Historians of swimming in NSW may be interested in a recent donation to our collection of material relating to Miss Lottie Fevyer.
Charlotte Elizabeth Fevyer (Lottie), born 1898[1], was a talented young swimmer who was the schoolgirl champion of NSW over 50 yards in 1914-15. She was an early female recipient of the Bronze Medallion of the Royal Life Saving Society in 1914. She was good enough to be mentioned in the same breath as Mina Wylie and Fanny Durack (pictured above), and frequently swam against them. She swam for NSW in matches against Queensland, and visited Queensland with the NSW team. Lottie was a member of the champion ladies team, Metropolitan, in the NSW championships, which beat off the challenge of Mina Wylie’s team (Sydney) and Fanny Durack’s (Eastern Suburbs).
Charlotte Elizabeth Fevyer (Lottie), born 1898[1], was a talented young swimmer who was the schoolgirl champion of NSW over 50 yards in 1914-15. She was an early female recipient of the Bronze Medallion of the Royal Life Saving Society in 1914. She was good enough to be mentioned in the same breath as Mina Wylie and Fanny Durack (pictured above), and frequently swam against them. She swam for NSW in matches against Queensland, and visited Queensland with the NSW team. Lottie was a member of the champion ladies team, Metropolitan, in the NSW championships, which beat off the challenge of Mina Wylie’s team (Sydney) and Fanny Durack’s (Eastern Suburbs).
Sadly, she was too young to attend the 1912 Olympics, and by the time of the 1920 Olympics, she had lost her edge, although she was still good enough to race against the then-world champion, America’s Ethelda Bleibtrey. She switched her interest to diving, and in February 1918 she came second in the Australian diving championships, behind Miss Lily Beaurepaire, (sister of Frank), at Brunswick Baths, Melbourne. In 1920 she went one better and became diving champion of Australia.[2] Her speciality was the ‘neat dive’, as in the photograph here, taken at Manly Baths. From time to time she took part in diving exhibitions as one of a troupe of talented divers coached by Len McCarthy.
She married Mr Arthur Wigney in 1922[3], whose family had a well-known jeweller’s business on the Corso, but she died suddenly in February 1926. She is buried in Manly Cemetery plot H.398, close to her parents’ plot.[4] Her funeral was attended by many notable local sporting figures.
Two stained glass windows in St Matthew’s Church, Manly, dedicated in 1942, commemorate her father, Edward Fevyer.
Lottie’s brother, Edward William Fevyer was a keen amateur film-maker, and his home movies of life on Sydney Harbour have been deposited with the National Museum of Australia and the Maritime Museum.
[1] NSW BDM 13500/1898
[2] SMH 11 February 1918; 12 February 1920.
[3] NSW BDM 7853/1922
[4] Buried 18 February 1926, aged 27. There is a headstone.
She married Mr Arthur Wigney in 1922[3], whose family had a well-known jeweller’s business on the Corso, but she died suddenly in February 1926. She is buried in Manly Cemetery plot H.398, close to her parents’ plot.[4] Her funeral was attended by many notable local sporting figures.
Two stained glass windows in St Matthew’s Church, Manly, dedicated in 1942, commemorate her father, Edward Fevyer.
Lottie’s brother, Edward William Fevyer was a keen amateur film-maker, and his home movies of life on Sydney Harbour have been deposited with the National Museum of Australia and the Maritime Museum.
[1] NSW BDM 13500/1898
[2] SMH 11 February 1918; 12 February 1920.
[3] NSW BDM 7853/1922
[4] Buried 18 February 1926, aged 27. There is a headstone.
No comments:
Post a Comment