LADY SWIMMERS’ TOUR

Hawera Star, Volume LIII, 2 December 1933, Page 8

LADY SWIMMERS’ TOUR

AUSTRALIAN GIRLS’ ARRIVAL TO APPEAR IN HAWERA SOON. I WORLD’S BREAST-STROKE CHAMPION. Two champion Australian lady swim-j Hiers, who are to appear im Haweratliis month. Misses Claire Dennis and Frances Belt, arrived in Auckland from Sydney bv the Monowai on Monday. T'hev will swim in Auckland ' a r lK ,A ,t iei North Island towns. Mrs M. chambers the honorary secretary to trie \pw’ South Wales’ Ladies Amateur Swimming Association, is accompanying ?he champions as chaperon On arrival the visitors were welcomed by executive members of the Waitemata Amateur Swimming Club, which is controlling their tour, with the approval, of the New Zealand Council. At- the vemiest of the Amateur Swimming Union of Australia, the tour has been limited to three weeks, and the swimmers will return to Sydney from A\ ellington bv the Wanganella on December 22.

The champions wall make their first public appearance in New Zealand < t Whangarei next Friday evening, and on Saturday evening, they wdl swinvat Holensville. They will return to Auckland next Sunday and on Tuesday. Thursday and Saturday evenings of next week Miss Bult will compete with New Zealand lady. chammons mtest races at free-style in the lepid. Baths Miss Dennis will give exhibitions of the breaststroke, at which she is the champion of the world. After Auckland. Misses Dennis and Bult will appear .at Rotorua on December 13 and afterwards at New Plymouth, Hawera, Wanganui and Wellington. Soon after their arrival, Misses .Denpis and Bult had a short training swim in the Tepid Baths. They sai the baths were conducive to fast time-. The champions’ exhibition in the pool was watched with keen interest ..y other bathers. BREASTSTROKE CHAMPION. _ Misses Dennis and Bult are both ill the front rank of the world s competitive swimmers. Miss Dennis is only \i years of a;ge, and at the Olympic. Games in Los Angeles last year -she won. the 200 metres ladies’ _ breaststroke championship in 3.6 3-5,. a- record for the world. Miss Dennis also holds Australian, championshipsi and records. Miss Bult swims free-style, ana as an exponent of the modern “crawl is now ranked the fastest lady m the British Empire and the third fastest in the world. At the Olympic Games in Los Angeles she finished nrtri m the final of the 100 metres which was a, closelv-contested race. Miss Bult is the champion of Australia at 100 yards and 220 vards, and also bolds the Australian records of 62 3-ssec and 2.4_2-o respectively for these. distances. Her asre is 20 and she is a student at Melbourne University.

Although swimming: is her favourite, sport. Miss Bult is also a keen golfer.; and hopes to have the opportunity of playing in New Zealand. She is a member of the Kingston Heath Club. Melbourne. Her brother, Mr F- JBult. is a prominent young player m Victoria and the champion of Melbourne University. Miss Bult said she was pleased to receive the Waitemata, Club’-s invitation to visit New Zealand. That wa® two months ago, and, although she since had often to neglect her training for her university examinations. she hoped to he, in form for the test races. The New Zealand champions, notably Misses Marie Farquhar and Mori a Leydon. would he strong opponents. The chaperon. Mrs’ Chambers, .is prominent- in women’s athletic activities in New South Wales. She has been the honorary secretary to the "NTew South Wales Ladies’ Amateur Swimming Association for 22 years- and for the last four years has represented this bodv on- the council of the New South Wales Amateur Swimmine Association. IMPORTANT ENGAGEMENTS. “Misses Bult and Dennis regard their engagements in Auckland as highly important,’ said Mrs Chambers. She expressed -strong disapproval of a campaign in Australia against the exclusion of ladies in the team that will represent- the- Commonwealth at the British Empire Games in London next August. Mi’s Chambers said lady members of past Olympic teams, par ticularlv -swimmers. were generally more successful than the men. England was donating £IOOO toward the expense of each Doiriinion’-s representation and would expect Australia to send its finest athletes. If ladies were sent, Misses Dennis and Bonnie Mealing, the Australian backstroke champion. were certain of selection, arid also (Miss Bult. provided she retained her championships. Mrs Chambers said Australia was developing many splendid girl swim-Tn-e v s. Phe named Misses Pat Norton.! Molly Mitchell, Edna Dayev, of S'd-no-t- Misses Joy Gh’elds. of Adelaide, Plii el a. Holman of Perth, and Marie Cuzza. of Brisbane a-s improving chaniranps likelv to make Australia- soon the strongest nation in ladies’ swimming