Swimming and Writing: Forces To Be Reckoned With

Thursday, 19 November 2009

I've been back in the archives today and found these pictures. I think they speak for themselves.

Annette Kellermann

Chris20 November 2009 at 11:27
There's a great photo of Mina Wylie and Fanny Durack at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics (on the Wikipedia entry for Fanny Durack). These two swimmers also outraged public opinion by wearing one piece bathers and even swimming with men. See http://www.hyperhistory.org/index.php?option=displaypage&Itemid=710&op=page for info about the controversy.
(Our second local municipal pool in Marrickville is named after Fanny Durack, and the sea baths where I usually swim at Coogee is named after Mina Wylie.)
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AquaMarina20 November 2009 at 23:36
thanks again chris - wonderful pictures and amazing stories!
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This summer I went swimming

This summer I might have drowned

But I held my breath

I kicked my feet

I moved my arms around

This summer I swam in the ocean

And I swam in a swimming pool

Salt my wounds, chlorined my eyes

I'm a self-destructive fool

Self-destructive fool

This summer I did the backstroke

And you know that that's not all

I did the breaststroke, the butterfly

And the old Australian crawl

The old Australian crawl

This summer I swam in a public place

And a reservoir to boot

At the latter I was informal

At the former I wore my suit

I wore my swimming suit

Oh, this summer I did swan dives

And jack knives for you all

And once when you weren't looking

I did a cannon ball

This summer I went swimming

This summer I might have drowned

But I held my breath, I kicked my feet

And moved my arms around

I moved my arms around

Loudon Wainwright III