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Swimming

Championships of SA - Source: Swimming SA

MODERN TIMES

  • Together with official prizemoney from international meets, plus incentives from the Australian Sports Commission and commercial sponsorships – including from mining magnate Gina Rhinehart – the top female Australian swimmers earn just under half a million dollars a year.

  • Irrepressible superstar Kaylee McKeown earned $440,000 in 2023, leading into the 2024 Paris Olympics. Ariarne Titmus and Mollie O’Callaghan each earned around $250,000.

  • Swimming Australia’s contract with its elite swimmers is worth approximately $30,000 each, reviewed every year, and swimmers most often top up that income with sponsorships and by attending events.

  • While there was no official prizemoney for paralympic swimmers, cash bonuses were given to medal winners at the 2023 World Cup in which 30 medallists shared financial rewards of $455,000.

RECORDS. MILESTONES. MOMENTS.

Denise Norton holds the significant distinction of being SA’s first female to compete at an Olympic Games or Commonwealth Games – the 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games.

The first Swim Through Adelaide was held in 1913, and would become a very popular annual event, with spectators lining both sides of the River Torrens. Officials ran the event from the river boat, Popeye.

Dawn Fraser was the youngest of eight siblings. She moved to Adelaide with coach Harry Gallagher when she was 17 and trained in SA for 6-7 years.

HISTORICAL TIMELINE

Source: State Library of South Australia PRG 280/1/38/113

Late 1800s:

  • The formation of a swimming club has been recorded as far back as 1864, and swimming events were reported on in SA’s first newspaper – The Register – in 1879.
  • But SwimmingSA as it is now known, was first established as the South Australian Amateur Swimming Association SAASA in 1898 as an Incorporated Association and remains the peak body for competitive swimming.
  • Its purpose was to offset the influence of a group of professional swimmers, the circumstances similar to early athletics in SA.
  • Swimming was already popular before SAASA was set up. People swam in rivers, water holes, beaches and dams. 
  • Clubs including the North Adelaide and Gilberton Swim Clubs pre-existed SAASA’s formation. The Glenelg Baths opened in 1876 – and after 1880 provided facilities for women.
  • As such the Adelaide City Baths opened in 1861, situated on King William Street, opposite Government House.
  • Australian Swimming Championships were first held in 1894. Australia entered swimmers at most major international swimming events from the Athens 1896 Olympics onwards.
Women’s Adelaide City Baths Race 1896. Women clad in neck to knee swim outfits - Source: State Library of South Australia, PRG 280/1/17/232

1900s:

  • The Amateur Swimming Union of Australia was established in 1909 at a meeting of state representatives in Sydney.
  • Interclub meets offered competition for men and boys only. Races for females were occasionally included in club competitions.
  • A one-off program for ladies was held aiming to expand its appeal. The Advertiser reported: “The race for young ladies attracted three little maidens of school going age. They swam pluckily but unfortunately one of them, Miss M Kellett, did not get over the distance (1 length of the pool) and had to be pulled out of the water.”
  • By the late 1890s, the SA Swim Club operating from the City Baths, needed to become a State Association because other clubs wanted to affiliate to coordinate interclub meets.
  • Plus, with swimming in the Olympics since 1896, there was a need for the Association to formalise official qualifications and endorsements.
  • Its goals: To foster and encourage amateur swimming, to hold race meetings and championships, and water polo meetings.
  • Professional swimmers who wished to join, could be “whitewashed” to enable eligibility.
  • The City Baths were upgraded in 1902 with electric lights for evening swimming and training.
  • SAASA brought NSW and Victorian record-holder, Annette Kellerman, to Adelaide for demonstration swims. She was described as “the million-dollar mermaid”, having received offers to appear in US movies.
  • The shows sold out, helping to increase interest in swimming for women.
  • Moral objections persisted. In 1907, it was agreed SAASA would become the main organising body, but exiting the OBI (Our Boys Institute) Baths was necessary if it was to include women.

1910s:

  • Learn to Swim classes were introduced in many clubs.

  • SAASA competitions began to attract women. In the 1910 State titles, two heats of four women competed including Flo Hawkes of North Adelaide and K. Farrelly of Glenelg.

