Russell Matheson (Macarthur, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On indulgence, it is with great pride and sadness that I stand here today to pay my condolences to the family of Iain Murray Rose. The champion swimmer died on 15 April after a battle with leukaemia, leaving behind his wife, Jodi; his son, Trevor; and his daughter, Somerset. Since his death last month, Rose has been hailed as one of the greatest Olympic swimmers of all time, a pioneer for distance swimming, Australia's golden boy, a great mate, a bloody nice guy and an Olympic legend.

When I think of Murray Rose, the word 'champion' comes to mind. He set 15 world records and won four Olympic gold medals for Australia in 1956 and 1960. He was just 17 years old at the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games, where he won three gold medals in the four-by-200-metre freestyle relay, the 400-metre freestyle and the 1,500-metre freestyle. Then, in 1960 in Rome, he held onto his 400-metre freestyle title and won a silver medal in the 1,500-metre event behind fellow Australian John Konrads. Rose missed out on the 1964 Tokyo games because he was studying in the United States and had to sit exams at university. He described this as his biggest sporting regret. John Konrads said Rose missed out on competing in Tokyo and Australia missed out on a gold medal as a result. Murray Rose represented Australia for the last time at the Perth Commonwealth Games in 1962. He won every event he swam in, bagging four gold medals.

In his eulogy, Rose's teammate Dawn Fraser described him as a pioneer for 1,500-metre swimmers. She said he set the example for a list of fine Australian swimmers to follow, including Grant Hackett, Kieren Perkins and Daniel Kowalski, who modelled their strokes on his beautiful swimming style, which was very coordinated and strong.

Throughout this country's sporting history, we have been very lucky to produce athletes that set a good example both on and off the sporting field. I believe Rose is a fine example of an athlete who was not tainted by his national hero status. He remained a true gentleman, an all-round nice guy, both in and out of the pool.

In my electorate we have many young swimmers who are training hard to achieve their goals in swimming clubs and squads across Macarthur. I consider these swimmers fortunate to have had a role model like Murray Rose to set the standard for Australian swimming. One local swimmer in particular is Daniel Tranter, from Bradbury, who has made the Australian team for the London Olympics in the 200-metre and the 400-metre individual medley. Daniel has put in the hard work to achieve his goals. I know that his parents, peers and the Macarthur community are all very proud of him. In a media interview, Daniel's dad, Peter, said that, while growing up, Daniel wasn't always the best swimmer. He said his son was never the one who always came first and, while he had the potential, he did not always have the technique. Peter said Daniel put in the hard work and now has the Australian Olympic team jacket to prove it. Daniel's story is like that of many young swimmers from all over Australia who have dedicated their lives to sport in the hope that one day the hard work will pay off and they will achieve their goals and represent their country. I am sure that, like Murray Rose, Daniel will show the true qualities of an Australian champion both in and out of the pool in London. I wish him the best of luck and so does all of Macarthur.

Dawn Fraser has described the death of Murray Rose as a great loss to the Olympic family, a great loss to the swimming community and a great loss to the wider community. I wholeheartedly agree. Olympic Committee president John Coates described Rose as a person who represents all that is good in life, with a generosity of spirit, values and virtues that embody that of the Olympic movement. He was definitely an athlete that we could be proud of to represent our country, an athlete who set a great example for all generations of Olympic swimmers to follow.

We all know that swimming is a sport that requires unbelievable amounts of commitment and determination. Our Olympic swimmers spend hours and hours in training, morning and night, doing what most will agree is a very challenging and isolating sport. They do this so that they can wear the green and gold and represent this country on the world stage. In doing so, they give younger generations hope and encouragement to work hard and become the best they can be.

Today, I would like to publicly thank Murray Rose for the fine example he set for future generations of Australian athletes and the impressive qualities he possessed that made him a legendary swimmer and a great human being. He was described as part of the swimming DNA of Australia, whose success inspired a generation. I believe he has left behind a wonderful legacy for Australia, not only in the record books but in the example he has set for the future athletes of this country. Thank you.

John Alexander (Bennelong, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On indulgence: Murray Rose, a national Australian treasure and sporting hero, sadly lost his battle with leukaemia on Sunday, 15 April 2012 at the age of 73. His contribution to Australian sport since the 1950s cannot be overstated, nor can his selfless character, warm spirit or gentle nature.

