Gratton and Jones state that ‘understanding human activity requires analysis of both its development over time, and the environment and context within which the activity occurs’.136 In examining the customs and cultures that evolved with the development of swimming in Melbourne, a qualitative content analysis of newspaper articles and reports on swimming carnivals between 1893 and 1900 has been undertaken. Gratton
133
See Robin Grow, ‘Nineteenth Century Football and the Melbourne Press’, Sporting Traditions, vol. 3, no. 1, November 1986, pp. 23-37.
134
Winterton, ‘“For Duty and Pleasure”’. This coverage was limited almost solely to the annual swim season. As a seasonal sport, coverage outside this period was virtually non-existent.
135
Raszeja, A Decent and Proper Exertion, p. 40.
136
and Jones define content analysis as ‘determining the presence, meanings and the relationships of certain words or concepts within the text’.137 In order to establish a set of concepts relevant to the subject under analysis, Gratton and Jones suggest the development of a set of categories into which data can be placed in order to develop a theory.138 For this study, these data categories were developed from aspects of swimming carnivals that are emphasised in newspaper coverage. Aspects such as prominence, space and context were also considered, in line with Gratton and Jones’ content analysis framework.139
The categories developed are intended to identify a set of factors and issues that were highlighted in press coverage as being influential to the development of competitive swimming in Melbourne, and in Victoria more generally. These concepts are measured in terms of the quantity and the quality of coverage, and the context within which they are reported.140 In measuring the relative worth of these factors and issues within competitive swimming by means of the press response, their impact on the development of competitive swimming in Melbourne in this period can be assessed. However, as an inductive study, where data is analysed to develop a theory or explanation, this evidence is also used to develop a theory on how swimming was situated in the views of the Melbourne public.141 In developing such a theory, the data has then been placed into a number of pre-existing theoretical frameworks relevant to the concepts identified within the study, such as the importance and relevance of nineteenth century newspapers to sport,142 the development of women’s swimming in this period,143 and the evolution of sport as a ‘nation-building’ exercise.144
A number of Melbourne metropolitan, sporting, specialist and suburban newspapers were consulted from October 1893 through to April 1900, and press clippings referencing swimming in Melbourne, both recreational and competitive, were
137
Gratton and Jones, Research Methods for Sport Studies, p. 167.
138
Gratton and Jones, Research Methods for Sport Studies, p. 167.
139
Gratton and Jones, Research Methods for Sport Studies, p. 170.
140
These guidelines for conceptual frameworks are taken from Gratton and Jones, Research Methods for Sport Studies, p. 76.
141
Gratton and Jones, Research Methods for Sport Studies, p. 27.
142
Grow, ‘Nineteenth Century Football and the Melbourne Press’, pp. 23-37.
143
Raszeja, A Decent and Proper Exertion.
144
The notion of sport as nation building has been advocated by a number of sport historians. For one such example, see Cashman, ‘The Australian Way of Sport’, pp. 47-48.
obtained from these. As previously stated, earlier research on competitive swimming in Melbourne has dictated that the swimming season took place between December and early April, with very little (if any) coverage outside of this period.145 In line with this observation, a ‘slice’ approach is employed in regard to the data collection from newspaper material, where only the months of January-April, and October-December were examined for each year. This approach alludes to the periodisation of historical analysis, and involves the examination of distinct periods of history. This, in most cases, leads to a thematic rather than chronological construction. 146 Therefore, it is important to note that this thesis does not represent a complete chronological history of the sport within the years examined. Rather, it identifies common themes within the press coverage, and examines them in a chronological manner. This approach allowed for a greater number and range of newspapers to be examined.
In regard to data analysis, two daily newspapers, five weekly metropolitan, two weekly sporting and three weekly suburban newspapers were examined during the swimming season. However, to ensure that no coverage was missed outside the designated data collection period, one weekly sporting newspaper was examined for each week of the year. When coverage was found in the weekly sporting newspaper outside of the swimming season, it was then checked against the other newspapers examined.147 To further complement this, two regional Victorian newspapers were consulted sporadically, in the event that a specific regional event occurred that impacted upon events taking place in Melbourne.148 By combining these newspapers with the small quota of primary source material available, the process of
145
Winterton, ‘For “Duty and Pleasure’”, p. 14.
