Elizabeth Swan - Community pioneer

This year, we’re celebrating notable people and events that have shaped Clarenville. One of them is Elizabeth Swan.

You’re no doubt well familiar with one of our town’s most popular attractions, Elizabeth Swan Park, but do you know about its namesake?

Elizabeth Swan was a pioneer in figure skating locally, provincially and nationally. She was inducted into Skate Canada’s Hall of Fame in 1995. The information below is from the sign posted at the park and the Skate Canada website.

Born Elizabeth Modra in 1924 in Adelaide, Australia, she was the 10th of 12 children of a farming family. During the Second World War, she joined the newly formed Women’s Auxiliary Australian Air Force.

While serving in Sydney, she met a sailor in the British Merchant Navy, John (Ian) Swan from Glasgow, Scotland and they were married in 1944. After the war they lived in Scotland then later moved to Labrador and finally to Clarenville in 1953 where they raised a family and spent the rest of their lives.

Both were active in the community. Dr. Ian Swan was the first resident dentist in Clarenville and served as mayor of the town for eight years.

Elizabeth dedicated herself to promoting recreational activities for young people and ensuring excellence in all aspects of figure skating in Newfoundland and Canada, starting with the founding of the Flying Blades Figure Skating Club in 1965.

Elizabeth introduced the sport to thousands of young athletes by organizing her province’s first championships, promoting the growth of local clubs and providing many training opportunities. She became the first gold dance and figure judge in her province and conducted numerous judging clinics.

Chairman of the national committee for the formation of precision skating, she was instrumental in its introduction to Canada. She was affectionately known as “Mrs. Figure Skating”.

Her untimely death in 1985, while travelling home in a blizzard after judging the provincial championships, was a great loss to the skating world and our community. She was 61.

Shortly after her death, Elizabeth Swan Park was named in her honour. The park is a source of pride among Clarenville’s many parks and green spaces. It serves as the primary venue for numerous community and regional events and is a main gateway to the town’s extensive network of walking trails. The park is not only an attraction for visitors but also a vital community facility that supports an active lifestyle.

Sources:

Paul Tilley’s Page, https://www.paultilley.ca

https://clarenville.ca/discover…/elizabeth-swan-park/

https://skatecanada.ca/hall-of-fame/elizabeth-swan/