Elizabeth Swan 1924-1985
By Darcy MacRae The Independent (June 2005,reproduced with permission)
Elizabeth Swan won't soon be forgotten by the people of Clarenville. A native of Australia, Swan moved to Clarenville in 1953 with her husband, Dr. John Swan, and in 1964 started the Flying Blades, the town's first figure skating club. At the time, the Flying Blades was the first figure skating association in the province to be formed outside St. John's.
Her dedication to the sport was unparalleled.
"She was a passionate volunteer," says Rod Nichol, who worked alongside Swan on the Clarenville and area recreation association in the late 1970s and early '80s.
Swan, who was affectionately known as Mrs. Figure Skating, was a pioneer of the sport in Newfoundland and Labrador and synchronized skating in Canada. Along with serving as first president of the Flying Blades, she organized the first provincial figure skating championships in 1968. She was provincial figure skating chair for nine years, served as a national director for four years, and chaired the committee that established precision skating in Canada. Swan also conducted numerous workshops and judged many figure skating competitions across Canada and played a major role in having professional coaches become an integral part of the national figure skating association.
With accomplishments too numerous to list, it's not surprising Swan was voted into the provincial Sports Hall of Fame in 1986 and the Canadian Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 1995. Her efforts earned her the respect of her peers, while her warm, compassionate personality earned their friendship.
"She was a very genuine person," Nichol says. "She was a very hard working individual; very committed to the efforts of recreation and youth."
Jean Burden worked closely with Swan for years with the Flying Blades Figure Skating Club, and saw first hand what kind of heart she had. Burden says Swan wanted so badly for children to have the opportunity to enjoy skating that if ever a child came along who couldn't afford skates but wanted to join the Flying Blades, Swan would find a way to get the child on the ice.
Quite often, Swan would magically appear with a pair of skates for the child, claiming she had found them in her basement. After that happened a few times it became obvious Swan was willing to search high and low to find a child a pair of skates, and would even go so far as to buy them herself. "She was so dedicated," says Burden. "What she wanted was for every kid to be able to skate." Swan's dedication to skaters in Clarenville knew no limitations. She would often be at the rink by 6 a.m. to assist in a Flying Blades' practice, even if only a few skaters would be on hand. She was always eager to stop and talk with parents.
"She was a real down-to-earth person," Burden says. "I've never met anybody like her since." Swan died in a car crash during a snowstorm on Feb. 25, 1985 (the same year she was named National Volunteer of the Year), on her way home from judging the provincial figure skating championships in Labrador City. Her death rocked the Town of Clarenville and all of those who knew her. "The day we heard she died É was just awful," Burden says, fighting back tears. "It was heart breaking to know that somebody like her could go so quick."
In honour of her contributions, Clarenville dedicated a recreation park, featuring a softball field and playground facility, in her memory. The grounds are known as Elizabeth Swan Memorial Park.
darcy.macrae@theindependent.ca