1962 Opening Ceremony and swimming finals

Title:
1962 Opening Ceremony and swimming finals
NFSA ID
85347
Year
1962
Courtesy
Cinesound Productions
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In this clip the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, opens the games on 22 November and athletes march onto the field. We also see the finals of two swimming events that were held at the Beatty Park Aquatic Centre.

The men's 110 yard freestyle final was won by Canadian Dick Pound, and the women's final by Australian Dawn Fraser in world record time. Fraser went on to win four gold medals.

The Perry Lakes Stadium had a 5,000 seat grandstand with open-air seating for a further 25,000. The open-air seating proved a challenge for the more than 40,000 spectators that watched the Opening Ceremony when temperatures climbed to over 40C. While soldiers ferried water to performers, scores of spectators had to be treated for heat-related conditions.