He was born Iain Murray Rose on 6 January 1939 in Great Britain, and his family moved to Sydney when he was a baby. His lifelong passion for swimming began at the age of five when he commenced lessons with coach Sam Herford, who, upon seeing his dog paddling, immediately informed Rose's parents of his strong potential. There was a man with an eye for talent! He subsequently won four gold medals, three of which were attained by the age of 17. Remarkably, this performance made Rose the youngest triple gold medallist across all sports in the history of the Olympic Games. He excelled in freestyle and competed in the 1956 Melbourne games and the 1960 Rome games, both individually and in relay groups.

When Rose was still competing, he pursued his interest in acting and completed a degree in drama and television from the University of Southern California in 1962. Two years later, he starred in a Hollywood film, Ride the Wild Surf, alongside Barbara Eden and Tab Hunter. It is widely accepted that he would have competed in the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games had it not been for his missing the national championships due to acting commitments.

I am well aware of the dedication, persistence and passion required to achieve at this highest level. These qualities, combined with Murray's good looks, charm and superb skill, characterised his many extraordinary achievements. I was privileged to have met Murray on several occasions and was struck by his lovely character and surprising diet. Mostly these meetings were charity events where he was giving his time to help others less fortunate.

A well-known vegetarian at a time when restaurants and cafes did not cater for such needs, Rose would often rush to his parents' residence, even when competing, to have a home cooked meal from his mother. It is therefore no surprise that he earned the endearing nickname 'Seaweed Streak'. This story is yet another indication of Rose's desire to achieve irrespective of the sacrifices he had to make. He even attributed his success to the diet and its associated health benefits.

His contribution to swimming was no less remarkable after retirement. At the age of 40 it is reported that he swam even faster than in the 1956 Melbourne games. Rose also contributed significantly as a patron of the Rainbow Club Australia, which provided swimming lessons for mentally and physically disabled children—a true Australian champion. Rose has been survived by his wife, Jodi, and children Trevor and Somerset. I offer my sincere condolences to his family and friends as well as to many others who were touched by his character and inspirational achievements, including the four gold medals and 15 world records.

Murray Rose should be remembered as a gentleman and as a true Australian legend, whose achievements initiated a wonderful period in Australian and world sport. Equally, though, he should be remembered not just as a great champion in the pool but as a champion human being.

Kelly O'Dwyer (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise on this condolence motion to honour Murray Rose. It was the 1956 Melbourne Olympics that put Australian swimming on the world map, and the name Murray Rose is synonymous with that Olympics. In today's condolence motion, I am honoured to pay tribute to one of Australia's greatest ever swimmers and a true Australian legend.

The Melbourne Olympics also featured legends such as Dawn Fraser, John Konrads, Betty Cuthbert and John Landy. At the end of that Olympics, Australia held every freestyle title in men and women's swimming. For his part, Murray Rose won three gold medals in the 400-metre, the 1,500-meter and the four-by-200-metre freestyle relay. This made him the first swimmer in 36 years to win both the 400- and the 1500-metre events at the one Olympics. With Betty Cuthbert dubbed the 'golden girl' of the Melbourne Olympics, 17-year-old Murray Rose became the 'golden boy', with his blond hair and rugged good looks.

His diet was a source of fascination with the media. Rose and his family were strict vegetarians. Rose had never eaten meat, poultry or seafood. To fuel his swimming, his mother fed him a muscle-building formula made from Irish kelp. This earned him another nickname, the 'Seaweed Streak'. He went on to win a fourth gold medal as well as a silver and a bronze at the Rome Olympics in 1960 and four gold medals at the Perth Commonwealth Games in 1962. In total, he won seven Australian swimming championship titles and set 15 world records.

While he is best known for his stellar swimming career, Murray Rose led a varied and interesting life. Following his success at the Melbourne Olympics, he was offered a sports scholarship at the University of Southern California. It was here that he studied drama and television and was best known for his appearance in the 1964 film Ride the Wild Surf, in which he was cast as an Aussie surfer. But a movie contract got in the way of a qualifying competition before the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. While it is thought that he had one more Olympics in him, Rose never got the chance to compete.

