Trove Tuesday - Trudgeon

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NOTABLE LADY SWIMMERS. (1924, February 13). The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933), p. 13. Retrieved January 14, 2018, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article20681017



It's Tuesday so time for some Trove-ing.

I am currently studying Writing Family History at University of Tasmania and was thinking about my ancestors' childhoods.  Swimming sprang to mind.  

My paternal grandmother Ethel was a pretty good swimmer.  I have written about her before here.  

Her younger sister Rene was pretty good too and you can see her featured in the photo above when she visited Brisbane in February 1924.  I wonder if she was able to attend Ethel's wedding on the 18th of that month.  I suspect not.  Newspaper article dates indicate that she stayed in Queensland for a couple of weeks.  You can view my list of Rene Carrett articles here.

What intrigued me most about some of the articles though (apart from some fantastic photos) was the mention of the trudgeon or trudgen stroke.  I had never heard of it before.  Perhaps you have - particularly if you play water polo, for which apparently it is very useful.

Here is a great clip which explains how the stroke works.  And here is an interesting blog post which explains its evolution/adoption.

This is the article that mentions Rene teaching this particular stroke.

COURTEOUS VISITORS (1924, February 16). The Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. : 1872 - 1947), p. 2. Retrieved January 14, 2018, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article180042436



And here's a couple more photos of Rene found on Trove...

No title (1924, February 13). The Daily Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1903 - 1926), p. 9. Retrieved January 14, 2018, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article217627240





No title (1924, February 22). The Daily Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1903 - 1926), p. 14. Retrieved January 14, 2018, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article217619331
No title (1924, February 17). The Daily Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1903 - 1926), p. 1. Retrieved January 14, 2018, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article217615710



I wish I could say that I had inherited some of my grandmother's and great-aunt's prowess in the pool.  You can be sure that I will be attempting the trudgeon/trudgen style next time I take a dip though.  And I will also keep that word up my sleeve when playing Words with Friends :)

 Are you a good swimmer?  What is your favourite swimming style? Happy Trove Tuesday!

Comments

crgalvin said…
Wathced the film clip, most interesting had never heard of the trudgeon crawl. As for me, not a good swimmer but in the water most days throughout this hot weather. My style? mostly trudging through the water. 😀
January 16, 2018 at 8:50 PM
crgalvin said…
Oops, should have proof read that!!
January 16, 2018 at 8:52 PM
Crissouli said…
I have included your blog in INTERESTING BLOGS in FRIDAY FOSSICKING at

https://thatmomentintime-crissouli.blogspot.com/2018/01/friday-fossicking-jan-19-2018.html

Thank you, Chris
January 19, 2018 at 8:08 AM
Alex Daw said…
Thank you dear Chris
January 20, 2018 at 6:19 PM
GeniAus said…
I love getting in the swim but can't say I have any talent or prowess.
January 21, 2018 at 6:40 PM
Marjorie Conley said…
Thank you Chris,
Just found your blog. Lily Robertson was my husband's aunt and I know she was an excellent swimmer, but I believe her younger sister Ettie may have been better. She was winning championships in all fields of the sport and eventually became Australian Champion and also Australian Diving Champion. Unfortunately, she died quite young. Found your article very interesting.
January 15, 2023 at 3:30 PM
Alex Daw said…
Hi Marjorie - oh I'm so glad you found my article. That's so wonderful to find more descendants of the swimming troupe as it were. I learned lots in the process of writing it. It was great to see so many women of that generation really enjoying their sport, representing their state and sharing the love and knowledge.
January 15, 2023 at 5:12 PM
Maree Jones said…
@Marjorie Conley I have been looking for information on Ettie Robertson as I think my husbands family is related to her.We knew she was a good swimmer and died young.Do you know where we could find more information about her?
November 28, 2023 at 4:36 PM
Alex Daw said…
Hi Maree and Marjorie sorry for the delayed response to your comment on my blog. I've been a bit busy and distracted with Xmas preparations et al. If you search trove.nla.gov.au and put the search terms in as follows "Ettie Robertson" AND swim you should get about 690 results. Make sure to put Ettie Robertson in inverted commas. Have fun!
January 3, 2024 at 11:15 AM
Chris Jones said…
I have just found this site and doing some research for a book I am writing. My father George Eric Jones was married toEttie Robertson and I have been looking for his name regarding her death in October 1935, However he is not really mentioned other than the name JONES. It appears her older sister and brother in law were mentioned. Perhaps there may have been a few cupboard skeletons. Chris Jones (chrislily@bigpond.com)
February 2, 2024 at 3:56 PM
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