Judy, a simple question, you're acknowledged as one of the greatest foot runners to have represented Australia, but how did you finally settle on living in Port Fairy?
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Tim, quite simply I have a daughter and her husband and their children are living in Port Fairy. I had visited Port Fairy a lot of times over the years.
I was raised in the country so I'm a country girl at heart. I had lived at Balnarring for more than 30 years and taught at the Red Hill Consolidated School for 30-plus years when a block of land came up for sale in Port Fairy, so I built a house on it.
I moved into the house in December 2014. I've really loved the sea-change to Port Fairy. I've got involved in a few different community groups in the town and love the beach so I'm really enjoying living here.
Judy, are you still running?
Sadly, no I'm not running anymore. I can walk, bike ride and swim but I don't run anymore.
I've had a few problems with my back and my right hip was replaced this year and the left one in 2013 so I'm taking things a lot easier than I used to but I'm lucky I can go for walks on the beach which I really love and various other walks around the beautiful town.
Let's go back over your running career. Where did it all begin?
I used to love running at primary school but I suppose things started to fall into place for me as a runner when I was 15 years old.
I had been running in school events when the chance came up for me to run for the Mentone Running Club. Mum used to take me from Mt Macedon down to Melbourne each Saturday.
I turned up one day and they asked me if I had starting blocks I told them no but I had spikes. I ran against a group of other girls in a 100-yard race.
I won the event quite convincingly which surprised many people as one of the girls was suppose to be the Victorian junior sprint champion.
I was quite lucky – I used to do a lot of my training at home as my parents ran a guest house on the farm and mowed a track close to 100 metres long. Henri Schubert took over as my running coach and stayed in that role until my career came to an end.
What memories do you have of the lead up to the 1964 Olympic Games in Toyko when you got a bronze medal?
I had wanted to run in the 1962 Empire Games in Perth but I was rushed to the hospital with appendicitis, prior to the 400-metre final.
I began specialising in the 440 yards in 1963 as the race was to make its international debut in the 1964 Olympic Games.
I ran the fastest quarter-mile in Australia in 1963 and was selected with Betty Cuthbert and Dixie Willis to be in the Olympic team.
I won my heat and semi-final at the Toyko Olympics but had to settle for third place behind my great friend Betty Cuthbert and Britain's Ann Packer in the final.
I then went on and ran on the US indoor circuit before coming back to Australia for the nationals where I won the 440 yards in a world-record time of 52.4 seconds for the distance.
Judy, you mentioned the Australian gold medialist Betty Cuthbert. Do you still keep in contact with her?
Betty and I are great friends, have been for a long time. She's not in the greatest of health but she's still in there battling.
Betty is a wonderful person. We ran against each other on numerous occasions during my career. She was gracious whether she won or lost.
Judy, you missed the 1968 Olympics in Mexico. What was the reason why you were not selected?
I missed the 1968 games because I had given birth to Nathan. I got ready to run in the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich but I tore a left calf muscle and missed out before going to the Montreal Olympic Games in 1976.
Judy, by my calculations you were 36 years old when you went to Montreal to represent your country. How did you go?
I ran the fastest time of my career for the 800 metres which was one minute 59.90 seconds but I just missed a berth in the final. I also set an Australian record for the 1500 metres. I ended up retiring from international athletics in August 1976 to set up a junior athletics camp down at Balnarring.
Was that the end of your career?
No. I came back again in 1985 for the World Masters Games in Toronto. I won gold medals in the 400, 800, 1500 and 5000 metres, setting world records in the first three. I then competeted in the World Veterans Track and Field titles in 1987 where I won gold in the 400 metres.
Judy, what was the lowlight?
It has to be at Munich in 1972. I had mentioned I had torn my left calf muscle, I was still living in the Olympic Village and went for a run in the morning with our 1500-metre runner Jenny Orr. We were running around the oval when Jenny said ‘don't look now, there is a man on the balcony with a gun’. I glimpsed up and saw a man in a balaclava with a gun. Jenny and I freaked, headed to the village gates and found we were unable to get inside again. We rushed around to another gate and got back in.
The whole thing got worse for me as the doctor told me I would never run again after tearing my calf muscle - that was like a red rag to a bull. I was determined to prove the doctor wrong - four years later I was packing my bags for the 1976 Montreal Games.