Murray Rose was a true Australian, who pined to come home for the 31 years that he lived in the US. From the time of his return in the late 1980s, he became involved in a number of charities, including the Rainbow Club, which provided swimming lessons to children with disabilities. Rose became patron of the club in 1999 and, in 2008, he sought to establish the Rainbow Club Malabar Magic Ocean Swim event, raising more than $40,000 for children.

Murray Rose was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1965, after being voted Australia's greatest male Olympian. In 1985 he was also inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame. He was appointed a member of the Order of Australia for his services to swimming and was also award the Centenary Medal in 2001 for his services to Australian society. As our Australian Olympic team prepares to head to London in a few months, what better inspiration could there be for an athlete than to strive for gold. Certainly, the great Australian swimmers of recent times, including Ian Thorpe and Grant Hackett, name him as an idol and a source of inspiration. Kieren Perkins described Rose as his mentor. I offer my condolences to Murray's wife, Jodi, and his children. He will be known as a great Australian legend.

Natasha Griggs (Solomon, Country Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to join many of my colleagues to pay tribute and honour the passing of Australian swimming legend Ian Murray Rose OAM or, as he was better known, Murray Rose. Sadly, Murray passed away on Sunday, 15 April at his home in Sydney after battling leukaemia for four months. Murray was born in Birmingham, England, moving to Australia with the onset of World War II, where he quickly took up paddling at the local Redleaf Pool at Double Bay in Sydney. It was not long before his talent in the pool was recognised, and by 1955 more people started to take note of him, particularly when he won the 220-yard and the 440-yard freestyle event at the Australian Swimming Championships. There was a lot of interest in his unique swimming style. He had what they say was a fluid stroke and a four-beat kick, something that I do not possess.

By age 17 Murray had made his mark, winning gold medals in the 400 metres, the 1500 metres and the four by 200 metre freestyle relay at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. Simply an amazing achievement! It was not surprising that he was quick to get many fans. Australians love a winner and we are quick to give pet names—

A division having been called in the House of Representatives—

Sitting suspended from 17:12 to  17:43

As I was saying before the suspension, it was not surprising that Murray Rose was quick to get many fans. Australians love a winner and we are very quick to give pet names. After winning three gold medals in his home country, Murray was given the nickname the 'golden boy', which I think is a reflection of not only his gold medals but also his golden hair. Murray was the first swimmer in 36 years to win the 400-metre and 1,500-metre events at the same Olympics. A sports scholarship at the University of Southern California followed, as did another Olympic gold medal in the 400-metre freestyle as well as a silver medal and a bronze medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.

Murray continued competitive swimming but also studied drama and television, trying his hand at acting in 1964 with minor roles in Ride the Wild Surfand Ice Station Zebra. He appeared on television and radio but it was clear where his passion was. Murray Rose set 15 world records and won seven Australian swimming championship titles. He won four British Empire and Commonwealth Games gold medals and four gold medals, one silver medal and one bronze medal in Olympic competition. In 1965, Murray was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame and was voted Australia's greatest male Olympian. In 1985, he was inducted into the Sports Australia Hall of Fame. He was also one of only eight flag bearers at the opening ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. He was appointed a member of the Order of Australia for his services to swimming and received the Australian Sports Medal. There is no doubt that Murray was a worthy recipient of both of those.

From all accounts Murray was passionate about his charity work and gave time to the Rainbow Club of which he was the patron. The Rainbow Club provides swimming lessons to children with mental and physical disabilities. In 2008, Murray worked with the club to establish the annual Malabar Magic Ocean Swim event, which has involved around 1,000 swimmers and raised $40,000 for children. I understand that Rob Lloyd of the Rainbow Club recently announced that the event will be renamed in Murray's honour. He said, 'Murray was a great man with a big heart. He connected with children and always worked tirelessly, putting his soul into the work. Murray Rose's Malabar Magic will continue to grow and be a reminder of the great charity work of Murray Rose.'

On behalf of my electorate, I extend deepest sympathies to Murray's wife, Jodi, his son, Trevor, and his daughter, Somerset, and also to the many Australians who will be mourning the loss of a true sporting hero.

