Dawn Fraser AC MBE (b. 1937), swimmer and coach, broke 39 world records, won four gold and four silver Olympic medals, and was the first woman to break the minute barrier for the 100m freestyle between 1956 and 1964. In 1999, she was one of a handful of athletes honoured by the International Olympic Committee. Named World's Greatest Living Female Water Sports Champion, she took the podium with others including Mark Spitz, Muhammed Ali and Michael Jordan. The same year, the Sports Australia Hall of Fame named her the Australian Female Athlete of the Century. Australian of the Year in 1964, through the seventies and eighties she worked as a publican and politician in Balmain, Sydney. Her autobiography, Dawn: One Hell of a Life, was published in 2001.
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2001
© Peter Brew-Bevan courtesy of Sue Southam Management
Accession number: 2001.173
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On one level The Companion talks about the most famous and frontline Australians, but on another it tells us about ourselves: who we read, who we watch, who we listen to, who we cheer for, who we aspire to be, and who we'll never forget. The Companion is available to buy online and in the Portrait Gallery Store.
The exhibition Depth of Field displays a selection of portrait photographs that reflect the strength and diversity of Australian achievement.
In this exhibition Sydney based photographer Peter Brew-Bevan brings together an intimate collection of works that highlight his passion for the genre of portraiture over the last 10 years
Over the last five years the National Portrait Gallery has developed a collection of portrait photographs that reflects both the strength and diversity of Australian achievement as well as the talents of our photographers.
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