Helen Brownlee

Helen Brownlee
AM
Born (1945-05-18) 18 May 1945 (age 79)
Sydney, Australia
NationalityAustralian
Known forFirst woman to be elected as one of the vice presidents of the Australian Olympic Committee Executive Board
HonoursMedal of the Order of Australia (1985)
Olympic Order (2015)
Member of the Order of Australia (2018)

Helen Margaret Brownlee AM (born 18 May 1945)[1] is an Australian executive with the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC). In 2013, she was the first woman to be elected as one of the vice presidents of the AOC executive board.

The daughter of a founding member of Australian Canoeing, Brownlee began canoeing at a young age. She specialised in canoe slalom and served as a judge at various Summer Olympic Games. In 1976, Brownlee became the first woman elected to the International Canoe Federation (ICF) Slalom and Wildwater Committee and was eventually promoted to the ICF Board of Management.

In 1985, Brownlee was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for her contributions to the sport of canoeing[2] and received the Australian Sports Medal in 2000.[3] In 2015, she was honoured with the Olympic Order for her contribution to the Olympic Games and was inducted into Sport Australia Hall of Fame. In 2018, she was made a Member of the Order of Australia for "significant service to sports administration, to women as an advocate for greater participation in sport, and to the Olympic movement".[4]

  1. ^ Who's Who in Australia. ConnectWeb. 2019.
  2. ^ "Miss Helen Margaret Brownlee". It's An Honour. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  3. ^ "Miss Helen Brownlee". It's An Honour. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  4. ^ "Ms Helen Margaret Brownlee OAM". It's An Honour. Retrieved 18 May 2021.