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Winifred Tweedie Lawrence MNZM (née Dunn; 6 January 1920 − 22 December 2006) was a New Zealand breaststroke swimmer, who, as Winnie Dunn, represented her country at the 1938 British Empire Games.

Winifred Lawrence

MNZM

Personal information
Birth name	Winifred Tweedie Dunn
Born	(1920-01-06)6 January 1920 Dunedin, New Zealand
Died	22 December 2006(2006-12-22) (aged 86) Auckland, New Zealand
Spouse(s)	Clynton John Christie Lawrence ​ ​ (m. 1946; died 2001)​
Sport
Country	New Zealand
Sport	Swimming
Achievements and titles
National finals	100 yards breaststroke champion (1939, 1940, 1941) 220 yds breaststroke champion (1938, 1939, 1940, 1941)
Personal best(s)	100 m breaststroke – 1:31.4

Early life and family

Born in Dunedin on 6 January 1920, Lawrence was the youngest daughter of Edward Hanratty Dunn and Ellen Clarke Dunn (née Ferguson).[1][2][3] She was educated at King Edward Technical High School.[4] On 30 January 1946, she married Clynton John Christie Lawrence in Dunedin.[1][5]

Swimming career

Dunn first came to national attention in 1935, when she broke the New Zealand 100 metres breaststroke record, previously held by Gladys Pidgeon, with a time of 1:39.6.[6] The record was later broken by Judith Webster of Auckland, but Dunn regained the record in December 1937 with a time of 1:33.0.[7] She also broke the national 220 yard breaststroke record, swimming 3:22.6, and was subsequently selected to represent New Zealand in the 220 yards breaststroke at the 1938 British Empire Games in Sydney.[8][9][10] She went on to finish seventh in that event.[11] She was also a member of the New Zealand 3 x 110 yard medley relay team at the Sydney games, alongside Mona Leydon and Joyce Macdonald, that finished in fifth place with a time of 4:22.3.[12]

Dunn was the New Zealand 220 yards breaststroke champion every year from 1938 to 1941, and the 100 yards breastroke champion from 1939 to 1941.[13]

In 1939, Dunn broke the New Zealand 400 metres breaststroke record by 45.2 seconds, recording a time of 7 minutes 11 seconds.[14] She also held the New Zealand 100 metres breaststroke record, with a time of 1:31.4, for 14 years, until it was broken by Rae Currie in 1954.[15]

As Winifred Lawrence, she became a well-known swimming coach in Auckland over many decades, retiring in 2002.[16]

Honours

In the 2000 Queen's Birthday Honours, Lawrence was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to swimming.[17] In 2001 she was made a life member of the Auckland Swimming Association.[18]

Death

Lawrence was widowed by the death of her husband in 2001.[19] She died on 22 December 2006, and her ashes were buried in Waikumete Cemetery.[20]

References

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