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is with great pleasure but at the same time sadness that I rise to speak on the passing of Iain Murray Rose. In this Olympic year there will be cause for much celebration as we encourage and witness the achievements of our athletes on the track, in the field and of course in Murray Rose's beloved pool. Australian sport has delivered us many heroes over time, but the role models we remember most fondly are those men and women who make a remarkable contribution and leave an indelible mark on the fabric of our society long after their race has been run or indeed swum.

Murray passed away last month after a battle with leukaemia at the age of 73. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Jodi, and their family. He will be sorely missed, most importantly as a husband and as a father, but to a nation he will be missed as a great Australian. Murray picked up the golden hat-trick at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, winning gold medals in the four by 200-metre freestyle relay, the 400-metre freestyle and the 1,500-metre freestyle. He was just 17 years old at the time. Backing up in Rome in 1960, Murray retained his 400-metre freestyle crown and picked up the silver medal behind fellow Aussie John Konrads in the 1,500-metre freestyle. His final swim for Australia was at the Perth Commonwealth Games in 1962 where he won his four events. The President of Swimming Australia, David Urquhart, said, 'Murray was part of the swimming DNA in Australia' and that his name was synonymous with success in the sport of swimming. Murray was a champion in the pool but perhaps more importantly, Murray was a champion in our community—and I mean even more specifically the community of the Sutherland shire.

He served for many years as the patron of the Rainbow Club, an organisation which I am proud to also be associated with. It is a hardworking, non-profit organisation that offers swimming lessons for children with disabilities and special needs. This is where I came to know Murray. The Rainbow Club provides specially tailored swimming lessons to young people with physical or mental disabilities. The club is a valuable opportunity for these children to make friends, to grow in confidence and to extend their abilities through sport and recreational swimming. Murray led by example with his hands-on approach, his infectious enthusiasm and great passion and commitment for this cause which is helping these kids grow in skill and confidence both in and out of the water. It also plays a crucial role in developing their sense of belonging. The kids feel a sense of ownership over their local club and pride in their local community. Importantly, the clubs also foster support networks between families, giving both the children and the parents opportunities to meet and share with others in similar circumstances to their own. There are 18 Rainbow clubs in Australia, including two in my electorate of Cook—the Cronulla Rainbow Club at Taren Point Swim School and the Sutherland Rainbow Club at the Sutherland Leisure Centre. Each club is run independently under a parent working committee overseen by a national constitution of Rainbow Club Australia which provides the major funding to drive this work forward. The Rainbow Club operates on a budget of about $250,000 a year—without any government contribution. But community input and fundraising is what is critical to ensure its success.

Children with disabilities have particular needs and the Rainbow Club provides specialised learn-to-swim instruction that is tailored to best support each student. In most cases this includes one-on-one classes. The club caters for a wide range of needs. For children with a physical disability that may mean they require greater supervision or progress at a different pace from their peers and children with autism whose condition would make a crowded and noisy 'mainstream' swim class an overwhelming and upsetting experience. Understandably, because of the tailored level of care, Rainbow's operating costs for instructors' wages are very high. But the work they do is critical and it is important the club continues to be supported in the future.

The Rainbow Club gives more than 400 children the opportunity to swim each weekend and employs about 70 instructors. In my electorate alone, there are about 70 kids who have this opportunity to get into the pool each weekend.

Rainbow Club Australia has been operating for more than 40 years now. It was started back in 1969 by a Cronulla local Ron Siddons and his wife, Lily. Ron has asked me, and I spoke to him today, to place on record their appreciation and their own personal tribute to Murray and their sincere condolences to his family. Never in their wildest dreams did they believe someone of Murray's standing, who was in such high demand, would be able to lend his support to their great cause. However, after being asked to take on the role of patron by another great shire identity, Peter Kerr, Murray signed up without hesitation.

Murray was an active patron, not just a name on the letterhead. He understood and participated in the work of the Rainbow Club. He played a key role in fundraising and lifting the club's profile. In 2008, he drove the creation of the Malabar Magic Ocean Swim—an event now enjoyed by 1,000 swimmers every year, raising more than $40,000 for these kids. In 2010, the Rainbow Club won the New South Wales Ministers Award for Most Significant Contribution to Water Safety with a Focus on an Under-Represented Group, in recognition of their contribution.

