By Brodie Cowburn Photos Supplied
E
llie Cole was just 16 years old when she waved goodbye to her Frankston High School classmates and jetted off to the Beijing Paralympics.
By the time she returned her whole life had changed, and she was a three-time Paralympic medal winner. She was treated like a star by her classmates, a time she recalls with both fondness and a hint of embarrassment. “I still remember the pride the school had,” the star swimmer told Peninsula Essence. “There were posters all over the place, and I’m a bit modest so I didn’t handle the attention that well. I asked them to take them down when I got back!" During her time at Frankston High School, Ellie received a Debbie Flintoff-King award for the most outstanding sporting achievement three years in a row; she was also nominated for the Junior Paralympian of the Year award. Before Frankston High Ellie attended Mount Eliza North Primary school.
E ssence
22 | PENINSULA
November 2020