FORMER AUSTRALIAN OLYMPIANS
Mr NAGLE: I direct my question without notice to the Minister for the Olympics. How will the Government honour Australia’s past Olympians in the lead-up to the Olympic Games?
Mr KNIGHT: No nation on earth loves its sporting heroes as much as Australia does. And at the very top of the list of Australian sporting heroes are the names of our Olympic champions. They hold a special place in the hearts of all Australians. For us, they represent all that is good about our nation. They represent the ideal of ourselves. They are the epitome of our aspirations. They are role models for all of us. That is why I was extremely proud to announce earlier today plans to honour our greatest Olympians of all time, and to honour them for all time in a place which will soon hold a special resonance in our proud Olympic history - Olympic Park at Homebush Bay, the site of the 2000 Olympic Games.
I was delighted to announce earlier today the plan for the naming of the major streets and roads at Olympic Park. They will be named after Australia’s greatest Olympic and Paralympic athletes. The naming of these roads will play an integral part in educating Australians about our rich Olympic history. The stories of the Olympians we are honouring are tales of inspiration, courage and heroism that all Australians can be proud of. First, we are honouring two people who may perhaps be forgotten by modern generations but who deserve special recognition. Edwin Flack was both Australia’s first gold medallist and our first Olympian, becoming a dual gold medallist in the first modern Olympic Games at Athens in 1896.
Edwin Flack became known as the Lion of Athens, a hero to the Greek crowds, for his outstanding performances in winning the 800 metres and the 1500 metres track events. He also competed in singles tennis, doubles tennis and the marathon, where the British ambassador’s butler acted as his attendant, cycling alongside Flack in a bowler hat offering assistance, where necessary. Edwin Flack organised his own passage to the first Olympic Games and it is partly due to him that we can proudly boast of the fact that Australia is one of only two countries to have attended every modern Olympic Games.
The feats of Sarah, or as she is better known Fanny, Durack, are equally as important. She is Australia’s first female gold medallist - indeed, our only female gold medallist in the first half of this century. She broke 11 world records during her
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career. She defied all kinds of prejudice to win a place in the 1912 Games in Stockholm. Administrators opposed her selection then refused to pay her fares, which were raised by public subscription. Despite these setbacks she went on to sweep the pool in the 100 metres freestyle. These two, Australia’s first Olympic greats, will be honoured along with Australia’s other golden legends.
Marjorie Jackson, the Lithgow Flash, winner of two gold medals at Helsinki in 1952, holder of 13 world records, was our first female track and field gold medallist. The people of Lithgow built her a special cinder running track to practise for the Games, and on her return she was feted in an open-top car with thousands of Australians lining the whole length of the route from Sydney to Lithgow. Shirley Strickland was the winner of seven Olympic medals over three Olympic Games. She was the holder of nine world records and was nicknamed the Queen of Running. No female Olympian of any country has ever won more track and field medals than Strickland’s seven.
Murray Rose, swimmer, actor, television presenter, is an Australian hero. In 1983 he was voted Australia’s greatest male athlete by his peers. His Olympic tally of four gold, one silver and one bronze is the highest achievement by any Australian male athlete. Shane Gould, the 1972 Australian of the Year, won three individual gold medals in world record time in the one Olympics. She won five medals in the 1972 Olympic Games and held 11 world records. At the age of 15 she held outright every freestyle world record from 100 metres to 1500 metres.
Herb Elliott at the 1960 Rome Olympics ran probably the greatest 1500 metre race in Olympic history. He comfortably blitzed his opponents, winning by the greatest margin in Olympic history in world record time. Herb Elliott was never beaten in his entire career over 1500 metres or a mile. Dawn Fraser was the star of the golden era of Australian swimming. Of course, she was a member of this Parliament for three years. She was the first swimmer to win the same event in three consecutive Olympics. She held the 100-metre freestyle record for 16 years. She won eight Olympic medals and 30 Australian championships and set 39 world records. She was the first female to swim under a minute for the 100 metres.
The streets of Olympic Park will not only honour those great Olympians. In the year 2000 Sydney Olympic Park will also play host to the Paralympic Games. Thus I am proud to inform the House that we have also named one of the roads after one of Australia’s greatest Paralympians, Kevin Coombes. Australia has as proud a history in the Paralympics as it does in the Olympics, and Kevin Coombes was there in the first Paralympic Games in Rome in 1960. Kevin Coombes was a pioneering Paralympian. He represented Australia in wheelchair basketball in five Paralympics over a 24-year career. The Olympians and the Paralympian I have mentioned join the great Betty Cuthbert, who is already honoured at Homebush Bay, with her name gracing the grandstand at the Sydney International Athletics Centre.
By naming the streets of Homebush Bay after these great Australians we will ensure that their names and deeds will live forever. Other Olympic champions will be honoured in the street names of the athletes village. I take this opportunity to thank the Homebush Bay names committee and in particular Harry Gordon, Australia’s premier Olympic authority, for the work they did in recommending the names of the streets. I am pleased that the names of the streets honour those who have been down one of the toughest roads of all - the road to Olympic glory.