Harriet Elphinstone-Dick
Encyclopedia
Harriet Elphinstone-Dick (1858–1902), also known as Harriet Rowell, was an early English
and Australia
n swimming
champion, pioneering physical fitness
teacher and, possibly a lesbian
.
Originally from Brighton, England, she taught swimming at Brill's Baths in Pool Valley and won local fame with a series of public swimming feats including a 2 hour 43 minute swim in a rough September sea from Shoreham
to Brighton.
In the 1870s, she migrated to Melbourne
, Australia with her partner, Alice Moon, and she started to teach swimming at the St Kilda
Sea Baths, while also winning prizes in swimming competitions at various venues around Melbourne’s Port Phillip Bay.
She had an intense interest in physical fitness and in 1879 opened Melbourne's first women's only gym
nasium, in the Queen Victoria Building, which used to stand where the Melbourne City Square is now. Physical fitness for women was a popular idea of the 1880s and the gym attracted many of Melbourne's independent career women, particularly teachers from the city's growing number of private girls' schools. Miss Dick taught the Swedish Ling Method and ran her gym until 1901.
Miss Dick and Miss Moon lived at the Melbourne suburb of Brighton
. She died at home in South Brighton in 1902 and was buried in the Cheltenham Cemetery.
ANNNND SHEEESS AA LESBOOOOOOOO+ i love eleni
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
champion, pioneering physical fitness
Physical fitness
Physical fitness comprises two related concepts: general fitness , and specific fitness...
teacher and, possibly a lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
.
Originally from Brighton, England, she taught swimming at Brill's Baths in Pool Valley and won local fame with a series of public swimming feats including a 2 hour 43 minute swim in a rough September sea from Shoreham
Shoreham-by-Sea
Shoreham-by-Sea is a small town, port and seaside resort in West Sussex, England. Shoreham-by-Sea railway station is located less than a mile from the town centre and London Gatwick Airport is away...
to Brighton.
In the 1870s, she migrated to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia with her partner, Alice Moon, and she started to teach swimming at the St Kilda
St Kilda, Victoria
St Kilda is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Port Phillip...
Sea Baths, while also winning prizes in swimming competitions at various venues around Melbourne’s Port Phillip Bay.
She had an intense interest in physical fitness and in 1879 opened Melbourne's first women's only gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
nasium, in the Queen Victoria Building, which used to stand where the Melbourne City Square is now. Physical fitness for women was a popular idea of the 1880s and the gym attracted many of Melbourne's independent career women, particularly teachers from the city's growing number of private girls' schools. Miss Dick taught the Swedish Ling Method and ran her gym until 1901.
Miss Dick and Miss Moon lived at the Melbourne suburb of Brighton
Brighton, Victoria
Brighton is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 11 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Bayside. At the 2006 Census, Brighton had a population of 20,651...
. She died at home in South Brighton in 1902 and was buried in the Cheltenham Cemetery.
Sources
http://www.brightonourstory.co.uk/history.htmANNNND SHEEESS AA LESBOOOOOOOO+ i love eleni