Olympian Emma McKeon on the steps of the North Wollongong promenade that has been named in her honour. Photo: Zoe Cartwright.
Australia’s most decorated Olympian, Wollongong woman Emma McKeon, was celebrated in her hometown on Friday (30 August).
Her name isn’t just written into Australian sporting history, it’s also taking pride of place on the new promenade at North Wollongong Beach.
Emma was in town to reveal the plaque which has been placed in front of North Wollongong Surf Club along the promenade which was completed just before last Christmas.
Plenty of people out for a morning walk took the opportunity to congratulate Emma on her most recent achievements at the Paris Olympics.
The call to name the promenade after Emma, who holds more gold medals than any Australian athlete and is Young Australian of the Year, came from the local community after her success at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
With no further plans to compete, the swimmer said the honour was a “pinch me, I’m dreaming” moment.
“I grew up doing Nippers on this beach, and if you told 10-year-old Emma where she would be now she wouldn’t believe you,” she said.
“Putting your all into something feels so much better than wishing you gave it a go – I hope this inspires others to follow their dreams.”
Emma said she had no idea she was on track to be Australia’s most decorated Olympian at the 2024 Games, and only found out about the milestone achievement in post-race press conferences.
“I never really keep track of stats, so it was a bit of a shock to be honest,” she said.
“It’s also a huge honour – you grow up looking up to Olympic champions; it was a huge dream of mine, but you don’t see it happening.”
She said her most emotional Games moment was walking out for her final individual event, knowing it would be the last time she would stand in front of an Olympic crowd.
Uncle Richard Davis conducted the Welcome to Country for the unveiling of the promenade, and Layne Brown conducted a smoking ceremony.
Wollongong City Council Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery thanked Emma for the joy and pride her achievements brought to the whole region.
“Watching Emma race in Tokyo, and then her extraordinary humbleness at her success, inspired everyone and saw the community call for council to do something to recognise her accomplishments,” he said.
“When we were first talking about this, the promenade was planned for construction. Now, stage one has been completed and Emma has gone on to even greater things at the Paris Games. This is perfect timing to celebrate Emma’s outstanding career.’’
The council sought community input for suggestions of how to best recognise Emma’s achievements at the Olympics in 2021.
There were two rounds of community consultation, with the first asking for suggestions, and the second round asking for feedback on the options of naming North Beach Promenade and Terraces, or the Cliff Road viewing platform overlooking the harbour and Continental Pools after her.
Emma and her family also took part in the decision-making process.
“It was really important we acknowledge Emma and her phenomenal sporting feats in a way that responded to our community, but also in a way that she was comfortable with,’’ Wollongong City Council General Manager Greg Doyle said.
“What was really clear to us was that North Wollongong Beach was a special location for Emma and naming this new promenade after her was a respectful and considered way to thank her for inspiring all of us to always strive to do our best.’’
The sand coloured steps of the North Wollongong seawall opened just before Christmas last year.
The steps were designed to improve accessibility to the popular beach and to protect the North Wollongong Surf Club building and foreshore area from storms and wave damage.
The stage one seawall works were supported by technical and financial assistance from the NSW Government’s Coastal and Estuary Management Program.
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