  • In that same year, there were 468 SAASA members, including 54 females.

  • The first Swim Through Adelaide was held in 1913, and would become an annual and very popular event, with spectators lining both sides of the River Torrens. Officials ran the event from Popeye.

  • The course took swimmers from the Adelaide Weir to the Albert Bridge – adjacent to the Adelaide Zoo – (1 mile, 200 yards).

  • Women were included in the event but their prizes for placegetters were far less substantial.

  • The Henley and Grange Swimming Club, founded in 1912, is the oldest swimming club in SA.

  • The first Henley to Grange Swim – 1 mile 350 yards – was held in 1917. It was a handicap event where the fastest swimmers started last. No females entered in that year, but several took part in 1918. In 1919 the swim was won by 16-year-old Eileen McKee, who was frowned on as a ‘dare-devil’ as her bathers were sleeveless and six inches above the knee.

  • The Chairman of SAASA expressed the hope that the victory of Miss McKee would act as a stimulus to other females. Miss McKee was again the winner in 1920.

Gilberton Amateur Swimming Club 1920 - Source: State Library of South Australia, SRG 883/16/2

1920s:

  • The Australian Swimming Championships were first held in Adelaide in the City Baths in 1920.
  • SAASA joined the new Olympic Council.
  • The SA Education Department was first approached about endorsing Learn to Swim programs in schools.
  • Numbers of registered clubs were mushrooming – more than 20 – and by the early 1920s there were about 2000 members.
  • Membership was expanding quickly – by 1925 there were 3,000 members – and five years later it stood at 5,000.
  • The “Swim Through the Port” began in 1923, was open to both genders, and became one of the most prestigious swims in SA. It too was a handicap event and was a considerably gruelling event of 2.5 km, or just over 1.5miles.
  • There were no South Australians among the three Australian female swimmers in the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics.

1930s:

  • Hilda Harvey (pictured below) at age 16 won the Swim Through the Port in 1930 with a time of 37 minutes and 43 seconds. The following year she set the fastest women’s time in the race.

  • The Swim Through the Port continued from 1923 to 1960s. It was revived by the North Haven Surf Lifesaving Club in 2016.
  • Swimming in the 1970s introduced a nation-wide Swim and Survive program aimed at Australian children.
  • A women’s subcommittee was set up within SAASA, strongly advocating for Laurel Shields from the Gilberton Club to be selected for the 1930 Australian championships. Hence, Laurel Shields became SA’s first female swimmer at the Nationals.
  • After Lois Quarrell wrote about the importance of women administering their own sport, the first SA Amateur Women’s Swimming Association (SAAWSA) was set up with Mrs H.V. Menz as its first president.
  • Loise Quarrell was elected as an executive member but would later occupy greater roles.
  • In 1939, the first SA SAAWSA carnival was held with 14 events on the program. Edith Naulty emerged from Port Augusta as the 110 yards junior and senior freestyle champion with new state records. A fortnight later, she won the 220 yards and 440 yards at the State titles.
Hilda Harvey with her Swim Through the Port trophy 1930. Source: South Australian Maritime Museum Photographic Collection, ML7566

1940s:

  • In 1940, Edith Naulty was selected for SA at the nationals in Perth, financially assisted by the SAAWSA. She was SA country’s first female State swimmer and joined by Iris Bird, Joy and Pat Shiels, Florence Dingle, Betty Caple and Betty Murch as SA’s first female State swim team.
  • The Adelaide City Baths were rebuilt and renamed the Olympic Pool Adelaide.
  • In the early 1940s, the State Championships were cancelled due to the war and resumed in 1945.
  • 1946 saw the emergence of Denise Norton, described in the association annual report: “She is without doubt the best female swimmer this state has produced. She is an inspiration to others.”

