Vale - Jeanette Leutenegger (Holle) (1948)
Swimmers Jeanette Holle, John Cooley, and Lorraine McMurray at Valley Baths, Brisbane, 1949
An exceptional pioneer of Australian swimming, Old Girl Jeanette Leutenegger (Holle) from the Class of 1948 passed away on 31 July 2025 at the age of 93 years. She was Dolphin #65 (membership number of the Australian swim team) and was one of Australia's oldest surviving Dolphins.
Jeanette competed for Australia at the 1950 Empire Games (now Commonwealth Games) in Auckland and finished fourth in the women’s 110-yard backstroke final in a time of 1:22.0 in a fiercely contested field. She had secured her spot on the team earlier that year, as an 18-year-old, when she unofficially clocked a Queensland record for the event in training at Brisbane’s Valley Baths.
The same year she was awarded a Half Blue by the University of Queensland. The award was later upgraded to a Full Blue for swimming in 1951. Both awards are given to elite student-athletes who represent the university with distinction.
Jeanette's passion for swimming extended far beyond her own achievements and led her to inspire future generations, including Rio Olympic silver medallist Maddie Groves, and to teach neighborhood children to swim in her backyard pool in Clayfield, Brisbane.
Jeanette was the much loved wife of John, and mother to Catherine, Peter, Jennifer, Freya, Denise, Jonathan and Anneliese (Nan)
(Article complied from Vales by Terin Frodyma for www.swimswam.com and www.swimming.org.au.)