146
For examples of this method, see Matthew Healy, ‘Hard Sell: Australian Football in Sydney’, Master of Arts thesis, School of Human Movement, Recreation and Performance, Victoria University, 2002; or John Molony, The Penguin Bicentennial History of Australia: The Story of 200 Years, Viking, Ringwood, 1987.
147
The newspapers examined were the Age, Argus, Leader, Australasian, Weekly Times, Table Talk, Melbourne Punch, Sportsman, (examined weekly throughout the year) Sporting Judge, Brighton Leader, South Melbourne Record, and the St Kilda Advertiser.
148
The two newspapers examined were the Ballarat Star and the Geelong Advertiser. This thesis focuses primarily upon the development of competitive swimming from the perspective of the VSA/VASA. Given that regional Victorian clubs constituted only a small portion of the VASA activities, and the regional events gained significant coverage in the Melbourne metropolitan press under the VASA/VSA banner, it was decided to limit data to that of the Melbourne newspapers. This is primarily to ensure that the data remained manageable.
‘triangulation’, a method of factual cross-checking, which combines and investigates a range of primary source material, can thus be satisfied.149
Triangulation aims to produce an accurate and objective representation of the findings of the study through combining different theories, research methods and/or materials.150 This thesis will utilise source triangulation, as defined by M. Q. Patton, which suggests that differing forms of source data will be tested for different points of view and consistency.151 However, as he suggests, consistency is not necessarily a desired finding. Inconsistencies in results can be significant, and do not necessarily ‘weaken’ results.152 Rather, they establish areas for further research, and pose questions as to when and why these inconsistencies evolve.153 In using newspaper results as source data, it is expected that while there may be minor differences noted in terms of statistical and factual content, triangulation of these against other sources might expose the promotional agenda of the press. This will, as Patton suggests, pose some interesting questions as to why certain factors are emphasised.
In terms of structure, the second chapter of this thesis provides a general, chronological overview of Melbourne aquatic culture from the settlement of the city in 1835, through to the inauguration of the colonial governing body for competitive swimming in Victoria in October 1893. From this point, the chapters are presented thematically, and reflect the primary themes identified within press coverage as being significant to the development of competitive swimming in Melbourne. The third chapter focuses on the value of the prevalent carnival culture within Melbourne swimming competitions, and the role of the press in promoting this aspect of swimming. The fourth chapter links the evolution of swimming in the Melbourne state schools to the growth of youth competitive swimming, and how the involvement
149
Triangulation has been successfully employed by a number of historians. In terms of its application to sport history projects, see Robert Pascoe, The Winter Game: Over 100 Years of Australian Football, Mandarin, Port Melbourne, 1996 and Healy, ‘Hard Sell’, pp. 3-4. For a more thorough interpretation of triangulation, see Gratton and Jones, Research Methods for Sport Studies, p. 108, or V. J. Janesick, ‘The Dance of Qualitative Research Design’, in N. K. Denzin and Y. S. Lincoln (eds), Handbook of Qualitative Research, SAGE Publications, Thousand Oaks, 1994, pp. 214-215.
150
David Silverman, Interpreting Qualitative Data: Methods for Analyzing Talk, Text and Interaction (Third Edition), SAGE Publications, London, 2006, p. 291.
151
M. Q. Patton, Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods (Third Edition), SAGE Publications, California, 2002, p. 559.
152
Patton, Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods, p. 556.
153
of the press acted as a catalyst. The evolution of women’s swimming in Melbourne as represented in press coverage is investigated in chapter five, while the press assessments of the newly coined VSA are examined in chapter six. To conclude, chapter seven provides a brief, concise summary of the role and agenda of the nineteenth century press in reporting the characteristics of swimming in Melbourne, and the impact of this upon the development of competitive swimming in Victoria.