1950s:

  • Margot Lang became SA’s first swimming official to officiate at the Empire Games, then later was assistant manager of the 1956 Olympic swim team.
  • After the war, SAASA had 684 members: 339 senior men and 52 senior women; and 202 junior boys and 91 junior girls.
  • The SAAWSA dissolved in 1952 as the state association increased its efforts to include women.
  • The 1954 Nationals were held in Adelaide, bringing greats such as Dawn Fraser, Lorraine Crapp, Murray Rose and Jon Hendricks to SA. The association made an enormous profit of 1000 pounds.
  • Renowned coach Harry Gallagher was approached to lease and manage the Adelaide Olympic Pool and in 1955 he arrived, bringing with him 17-year-old Dawn Fraser.
  • His arrival and Dawn’s performances increased the profile of swimming in SA, either or both often appearing in the daily paper.
  • A young Margaret Gibson began bettering Denise Norton’s state records.
  • After the 56 Olympics, Olympians toured SA country towns for demonstration events. A crowd of 18,000 came to watch the Wallaroo Jetty-to-Jetty Swim.
  • In 1958 Dawn Fraser won the State title in the 110-yard freestyle and in doing so broke the world record. She was claimed as “Our Adelaide girl”.
  • By the end of the 1950s, there had been a spectacular advance in swimming’s popularity with more than 60 clubs and 1400 members.
  • Rhonda Tanner became the first female appointed to the SASSA executive.

1960s:

  • Amid a proliferation of country pools, the Country Swim Championships were introduced.

  • By 1963 more than 40 new pools had been constructed, most of them in country regions.

  • When Harry Gallagher and Dawn Fraser left Adelaide in 1962, a young SA backstroker Marlene Dayman joined them in Melbourne. As a 12-year-old, she had won the SA senior 220 yd backstroke title and was later selected for the 1964 Olympic team.

  • Adelaide had been awarded the 1962 Commonwealth Games but were then withdrawn because SA lacked a quality, modern Olympic-size pool with proper diving and water polo amenities.

  • Few professional coaches and a lack of heated pools meant that swimmers could not train all year round and at the 1967 Australian championships, SA finished last.

  • SA Premier Don Dunstan directed that a new Festival Theatre would be built on the site of the city pool and a new Adelaide Swimming Centre would be built in the north parklands.

  • Built at a cost of $470,000, the outdoor centre was opened on December 20, 1969 – 52 new State records soon followed.

1970s:

  • By now the SAASA had 54 affiliated clubs, 32 from the country.
  • When Adelaide hosted the 1970 National junior titles, the starting blocks of the outdoor facility in the North Adelaide Parklands were so hot, they were watered down before each event.
  • While swimming was converting all events from yards to metres, promising youngsters, Vicki Jaensch, Debbie Palmer and Debbie Pearsons were emerging. Jaensch from Berri came second to Shane Gould in the 100m & 200m butterfly.
  • Coaching accreditation courses became available through the Rothman National Sports Federation.
  • In 1974 SA’s David Urry was appointed Head Swim Coach of the Australian team for the Commonwealth Games in NZ.
  • A year later, Peter and Glenda Bowen Pain were elected to leadership positions in the SAASA promising to bring all components of swimming in SA together – diving, water polo, and elite and club swimmers.
  • In 1978, electronic timing was incorporated at the North Adelaide pool, but the system had numerous teething problems. The whole facility was badly in need of upgrading, specifically heating and the need for a roof.
  • In 1979, SAASA employed its first full time Executive Director with an initial salary of $12,000 plus a bonus of $4,000 based on sponsorship deals.

1980s:

  • In 1980 Tom Herraman was awarded an OAM for 28 years of continuous service to swimming but there were many more years of service that followed the award.
  • Prizemoney was introduced to major club swim meets.
  • The first fulltime administrator was appointed and in 1983, Glenda Bowen Pain became the first female president of SAASA.
  • Meanwhile in Canberra, the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) was opened and the SA Sports Institute (SASI) also incorporated swimming in its scholarship program.
  • Glenn Beringen became SA’s first male Olympic swimmer, winning a silver medal at the 1984 Los Angeles in the 200m breaststroke.
  • The most significant event of the 1980s was the conversion of the North Adelaide pool to an indoor heated facility at a cost of $8m. It became the Adelaide Aquatic Centre.
  • With its huge electronic scoreboard, it was described as a “world class venue”.
  • Adelaide hosted the Nationals in 1986, and interstate visitors were full of praise for the new centre rating it as “the best in Australia.”
  • Emerging young swimmers during this time were Phil Rogers, Jenny Messenger, Jenny Whitford, Martin Roberts, Daniel Kowalski and Louise Bastian.
  • Dr Ralph Richards was appointed as the new SA State Swim Coach.

