He was educated at Geelong Grammar School where he took up rowing and at Ormond College at the University of Melbourne.

[3] He first made state selection for Victoria in 1956 in the men's eight which contested and won the King's Cup at the annual Australian Interstate Regatta.

[3][5] In 1962 Howden was the stroke of a Victorian coxed four which was selected to race for Australia at the inaugural World Rowing Championships in Lucerne.

He was on selection panels for squads for the Montreal 1976 and the Moscow 1980 Olympics and the 1977,1978 and 1979 World Rowing Championships.

[3] He was the Rowing Australia Chairman of Selectors in 1979 when the decision was made to appoint a full-time national coach in Reinhold Batschi.