Elizabeth Edmondson

She subsequently retired from swimming, only taking up the sport again in 2006 to compete in the 2008 FINA World Masters Championships in Perth.

Her father made changes to the house to make it easier for her to get around, including the addition of parallel bars to help her learn to walk.

[5] To qualify for the 1964 Summer Paralympics, she competed at the Third Australian Paraplegic Games held in Adelaide, South Australia.

[3] Around the time that Elizabeth was starting to prepare for the Paralympics, she was a student at St Hilda's Anglican School for Girls, a member of the West Perth Swimming Club, and an avid surfer.

[7] Swimming allowed me to move through the water with a certain amount of grace and my disability seemed to disappear in the dimensions of the pool.

[17][18] Edmondson did not compete in the 1966 Commonwealth Paraplegic Games,[3] due to difficulty finding funding to go to Jamaica, a plight common to many Western Australian athletes.

[18] Edmondson won a gold medal at the 1968 Summer Paralympics in Tel Aviv in the 50-metre freestyle class 4 incomplete swimming event with a world record time of 0.44.1 and a gold medal in the 100-metre open freestyle swim event with a world record time of 1.33.0.

In 2008, she qualified for the FINA World Masters Championships and swam a personal best time in the 800m Freestyle.

[3] From 2007 to 2009, she competed in several swimming events in a variety of strokes and distances around Australia in the women's 55–59 age group.

[24] Edmondson competed at the 2010 Australian National Masters Swimming Championships, held in Launceston, Tasmania.

Her travel to the event was paid for by Wheelchair Sports WA through the Sir George Bedbrook Scholarship fund.

[25] Edmondson competed at the 2011 X111 Australian Masters Games held in Adelaide, South Australia.

She competed as a disabled swimmer in six individual events and four relays and won ten gold medals.

"[35] In 2024, Edmondson was inducted into Australian Paralympic Hall of Fame[36] After she started working for Telstra, she married Ken Mills and had a daughter, Ruth.

Edmondson learning to walk
Elizabeth Edmondson training at Beatty Park pool aged 14
Australian Paralympic Team members Daphne Ceeney (now Hilton) and Elizabeth Edmondson shake hands after Edmondson won gold and Ceeney silver in the 50m prone swimming event at the 1964 Tokyo Paralympic Games. They are pushed by Kevin Betts (Ceeney) and 'Johnno' Johnston (Edmondson)
Australian Paralympic Team members Daphne Ceeney (now Hilton) and Elizabeth Edmondson shake hands after Edmondson won gold and Ceeney silver in the 50m prone swimming event at the 1964 Tokyo Paralympic Games. They are pushed by Kevin Betts (Ceeney) and 'Johnno' Johnston (Edmondson)
Australian Paralympic Team members in the in-field at the athletics during the 1964 Tokyo Paralympic Games. From left (seated) Frank Ponta, team official John Johnston, Elizabeth Edmondson, unknown and Bill Mather-Brown
Australian Paralympic Team members in the in-field at the athletics during the 1964 Tokyo Paralympic Games. From left (seated) Frank Ponta, team official John Johnston, Elizabeth Edmondson, unknown and Bill Mather-Brown
Elizabeth Edmondson (seated) at her daughter's 21st birthday.