1990s:

  • In 1991, one of SA’s most influential women, journalist Lois Quarrell, passed away. She had been secretary of the SAAWSA from 1938 to 1952.
  • The FINA World Swimming Championships were held in Perth, but the SA association was experiencing a decline in competitors and officials.
  • SA had three swimmers on scholarship at the AIS: Teressa Pyke, Martin Roberts and Phil Rogers. Sarah Ryan would later join the program.
  • Glenda Bowen Pain retired as president of SAASA.
  • In 1995, Adelaide hosted the Australian Short Course Championships.
  • A small band of very good elite swimmers and some promising juniors were emerging including Belinda Bocson (whose mother was Anna Bocson, an Olympic javelin thrower), Danielle Lewis – a national age backstroke titleholder for girls 15y.o; and Megan McMahon.
  • The widespread Learn to Swim Campaign was renamed VacSwim.

2000s:

  • The association’s strategic plan for the decade commencing 2000 was as follows:
    • To be a viable and financially independent organisation.
    • To be recognised as the primary authority for swimming.
    • To control competitive swimming in SA.
    • To have more people participating at all levels.
    • To achieve success at all levels.
  • In 2007, SA was the only state in Australia that succeeded in increasing its membership numbers.
  • On 25 January 2008, Swimming Australia’s President Neil Martin officially opened the SwimmingSA Hall of Fame.
  • In 2009, construction began on the SA Aquatic and Leisure Centre at Marion.

2010s:

  • On 26 April 2011, the South Australia Aquatic and Leisure Centre (SAALC), also known as the State Aquatic Centre was opened by SA Premier, Mike Rann, with the competition pool subsequently named after SA’s famous Paralympic swimmer, Mathew Cowdrey.

  • The centre, managed by the YMCA on behalf of the Government of SA, was the most advanced swimming and diving facility in Australia.

  • The $100 million centre was built between October 2009 and April 2011 and hosted the 2011 Australian Age Championships from 18 to 23 April.

  • On 1 July 2012, the Marion Swimming Club became the resident swimming club of the centre.

  • A flurry of national championships and Olympic trials were hosted in the new centre:

    • The 2012 and 2013 Australian Swimming Championships.

    • Three years later, the 2016 Australian Olympic Trials and 2016 Swimming Australia National Age Championships were also hosted.

    • In 2017, a joint announcement was made between the State Government and Swimming Australia that SA would host the 2019 National Swimming Championships and the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Trials, subsequently postponed until 2021.

2020s:

  • As of the 2020-21 season, Swimming SA has a strong representation of women in leadership roles. The Board consists of seven elected members, four of whom are female. The CEO, Michelle Doyle is also female.

  • Within the 25 members of the other committees – Competitions, Country and Technical – 13 are female.

  • Memberships had dropped through the Covid period but by 2021, they were on the rise again.

  • In December 2022, a large indoor aquatic centre was opened in Mt Gambier and the 50m outdoor pool was updated.

  • By 2023, memberships remain relatively constant at around 4,500.

  • SwimmingSA’s vision is to be recognised as one of SA’s Top 5 sports.

Bibliography:

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Liam O’Loughlin, August 6, 2025, Swimming gold mine: Gina Rinehart reveals how much she paid Australia’s World Championship medallists, accessed 8 March 2025, <https://www.nine.com.au/sport/swimming/news-2025-gina-rinehart-medal-winner-cash-payments-singapore-world-championships-20250806-p5mkyp.html>

Andrew McMurtry, January 8 2022, Emily Seebohm reveals shockingly low pay for Aussie elite swim stars, accessed 18 March 2025, <https://www.news.com.au/sport/olympics/swimming/emily-seebohm-reveals-shockingly-low-pay-for-aussie-elite-swim-stars/news-story/>

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Foss Swim School, November 30 2018, How Learning to Swim has changed from the 60’s, accessed 12 March 2025, <https://www.fossswimschool.com/2018/11/30/how-learning-to-swim-has-changed-since-the-60s/>

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