jean

Miss Jean Watts running on Bondi Beach with a dog, New South Wales, 1925 / M. H. Robinson

from National Library of Australia

• 6 older comments, and then…
• Nev said:

  I wonder who was Miss Watts ? She sure was photogenic. Love the dog tugging on the towel.

• beachcomber australia said:

  Nev I think she might be Jean Watts "the 12 year-old wonder swimmer" from Bondi where her father Harold Watts controlled the surf sheds. trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/103547089 trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/103549060 The photo reminds me of one of the old adverts for soap - can't remember which brand !

• National Library of Australia said:

  Thank you very much for your research Beachcomber! We have now updated the catalogue record to indicate this is indeed Miss Jean Watts. nla.gov.au/nla.pic-vn4981298

• beachcomber australia said:

  National Library of Australia A pleasure to add a little information to this wonderful image. I have not had much more success with finding what happened to Miss Jean Watts. Her swimming career seems to have burned out in about 1929. Her father Harold Watts, who managed the Bondi surf sheds, died in 1926, just after this photo - trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/128102390 . It wasn't SOAP I was reminded of, but the famous COPPERTONE advert (created 1953) - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coppertone_sign

• pellethepoet said:

  Miss Jean Watts was married in late 1936 or early 1937. - trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/17293553 She became Mrs [E.] R. Johnston, and in April 1944 her husband was appointed Science Master at the Broken Hill High School. - trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/49561753. From 1947 he was Science Master and Deputy Headmaster at Narrandera High School, and beginning 1952 was appointed Headmaster of Katoomba High School. - trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/101619209