A 'Spirit of Emulation': Press Perspectives on the Development and Governance of Competitive Swimming in Late Colonial Melbourne

Abstract

The heat of the antipodean climate, along with its status as a 'beach-bound' country, has ensured that aquatic sporting activities have always been popular in Australian society. Swimming is but one example, and its iconic position in national culture has resulted in a great deal of research on the activity in a variety of locations, across different time periods and from numerous perspectives. Significantly, the beach has been romanticized in art and literature as an integral part of national culture, and this is reflected in the numerous publications on beach-based aquatic activity. However, despite the attention paid to beach culture, the research conducted on competitive swimming in Australia is not extensive, with a comprehensive national history of the sport only published in recent years. Moreover, little attention has been paid to the socio cultural factors underpinning the development of the sport. As Phillips points out, developments that have occurred in competitive swimming have not been well contextualized, and the majority of publications have focused on times, records and medals, as well as key figures in the sport. While a select number of writers have sought to address the context behind these achievements and individuals, such works are few and far between. Additionally, the majority of research completed in this regard has been largely Sydney-based, and even those that profess to be nationally-based focus almost exclusively on this location. Therefore, there is a need for contributions to be made to the national history of the sport by means of an exploration of neglected areas of inquiry, and by an examination of the sport from alternate perspectives. In response to these needs, and to address the contextual deficiency in the existing literature, this chapter critically explores the development of competitive swimming in nineteenth century Melbourne by means of a qualitative content analysis of selected Melbourne metropolitan, suburban and sporting newspapers. In particular, it examines the watershed period of 1893-1900. Key milestones of this period include the inauguration of the state governing body for competitive swimming in Melbourne, the Victorian Swimming Association (VSA) in 1893,6 and the hosting of Melbourne's first Australasian championships in 1900. Phillips has established that the role of colonial swimming associations in standardising and organising competitive swimming ensured that regular competitions were held.