40 Albert,Street, Moe Victoria 3825
P.O. Box 274, Moe
Phone: 03 51 271966
Fax:   03 51 271407
Email: moeps@aspsmoe.vic.edu.au


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Kieren John Perkins OAM

(born August 14, 1973),

is a former Australian professional swimmer. One of the world's best-ever long-distance swimmers, he won two Olympic gold medals in 1992 and 1996 in the 1500-metre freestyle, and a silver medal in 2000.

Perkins was born in Brisbane where he attended Brisbane Boys' College.

He began swimming regularly at age eight as part of his rehabilitation from a serious leg injury (after running through a plate glass window). At age 13 his potential became obvious, and with coach John Carew guiding him he won his first national title in 1989 and a Commonwealth title by 1990.

By 1992 he dominated the 1500-metre event, demolishing a long-standing world record. He dominated the event at the Barcelona Olympic games, lowering the record to 14 minutes, 43 seconds - a massive improvement. He was also the world record holder in the 400 m freestyle, but this was broken by the Russian Yevgeny Sadovyi in Barcelona, relegating Perkins to silver.

In 1994, Perkins broke both the 400 m and 1500 m freestyle world records. They were to stand until 1999 and 2001 respectively, broken by fellow Australians Ian Thorpe and Grant Hackett. His performances in that year earned him the Male World Swimmer of the Year award from the Swimming World magazine.

At the time of the 1996 Olympics, Perkins was out of form and long-time Australian rival Daniel Kowalski was regarded as the favourite. He qualified for the final by a mere 0.24 seconds and it was later revealed that Perkins felt unwell and considered not swimming. From lane eight, Perkins dominated the race, again relegating Kowalski to his perennial bridesmaid position.

After his Atlanta triumph, some commentators were surprised when Perkins decided to continue competing, particularly as the rise of Grant Hackett, yet another Australian distance swimmer, made it seem unlikely that Perkins could win again. However, the lure of a home Olympics was too much for Perkins. Hackett completed his rise to the top by beating Perkins, who took the silver medal in a respectable time under 15 minutes.

Perkins has always presented a clean-cut, well-spoken image to the public, similar in many ways to Ian Thorpe Since his retirement, he has occasionally worked in the broadcast media. He is a current board member of Swimming Australia.

He is married and has three children Harry, Georgia and Charlie with wife Symantha.

In the Australia Day Honours of 1992, he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OA). He is an Australian Living Treasure.

 

Catherine Astrid Salome Freeman OAM

(born 16 February 1973)

(Cathy) Freeman was born in Mackay in Queensland. She won her first gold medal at a school athletics championship when she was eight years old. Cathy Freeman's stepfather, Bruce Barber, coached her until 1989. Cathy Freeman's family was poor and, like many Australian Aboriginals, suffered discrimination from white Australians. Once, after winning many races at a primary school competition, Cathy, who wasn't given a trophy, had to watch as the white girls she had beaten received trophies. Her family worked hard to raise the money Cathy needed to take her to competitions in Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne. The family moved to Brisbane in 1989 to be near Cathy, who had won a scholarship to Kooralbyn International School where she was being professionally coached by Mike Danila. In 1990 Cathy moved to Melbourne.

Achievements
At the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland, New Zealand, Cathy won a gold medal as a member of the 4 x 100 metres relay team. With this medal win, she became the first female Australian Aboriginal to win a gold medal at an international athletics event.

Cathy Freeman won the 200 metres and the 400 metres at the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Canada. After her first win, Cathy ran a lap of honour carrying the Aboriginal flag and the Australian flag. The chief of the Australian team criticised her, and said she must not do it again. After her second win, Cathy defiantly carried both flags around the track. The Australian public loved it, with three out of four agreeing with her action.

In 1997, at the World Athletic Championships in Athens, Greece, Cathy won the 400 metres sprint.

At the World Athletic Championships in 1999 in Seville, Spain, Cathy successfully defended her 400 metres sprint title.

Olympic Highlights
Barcelona 1992 In 1992 Cathy Freeman was chosen to compete at the Barcelona Olympics. Although she did not make it to the finals of her event, the 400 metres, she had become the first Australian Aboriginal to represent Australia at an Olympics.

Atlanta Olympics 1996
Cathy's main rival at the Atlanta Olympics was Marie-Jose Perec of France. In an exciting race in which Freeman led for much of the distance, Perec closed the gap and passed Cathy in the last 80 metres. Cathy Freeman's time of 48.63 seconds was a personal best and she won a silver medal.

