Betty Judge
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Betty Judge-Beazley is a former Australian athletics champion at 880 yards, who set two national records over the distance. She was the first coach of Olympic legend Shirley Strickland and is the mother of a former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia.
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[edit] Athletics career
Judge's athletics career spanned from 1939 to 1947 and she set two national records at 880y. She first ran 2-24.7 in 1940 and, in 1947, reduced this time to 2-24.2[1].
In her only national championships, at Perth in 1940, Judge won the 880y event and placed second in the 440 yards sprint[2].
Her best time for the rarely-run 330 yards race (39.9), set in 1941, was later considered to be a world's best time[3].
[edit] Coaching and Official Career
Betty Judge was the first coach of Olympic legend Shirley Strickland[4], who set numerous world records and won seven Olympic Games medals.
From 1948 to 1952, Betty Beazley was President of the Australian Women's Amateur Athletics Union[3].
[edit] Personal life
Judge married Australian politician Kim Edward Beazley on 7 February, 1947[5].
Although the two had known each other via their education at Perth Modern School and the University of Western Australia, it was a chance meeting a church function that sparked their whirlwind courtship and marriage [6].
On 14 December, 1948, their son Kim Beazley junior was born. He later became Deputy Prime Minister of Australia.
[edit] References
- ^ Athletics Gold profile
- ^ Athletics Australia profile
- ^ a b Fields of Green, Lanes of Gold by Paul Jenes ISBN 0 949853 63 1
- ^ Australian Broadcasting Corporation - 730 Report - 'Strickland's Olympic gold goes up for auction'
- ^ Curtin University - Kim Edward Beazley
- ^ The Australian - 'Labor's moral pillar'