Rob Lloyd—a board member of the Rainbow Club—described Murray as a 'great man with a great heart and soul'. Murray was also a regular at the Cronulla Shark Island swim where he would often find himself lining up alongside my predecessor in the seat of Cook, the Hon. Bruce Baird, a very accomplished ocean swimmer, and I know Bruce would want to have his condolences and appreciation for Murray registered in this place. Bruce is also a regular at the Shark Island swim and has regularly won his age group, except of course when Murray has been in the water. It was not a bad thing to come second to the great Murray Rose.

When the swimmers line up next March, Murray will obviously not be there, but his contribution, his memory and his legacy will remain. By the end of his swimming career, Murray had broken 15 world records—two more than Olympian Ian Thorpe. These gold medals pay tribute to Murray's golden talent. However, the smiles on the faces of the kids and the families of the Rainbow Club will forever pay tribute to his golden heart.

Alan Tudge (Aston, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

'We'd had legends before like Boy Charlton and Frank Beaurepaire and Fanny Durack, but they did not capture the public mood in the same way. It was the right moment for a whole group of athletes and the right moment for Melbourne. I don't think Melbourne was ever the same again.' That is a quote from a Mr Harry Gordon, who is a journalist and an Olympic historian and who wrote that in an obituary for the late Mr Murray Rose quite recently. Of course, he was referring not just to Murray but to a number of other stellar athletes at the time who captured the public imagination during the Melbourne Olympic Games in 1956 but he was particularly highlighting, in an article and an obituary, the performance of Murray Rose and his incredible three gold medals at that event. I would like this evening to associate my name with the remarks which have been made by the member for Cook and other people who have spoken on this condolence motion and briefly add my condolences as to this motion, to Mr Rose's family.

Murray Rose was born in Scotland in 1939. He came to Australia when he was a very young boy. He was educated in Sydney at the Cranbrook School and went on to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Southern California in the United States, where he spent much of his time. He started his swimming career, though, very early on, and this is what was so remarkable in some respects about Murray Rose. At the age of only 17 he had won four Olympic gold medals and, amazingly, set 15 world records over the course of his career. At the Olympic Games he was one of the superstars for Australia.

Of course there have been many great swimmers since Murray Rose. Many indeed have won more gold medals. But as was written in the Australian:

His was a languid beauty in the water at a time when there were no underwater cameras to record the furious work beneath the surface, only eye witnesses to the seemingly effortless stroke keeping time for eight or 15 laps of the pool.

He was known as being an incredibly handsome man. He captured the people's imagination. Later in his life he went on to have an acting career in the United States. He played an Australian big wave rider in the 1964 film Ride the Wild Surf and four years later Murray played a military officer in Ice Station Zebra. The New York Times reported that Murray Rose 'has become, in a very short time, an All-Australian Boy among those looking for a hero Down Under'.

Since finishing his swimming career and acting career, Mr Rose went on to make other contributions, and for those he is equally well recognised. As the member for Cook mentioned previously, he was the patron of the Australian charity, the Rainbow Club, which teaches disabled children how to swim. He made an incredible contribution in that and that club still continues to this very day.

A number of prominent Australian swimmers have also pointed out that he was an incredible mentor for them. Grant Hackett described him as a major inspiration for his swimming career. The Prime Minister also said that Murray 'helped shape Australia's destiny as a successful sporting nation overall'. Murray Rose was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia due to his contributions to Australian society. He was married twice. He had a daughter Somerset with his first wife Bobbie. The couple separated and he remarried later to an American, Jodi Wintz, a principal ballerina, and both Jodi and their son Trevor survive him. I pass my condolences to his family members and our prayers and thoughts are with them.

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On 15 April this year Australia lost one of its greatest. One of our swimming legends, Iain Murray Rose, passed away aged 73 after a brave battle against leukaemia. My thoughts go to Murray's family at this time and I thank them for sharing their husband and dad with Australia for so many years. Murray has been described by the Australian Olympic Committee President John Coates as 'simply peerless, the finest swimmer throughout his era'. Perhaps Swimming Australia's President David Urquhart put it best when he said, 'Murray Rose is part of the swimming DNA in this country.'

