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Overview
This photograph is of Gladys Eileen Pidgeon (1906 − 2002), an award winning swimmer, at the height of her career. The photograph was taken following her appearance at the inaugural British Empire Games (1930–50), the predecessor of the British Empire and Commonwealth Games (1954–66), the British Commonwealth Games (1970–1974) and, finally, the Commonwealth Games (1978 onward). In 1930, the British Empire Games included six sports and attracted 400 competitors from 11 countries. The games took place from 16-23 August, 1930 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Pidgeon, who had worked as a clerk at Milne & Choyce department store since she was 14, was the New Zealand 220 yards breast stroke champion from 1925 and 1931, with the exception of 1929 when she came second to Lily Copplestone. In 1930, she won a place on the New Zealand team that travelled to the first British Empire Games in Hamilton, Canada. She was the only female selected. As Peter Kitchen wrote in her obituary, 'being named in the team, however, proved problematic. The impediment was the government's unwillingness to have a single woman on the team because it would require the additional expense of a chaperone.' (First Kiwi Woman at Empire Games', The Dominion Post, 28 November 2002, B7). Pidgeon was only allowed on the team after her mother, Jane, agreed to pay her own way in order to chaperone her daughter.
Although recording a personal best at the 1930 Empire Games, she finished sixth in the final of the 200 yards breast stroke, which was won by Cecelia Wolstenholme of England in world-record time of 2 minutes and 54.6 seconds. Both Wolstenholme and the second place winner were teenagers. Pidgeon recalls being stunned by their youth, and also by the number of coaches, managers, medical staff and masseurs in attendance of the other teams. On her return, she pleaded with the New Zealand swimming authorities to get people into the sport earlier (Kitchen, 2002). New Zealand won three gold, four silver and two bronze medals at the games.
Gladys retired from competitive swimming in 1931 following the national championships in April and her marriage to Ken Marley, a policeman. The NZ Herald reported the following:
'As a fitting conclusion to a long and outstanding career Miss G. Pidgeon succeeded in winning the 220yds. Auckland and New Zealand breast stroke titles for the sixth time. On account of her retirement from competition Miss Pidgeon is sure to be missed from breast stroke events.' ('Swimming items', New Zealand Herald, 29 April 1931)
This photograph was taken and framed between the 1930 British Empire Games and the national swimming competition in April 1931, as her 1931 win is not recorded in the text.