Harriet Elphinstone-Dick (1852–1902), also known as Harriet Elizabeth Rowell, was an early

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and Australian

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

champion, and physical fitness teacher. Originally from

Brighton, England Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

, 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 1875, she migrated to

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 ...

, Australia aboard the ''Newcastle'' with her partner, Alice Moon, and 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 Port Phillip ( Kulin: ''Narm-Narm'') or Port Phillip Bay is a horsehead-shaped enclosed bay on the central coast of southern Victoria, Australia. The bay opens into the Bass Strait via a short, narrow channel known as The Rip, and is compl ...

. She had an intense interest in physical fitness and in 1879 opened Melbourne's first women's only

gym A gymnasium, also known as a gym, is an indoor location for athletics. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasium". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learning spaces in educational i ...

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. In 2019, Sue Ingleton's book, ''Making Trouble: Tongued with fire: An Imagined History of Harriet Elphinstone Dick and Alice C. Moon'', was published by Spinifex Press.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elphinstone-Dick, Harriet 1852 births 1902 deaths Sportspeople from Brighton English female swimmers