May Cox: Leading Swimming and Lifesaving Advocate and Patriotic Fundraiser, 1910-1938

Deborah Towns

Abstract

May Cox was a swimming teacher in government schools and a highly visible community leader in Victoria in the early twentieth century. As a result of her enterprise and organisational skills thousands of children learned swimming and lifesaving. Her patriotic leadership during World War I ensured that hundreds of pounds were raised by the Education Department of Victoria and countless soldiers’ comforts were provided for the Australian Red Cross.

Keywords

May Cox, swimming, government schools, physical education, World War I, equal pay, Frank Beaurepaire

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