Born in Nairn, Scotland in 1939, as an infant Murray moved to Australia with his family soon after the outbreak of World War II. As a child, Murray took to swimming very early on and his first swimming lessons were at Sydney's Redleaf Pool at Double Bay at the age of just five. His first teacher was 1924 diving gold medallist Dick Eve. He was seven years old when Sam Herford became the pool's resident coach.

At the age of just 17 Murray headed to the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne as a swimmer representing Australia. He won three medals at the games—all gold. His wins in the 400 metres, 1,500 metres and four-by-200-metre relay made Murray a household name as well as a national hero. In 1960, as a 21-year-old, he again joined the Australian team for the Summer Olympics in Rome. Murray won the 400-metre freestyle and finished second to John Konrads in the 1500 metres. He also took home a bronze medal, swimming in the four-by-200-metre relay team. Murray was the only swimmer to have won the 400-metre freestyle twice in a row. This honour is now shared by another great Australian swimmer, Ian Thorpe. Murray's last time representing Australia as a swimmer was at the 1962 Perth Commonwealth Games, where he won every event he swam and took home four gold medals. During his swimming career he set 15 world records, including the 800-metre freestyle in 1962, which was not broken until 1966. Murray's talent in the pool was highlighted in his long-distance swims. Another Australian swimming legend, Dawn Fraser, described him as 'the pioneer of distance swimming in Australia'. His service to swimming was recognised in 2000 when he was appointed a member of the Order of Australia. Following his swimming career, Murray pursued an acting career. He had minor roles in two Hollywood movies and periodic performances in television shows.

Murray swam his way into our history based on his natural talent as well as his hard work—and certainly without the streamlined water-repellent body suits the swimmers of today wear. He will always be remembered for his domination in the pool and as an inspiration to Australians as well as to swimmers right across the globe. He proved the Aussie ideal that working hard will allow you to reap the rewards. Murray remained a dedicated swimmer his whole life and believed every Australian should learn to swim. He lived by his belief and was a patron of the Rainbow Club, an organisation that teaches disabled children to swim. Murray was a frequent commentator on different television channels when the Olympics rolled around, and he will be notably absent from the commentary for this year's London Olympic Games.

I will finish with the words of John Coates, who highlighted that Murray's conduct in life beyond the pool was just as impressive as the many records and medals he won:

The record books don't tell us everything …

They don't emphasize this proud truth that throughout his career and life, through his generosity of spirit, his sense of fair play, his modesty, his dignity, his respect for his opposition, his innate sense of decency, his attitude to life, Murray Rose embodied all the values and the virtues that the Olympic movement treasures.

Vale Murray Rose.

Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak on the condolence motion for Murray Rose, a legend of Australian swimming and somebody who will be sorely missed. Born in Birmingham in England in 1939, Murray Rose took up swimming at the age of five. He went on to study in the United States at the University of Southern California and then had wonderful success in the pool. He held 15 world records, including three Olympic gold medals at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne when he was aged just 17: the 400-metre freestyle, the 1,500-metre freestyle and the four-by-200-metre relay. He went on to win a gold at the 1960 Rome Olympics as well as a silver and a bronze. He won his gold for the 400-metre freestyle and the silver for the 1,500, in which he came second behind John Konrads. He actually would have won more Olympic gold medals—at Tokyo in 1964—had he not missed the swimming trials. He did not qualify because he was undertaking some engagements in the movie industry, which I will speak a little bit about in a moment.

He died after a brave fight against leukaemia at the age of 73. He was described by the head coach of the United States swim team at Rome—Gus Stager, of the University of Michigan—as 'the greatest swimmer who ever lived, greater even than Johnny Weissmuller', whom we all remember as the original Tarzan. But he was not just a swimmer. He was not just a role model. He was also a TV personality. He studied drama and television and had a couple of Hollywood roles, starring in the 1964 movie Ride the Wild Surfwith two people I do not really know, but am told many of my colleagues know about, Tab Hunter and Barbara Eden.

Jane Prentice (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I Dream of Jeannie!

Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I Dream of Jeannie! He also starred in the 1968 action flick Ice Station Zebra, with Rock Hudson. And when he finished his competitive swimming career he gave something back to younger people and those less fortunate. He was a patron of the Rainbow Club, which supported swimming lessons for mentally and physically disabled children. When Dawn Fraser, another Australian swimming legend, gave the eulogy at his funeral, she said:

… I have lost a true friend and a great team-mate.

Murray Rose was not only a brilliant swimmer, a gold-medal winner, a role model to the community about the importance of giving back and an inspiration to the next generation of swimmers, men and women, whose successes follow in the footsteps of his; his life was also synonymous with the term 'a good sport'. He lived his life to the fullest. It is tragic that he has died aged only 73; but, when we look back on what he achieved in his life, we can say that he made a valuable contribution and will be sorely missed. I pass on my best wishes to his surviving wife, Jodi, and to his son, Trevor. May Murray Rose rest in peace.

Jane Prentice (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today on behalf of the residents of the Ryan electorate to remember one of our golden boys of Australian swimming, Murray Rose. At just 17 years of age, Murray Rose was at the peak of his swimming power. While competing at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, he won three gold medals—in the four-by-200-metre freestyle relay, the 400-metre freestyle and the 1,500-metre freestyle. He followed up that success in Rome at the 1960 Olympics, where he retained his 400-metre crown and took out silver in the 1,500-metre race, behind fellow Australian John Konrads. His final time representing Australia was at the 1962 Perth Commonwealth Games, where he won every event in which he competed and received four gold medals. He then went on to begin a movie career in California, which my colleague the member for Kooyong detailed previously.

Murray Rose was patron of the charity the Rainbow Club, which teaches disabled children how to swim. For his services to swimming, he was appointed a member of the Order of Australia in 2000. He also received the Australian Sports Medal in 2000, and in 2001 he was awarded the Centenary Medal.

Speaking at Murray Rose's funeral, fellow Olympian Dawn Fraser described her friend as 'a true gentleman'. She said:

He will always be known as the pioneer of distance swimming in Australia … Murray was a true gentleman, he will be a great loss to the Olympic family, he will be a great loss to the swimming community, and he will be a great loss to the wider community.

On behalf of the people of Ryan, I extend my condolences to the family and friends of Murray Rose.

Teresa Gambaro (Brisbane, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Citizenship and Settlement) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would also like to pay tribute to Murray Rose and express my condolences on his death. Murray Rose was an Olympic great, and he is remembered as the best swimmer of his generation and the embodiment of the Olympic movement. But, most importantly, he will be remembered by those who loved him the most as a true gentleman. His humility, his kindness and his decency were the hallmarks of his life.

Murray Rose was born in Scotland in 1939. His family moved to Australia soon after World War II, when he was very young. He started swimming as a young child, showing a natural ability. At the age of 17, Rose participated in the 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics. He won the 1,500-metre freestyle and was a member of the winning team in the four-by-200-metre relay. For a 17-year-old to compete in the Olympics is an amazing feat on its own; to also get three medals is truly an incredible and amazing achievement. As you can imagine, winning three gold medals in his home country immediately made him a national hero. He was the youngest Olympian to be awarded three gold medals in one Olympic Games.

At the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy, Rose again won an Olympic gold medal as well as a silver and a bronze, bringing his haul to six medals. He set an incredible record in the world of swimming. He eventually set 15 world records, including the world record in the 800-metre freestyle in 1962, and this was not broken until 1966.

They kindly named a venue at the Sydney Olympic complex after him in 2000. As we all remember, he was one of the eight amazing bearers of the Olympic flag at the opening ceremony of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.

He was a talented actor and went on to have an acting career. He starred in many films, including Ice Station Zebra. The current President of the Australian Olympic Committee, Mr John Coates, stated at his funeral that Murray Rose was simply peerless—the finest swimmer throughout his era. He went on to say:

… throughout his career and life, through his generosity of spirit, his sense of fair play, his modesty, his dignity, his respect for his opposition, his innate sense of decency, his attitude to life, Murray Rose embodied all the values and the virtues that the Olympic movement treasures.

Australia has lost a true champion and I wish to extend my deepest condolences to his family and the friends of this great sporting legend, Murray Rose.