Sydney Olympics 2000
Cathy had the honour of lighting the Olympic flame at these games and won the 400 metres.

In 2003 she was in training for the World Championships and hoped to represent Australia at the Athens Olympics in 2004.

Retirement
However, on 15 July 2003 Cathy Freeman announced her retirement from competitive running.
On 15 March 2006, she was one of the final runners in the Queen's Baton Relay, bringing the baton into the MCG at the Opening Ceremony of the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

 

John Michael Landy AC, CVO, MBE, KStJ

(born April 12, 1930)

is a former track athlete and was the 26th Governor of Victoria, Australia. He married his wife, Lynne, in 1971, and they have two children. While serving as Governor, John and Lynne Landy resided at Government House, Melbourne. He retired from the position after serving a five-year term on 7 April 2006, John Landy attended school at Malvern Memorial Grammar School and Geelong Grammar School. He graduated from Melbourne University in 1954, receiving a Bachelor of Agricultural Science.

During his school years, Landy enjoyed watching 1500 m track events. He became a serious runner during his college years, and was a member of the Australian Olympic team at both the 1952 Summer Olympics and 1956 Summer Olympics. During his running career, he held the world records for the 1500 metre run and the mile race.
On June 21, 1954, at an international meet in Finland, Landy became the second man after Roger Bannister to achieve a sub-4 minute mile, recording a world record time of 3:57.9, ratified by the IAAF as 3:58.0 owing to the rounding rules then in effect. That record held for more than three years.

Worldwide, Landy is probably best known for his part in a mile race in the British Empire Games in Vancouver, British Columbia, in August 1954. Landy ran his second sub-4 minute mile in the race, but lost to Roger Bannister, who had his best-ever time. This meeting of the world's two fastest milers was called "The Miracle Mile", the "Race of the Century" and the "Dream Race"; it was heard over the radio by 100 million people and seen on television by millions more. On the final turn of the last lap, as Landy looked over his left shoulder, Bannister passed him on the right.

In Australia, Landy is perhaps most famously remembered for his performance in the 1500 metres final at the 1956 Australian National Championships prior to the Melbourne 1956 Olympic Games. In the race, Landy stopped and doubled backed to check on fellow runner Ron Clarke after another runner clipped Clarke's heel, causing him to fall early in the third lap of the race. Clarke, the then-junior 1500 m world champion, who had been leading the race, got back to his feet and started running again; Landy followed. Incredibly, in the final two laps Landy made up a large deficit to win the race, something considered one of the greatest moments in Australian sporting history. Said the National Centre for History and Education in Australia, "It was a spontaneous gesture of sportsmanship and it has never been forgotten."

 

Dawn Lorraine Fraser, AO, MBE

(born September 4, 1937)

She was born in Balmain, a suburb of Sydney, into a working class family. She was spotted at an early age of 12 by Sydney coach Harry Gallagher swimming at the local sea baths.

Known for her controversial behaviour and larrikin character as much as her athletic ability, Fraser won eight Olympic medals, including four golds, and six Commonwealth Games gold medals. Fraser also held 39 records. She held the 100 meters freestyle record for 15 years and 1 month from December 1 1956 to January 8 1972.

She is the first of only two swimmers in Olympic history (Krisztina Egerszegi being the other) to win gold for the same event at three successive Olympics (100 m: 1956, 1960, 1964).

In October 1962 she became the first woman to swim the 100 metres in less than a minute. It was eight years after she retired before her record was broken.

In 1965 Fraser retired from swimming, after the Australian Swimming Union placed her under a ten-year ban. Things had come to a head when, at the Tokyo Olympics, she marched in the opening ceremony against their wishes, wore an old swimsuit (which angered sponsors) because it was more comfortable, and, it was alleged, she climbed a flagpole in Emperor Hirohito’s palace, taking the Olympic flag. Fraser then became a publican, swimming coach and in 1988 was elected a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the seat of Balmain in Sydney. The seat was abolished in 1991 and she left politics.

She was named Australian of the Year in 1964, was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1967 and on June 8, 1998, was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO). That year she was voted Australia's greatest female athlete. She was named Australian Female Athlete of the Century by the Sport Australian Hall of Fame. In 1999 the International Olympic Committee named her the World's Greatest Living Female Water Sports Champion.

She was one of the bearers of the Olympic Torch at the opening ceremony of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. She carried the Olympic Torch at the stadium, as one of the runners for the final segment, before the lighting of the Olympic Flame.

The Australian Sport Awards includes an award named in honour of and presented by Fraser.

Reference material from Wikipeadia

 

 

 

 

 

 

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