Dawn Fraser (1937- )
Dawn won the same Olympic swimming title in three successive Games.
Early Life
Dawn Fraser was born beside the water in the
Sydney Harbour
suburb of Balmain on the 4th of September 1937. She was the youngest in a family of 8 children, four girls and four
boys. She had a very close and loving family. Dawn used to tag along with her brothers and their friends playing
marbles, cricket and rugby, sometimes being the butt of their jokes.
Dawn suffered from asthma like her father which was irritated by the coalmines across the road from their house. When she was twelve her asthma was so bad that her parents thought she was suffering from Tuberculosis. Dawn soon found out that she could relieve her asthma through swimming.
In the
summer instead 
of playing Dawn and her friends would visit the Elkington swimming pool which was near their house and swim for as
long as they liked. It was when she was six that she first learned to swim.
Her big brother Don taught her to swim. Dawn's
favourite brother Don was killed by blood poisoning
and Dawn was hurt very much.
Career Achievements
During the 1955-56
season she toppled 
record
times that had stood for years, winning all Australian freestyle titles up to
880 yards, and the first of four Olympic gold medals at the Melbourne Olympics.
In Cardiff, Wales, in 1958, she broke her own world record for the 110 yards
freestyle in 61.4 seconds. Her 15th world record came at Rotterdam, Holland,
when she swam the 100 metres in 61.2 seconds. In 1960 this colourful swimming
personality broke three world records within the hour - the 110 yards butterfly,
the 100 and 110 yards freestyle, and smashed yet another in the final of 220
yards. At the Perth Empire Games in 1962 she won four more gold medals. She was
the first woman in the world to break the minute for 110 yards.
Life After Swimming
When Dawn retired she found it hard after being in the spotlight
for so long. Today Dawn could have made a living
speaking at functions and making commercials but in the 1970s there wasn't
much to make on former glory.
Dawn had to find work and over time she worked as a swimming coach, sales representative and a consultant, plus a variety of other jobs. At one stage Dawn bought and ran a pub until she fell down the cellar steps. She broke a disk in her back and damaged her neck. Unfortunately after major surgery and a long stay in hospital Dawn was left with a large medical bill. The only way she could pay it was to sell her pub.
In 1988 Dawn went into politics but without the money for a big political campaign, Dawn handed pamphlets out in streets and shopping centres.
The people trusted Dawn and at the election voted her in. She improved education, housing and organised a successful beach-watch program that monitored pollution in the water of Balmain. Dawn also helped save a hospital from closing and helped get better bus and ferry services. She helped the homeless and the aged. Dawn was a very understanding, honest and caring person and a friend to everybody. Dawn lost her seat in the 1991 election, but she never lost her fighting sprit.
Today Dawn is heavily involved with the Olympic movement and keeps a close eye on the swimming. She was very disgusted when Chinese swimmers used drugs. She supports the compulsory drug testing of international swimmers. Dawn is a business woman and is very successful. Dawn still lives in Balmain in the same house she grew up in.
Shirley Strickland