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Athletics
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Dot Browne OAM (née Green) Teacher and Athlete/Marathon Runner
Attended CHS 1953 - 1957 I am always proud to state that I spent my secondary schooling at Camberwell High School. I absolutely loved my time there and was sorry I was forced to leave after Year 11 instead of Year 12. My parents were working-class people and didn't place a lot of value on educating a daughter to a higher level. They also didn't have the money to keep me there. I gained tremendous self-esteem and confidence through being given lots of responsibility in the five years I attended Camberwell High. I was Form Captain each year I was there, Junior House Captain in Year 8, House Captain of Roosevelt in Year 11 and probationary Prefect at the end of Year 11 before I left. Fortunately, I was able to get back into the study as a young married mother of 4 children with great encouragement from my well-educated husband, Colin. I did HSC at Box Hill night school classes, then went to Burwood Teachers College for 3 years when my youngest started school, to gain a Primary Teaching Diploma and then went to Monash to do an Arts degree. I started teaching in eastern primary schools after that and for the last 25 years or so, I have been a primary Art/Craft teacher and have absolutely loved it. This year, I have dropped back to part time art teaching as I am now about to turn 66 years of age and it's about time I retired! But to return to the reason for my OAM. It was awarded in the 1992 Australia Day Awards "for my contribution to athletics in Australia". I was overwhelmed at the time by the acknowledgement. It came about the time I started Teachers College. I joined what was then called the Victorian Veterans' Athletic Club for people over 35 years of age. I had always been interested in keeping fit and had played regular netball, tennis and softball in teams as my children grew up. I did well in athletics, at school, and was athletic champion for every year I was at Camberwell as far as I can remember. But I never realised that I was a good distance runner, because the longest athletic event for girls was 200 metres in those days. And it was not until I was 38 and joined Veteran Athletics that I started doing 10kms and training for the Big M Marathon as every other runner was doing back in 1979.
Dot in the Wantirna Fun Run at age 40 years. To cut a long story short, before long I started winning local fun runs and getting places in marathons. I got myself a good coach around 1980 and as a result of his training advice, brought my marathon times right down until I was asked to represent Australia in marathon teams in international marathons all over the world. It was the most marvellous period of my life, but hectic! I was teaching full-time but would have to do a 10km run at 6am every morning before school and then another 8km or so after school, 30 kms hill training sessions on Sundays at Ferny Creek and intervals of 10X400 metres with a group of blokes twice a week. It was quite a tough program that my coach set me, but it worked, and I had a few years of experiencing the most marvellous trips overseas, taking my lovely husband with me each time, to run some of the major marathons of the world, with all expenses paid.
Half Marathon winner in Sydney I feel unbelievably fortunate with everything that has happened in my life. I loved my school years, I have had great sporting success, I was satisfied to get some academic success and I am still very happily married to my lovely husband, Col, after 45 years, despite the hazards of raising four children.
Dot's Athletic CV Committee Work: Committee member of Doncaster Women's Athletic Club from 1979-1981 and President in 1981 (3 years of service) Committee member of Victorian Veterans Athletic Club from 1980-2003, Assistant Secretary from 1980-1993, Hon. Secretary from 1994-2003 (23 years service) National Secretary of the Australian Association of Veteran Athletic Clubs from 1992-1996 (4 years of service) Committee member of Victorian Marathon Club from 1982-1988, Vice President and Club Captain (6 years of service) Founder and Hon. Secretary of Australian Ultra Runners Association from 1986-2001 (15 years of service) On the Organising Committee of the World Veteran Games in Melbourne 1987. Race Director Roles : Sole organiser of 79 separate athletic events, which include Ultra distance road races and track events, biathlons, public fun runs. Literary Involvement in Athletics: Associate Editor in "Fun Runner" national running magazine from 1981-1992. Sub-Editor of "The Veteran Athlete" monthly national newspaper 1985-1989. Founder, Editor and Publisher of "Ultra Mag" quarterly national magazine for ultra-runners from 1986-2001.
Fun Run Victory at age 44 As an active Competitor in Athletics as a distance runner, participating in events from 800m to marathons: Competed as a member of Doncaster Women's Athletic Team from 1979-1981. Has competed weekly at Croydon venue of the Vic Masters Athletics (formerly Vic. Veterans Athletic Club) from 1979 to the present day. S till competing every Tuesday night. Represented Australia in the following marathons overseas as an official Australian Team member, authorised by Athletics Australia.: 1982 - San Francisco Avon Women's Marathon 1983 - The London Marathon 1983 - Djakarta Proclamathon (45km) to celebrate the anniversary of Indonesia's independence which occurred on 17/8/1945. 1984 - Singapore Marathon. Competed in World Veterans Games in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 1981, winning silver medals in 10k & 5k - and gold in the 1500m. Competed in the World Veterans Games in Melbourne in 1987, winning 3 silver medals in the 5k, 10k and Cross-Country 10k. Competed in the Oceania Veterans Games in Fiji in 1982, winning 4 gold medals for 1500m, 5k, 10k on the track and cross country 10k. Member of Team Adidas from 1982-1988, being sponsored by Adidas to compete in distance events in various states of Australia.
Competing in 10km Masters Athletics - around 43 years Current Masters Athletic Age Records still held:
Chessmoves webmaster - Well done, Dot!!! |
©CHESS 2001