Doris Jessie Carter, (5 January 1912 – 28 July 1999) was an Australian military officer, public servant, and

athlete An athlete (also sportsman or sportswoman) is a person who competes in one or more sports that involve physical strength, speed, or endurance. Athletes may be professionals or amateurs. Most professional athletes have particularly well-devel ...

who specialised in the

high jump The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat f ...

. She was the first Australian female track and field athlete to make an

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

final. Carter placed 6th in the 1936 Olympics in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

and also competed in the

1938 British Empire Games The 1938 British Empire Games was the third British Empire Games, the event that evolved to become the Commonwealth Games. Held in Sydney, Australia from 5–12 February 1938, they were timed to coincide with Sydney's sesqui-centenary (150 ye ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

. She won five

National Championships A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best team, indi ...

at high jump (1933, 1935, 1936, 1938, 1940) and two at

discus throw The discus throw (), also known as disc throw, is a track and field event in which an athlete throws a heavy disk (mathematics), disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than their competitors. It is an classical antiqui ...

(1936, 1940) in her career. Following her competitive career, Carter became involved in the administration of women's athletics both at State and National levels. She was President of the Victorian Womens Amateur Athletic Association from 1945 to 1948. Carter also served twice as President of the Australian Women's Amateur Athletic Union, firstly in 1948 and again between 1952 and 1962. In 1956 Carter was the Assistant Manager to the Australian Olympic Team during the

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

. Carter was also prominent with the

Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force The Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAAF) was formed in March 1941 after considerable lobbying by women keen to serve, as well as by the Chief of the Air Staff, who wanted to release male personnel serving in Australia for service ov ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and, on the raising of the

Women's Royal Australian Air Force The Women's Royal Australian Air Force (WRAAF) was formed in 1950, after the success of women serving in the Air Forces had been demonstrated by the Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force The Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAAF) was ...

in 1951, she was appointed the service's director. She retired from the post in 1960. Carter co-lead the

Anzac Day , image = Dawn service gnangarra 03.jpg , caption = Anzac Day Dawn Service at Kings Park, Western Australia, 25 April 2009, 94th anniversary. , observedby = Australia Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Cook Islands New ...

Parade at

in the mid-1990s.

References

Athletics Australia Profile
*

External links

* * * * * 1912 births 1999 deaths Athletes (track and field) at the 1936 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1938 British Empire Games Australian female high jumpers Australian female discus throwers Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II Australian Officers of the Order of the British Empire Commonwealth Games competitors for Australia Olympic athletes for Australia Women in the Australian military Royal Australian Air Force officers 20th-century Australian women Place of birth missing {{Australia-athletics-bio-stub

See also

References

External links