Roche, Melanie
(1970 – )Olympian, Softball Player
A Softball pitcher, Melanie Roche’s ability to frustrate hitters and limit scoring made her one of the most feared players in international competition. She was trusted with pitching duties in many of Australia’s finest wins. Roche has also enjoyed an excellent professional career with teams in Europe and Asia.
Jones, Michellie
(1969 – )Olympian, Triathlete
In 2017, Michellie Jones was made a Member in the General Division of the Order of Australia ‘for significant service to athletes who are blind or have low vision, as a gold medallist at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, where she served as a guide to para-triathlete Katie Kelly, and to sport as a triathlete’.
McGill, Linda
(1945 – 2025)Commonwealth or Empire Games Gold Medalist, Swimmer
Linda McGill was one of the Olympic stars banned by the amateur swimming authorities as punishment for alleged misbehaviour in 1964 at the Tokyo Olympic Games. Five months after being suspended, she became the first Australian to swim the English Channel. In 1967, she set a women’s record for the swim of 9 hours 59 minutes and 57 seconds, a time that came very close to beating the men’s record (9 hours and 35 minutes) as well. Three months later, she became the first person to swim across Port Phillip Bay in Victoria, Australia. She swam the twenty-five miles from Portarlington to Frankston in 13 hours.