In the early 1960s, Arthur Smith joined the Carey staff and, by 1963, was appointed Master in Charge of Rowing. Recognising the need for a specialised training facility, he designed a covered rowing pool unlike anything previously seen in schoolboy rowing. Earlier pools had only fixed seats on the edge with oars moving in the water, but Smith’s innovation was to mount a Four inside the pool itself, simulating the real action and feel of rowing in a boat. Before construction, he even built scale models to test the design.

The pool, costing $4,000 and funded by the ever-active Carey Rowing Parents’ Association, was officially opened on 17 September 1966. It quickly proved invaluable. Beginners could practise at lunchtimes and after school, learning how to sit in a boat and handle the oars before ever getting onto the river. More advanced oarsmen also used the pool to refine technique and correct faults. The system was so effective that similar pools were later built by Power House Rowing Club and Scotch College, confirming Carey as a leader in rowing innovation.

The pool was named in honour of Arthur Smith, who devoted years of energy, hard work, and vision to developing rowing at Carey. Although its use declined by the mid-1970s, the concrete sides and base remain preserved within what is now the Practical Studies Design Building—a lasting reminder of a remarkable chapter in Carey’s rowing history.