Trailblazing friends who became first female Olympians honoured
Wilhelmina 'Mina' Wylie won silver in the 100 metres at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, making her the second Australian female swimmer to place at the Games – her friend, Sarah 'Fanny' Durack, placed first.
The blue plaque, a Heritage NSW initiative designed to acknowledge and honour the extraordinary people who have shaped the state, was unveiled on Friday at Wylie's Baths, the Coogee pool built by her father Henry Wylie, also a competitive swimmer.
Durack's blue plaque was unveiled on Thursday, at her childhood home on Douglas Street, Stanmore.
The two women, who had to fight for Australia to enter women's swimming events – because the NSW Ladies Swimming Association did not believe women should compete in front of men – were among the country's first women Olympians.
Wylie went on to hold world records in freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke before her retirement in 1934.
NSW's blue plaques are inspired by similar schemes in the UK.
Unveiling the Wylie plaque, Coogee MP Marjorie O'Neill spoke of the importance of recognising female athletes in NSW history, and the community of the eastern suburbs, where Wylie grew up.
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