Royal Chester RC pays tribute to Graham Miller

Graham was highly respected not only for his considerable success in rowing, but for his energetic wider contribution to the club and the local rowing community

British Rowing and the North West rowing community in particular were extremely sad to hear of Graham’s sudden death in October at the age of just age 63, whilst cycling with his younger son across Hard Knott Pass in the Lake District.

He would often be on the water very early in the morning in his sculling boat to see dawn break over the Iron Bridge, 8km upstream. His boat was on display at the event, bedecked with flowers from all the local clubs.

As a former Royal Chester RC vice-captain and club committee member, Graham led the Open Events committee to transform the club’s approach to big events on the river, including the Chester Long Distance Sculls in every September, and the North of England Head of the River Race in March each year. These events bring hundreds of participants and supporters to Chester boosting the local economy. Graham built partnerships with local businesses who appreciated his open collaborative style.

A crowded Royal Chester landing stage, including Graham’s wife Nicki (who is also Club Secretary) and daughter Abi, and the club flag at half mast, was joined by gatherings at Grosvenor RC (who organised the Dee Autumn Head race on the day), King’s School and the Queen’s Park club across the river all to applaud as Graham’s sons, Will and Toby, rowed past in a double scull in his honour.

Two years ago British Rowing presented Graham with the prestigious ‘Club Development Coach of the Year’ Award. His citation commended the “amazing year and the huge impact (Graham made) on the retention of participants in the learn to row (LTR) scheme”.

One participant on the LTR course commented: “I really enjoyed my LTR course and it certainly took me out of my comfort zone which is good.  A special thank you to Graham for being such an excellent coach especially when he took me out in the double.  I’ll never forget the arms straight training!”

Andrew Firman, one of the club trustees said: “Above all, Graham wanted to change the club culture. His membership of the team I led to develop the club’s strategic plan was key to the success of our work. He deployed his experience at Jaguar Land Rover to excellent effect, leading the consultation with members to help shape the future vision. It was without hesitation that the trustees appointed Graham to lead our development project for a new boathouse. We will struggle to find a successor with comparable skill.”

Away from the river, Graham had had an outstanding career in the motor industry.  Stephanie Stephenson, HR Director at Jaguar Land Rover, who attended the club at the tribute event added: “Graham retired in 2021 from the position of Senior Launch Manager for JLR’s Halewood operation. His career began under Ford ownership after graduating from the University of Cambridge in 1983 and spanned many UK locations and international projects across engineering, quality, launch and supply chain. He launched several new models across JLR’s brands including Jaguar and Range Rover. Graham spent many years at JLR’s Halewood operation on Merseyside and also played a pivotal role in the expansion of JLR’s global footprint helping to launch its state of the art manufacturing facility in Slovakia in 2018. His commitment to continuous improvement and his passion for growth and development of his teams through coaching and mentoring throughout his career leaves a lasting legacy on the UK and international automotive industry.”

Nic Cerulus, Royal Chester RC Captain concluded: “There is a huge hole at the club where Graham has been. We are devastated to lose him.”