Blaze e-catalogue - Catalog - Page 36
Ella
Gormley
1885-1948
Pioneer of women’s
sport and physical
education
In 18 years with the NSW Department of Public
Instruction, Ella Gormley became the State’s
most senior swimming instructor and pioneered
physical education.
In 1909, student teacher Gormley set out
to make swimming tuition available to all
children, not just boys as was the status quo.
She introduced swimming instruction at
Sydney-wide baths, pioneered life-saving and
resuscitation programs for school students
in regional NSW and founded Christmas
vacation swimming programs.
“There is no more capable and
enthusiastic exponent of the
Art amongst women teachers
than Miss Gormley.”
NSW State Archives: Department of Education;
NRS 3830 [20/13258], Memo to Under Secretary,
‘Miss EM Gormley B.A: Instructress in swimming,
Status and Salary’, 10 February 1916
sport
1
In 1917, the Department accepted Gormley’s
proposal to design physical training—sport—
for female teachers and girls, making her
responsible for all seven Sydney girls’ high
schools, minus any pay increase. During 1919–
1920, it funded Gormley to attend Colombia
University, and tour England and Europe to study
physical education. Returning in 1921, she was
appointed Supervisor of Girls’ Physical Education
tasked with developing syllabi incorporating
teacher training. Her request for remuneration
parallel to US counterparts was ‘disallowed’.
Approached by Prime Minister Billy Hughes
to direct a national physical culture course for
women teachers, she was too busy to accept.
In April 1922, aged 37, Gormley resigned from
the Department.
36
