fairbairn's books were collected, and reprinted in 1951 and again in 1990.
Steve Fairbairn was a strong believer in the benefits of distance training; part of his philosophy was that "mileage makes champions".
In 2010 Steve Fairbairn was inducted into the Rowing Victoria Hall of Fame.
Steve Fairbairn married Eleanor Sharwood daughter of Sydney Sharwood, on 18 November 1891 at Toorak, Melbourne, Victoria.