Golden girl's connection to Monto

AS sports commentators asked where she came from, Alicia Coutts had her family tree firmly planted in the Mungungo scrub.

When she sliced through the water to five Commonwealth Games gold medals in the Delhi pool, not only was Australia cheering her on but her cousin Jo-anne Surtees and great aunty Thelma Dunn, who still live in Monto, were too.

The family connection with Mungungo goes back to when Alicia's great-grandfather Connor O'Hara Burke carved out a farm in Mungungo. Her grandfather Jim Burke moved from the property to Brisbane when he was 16.

His daughter, Julie Coutts was born there and later married Gary and then set about raising their two boys, Matt and Brad, and one girl, Alicia, now 23.

Mrs Coutts said she was incredibly proud of her daughter and amazed at how laid back Alicia was about her success at the Games, where she won the 100m butterfly, 100m freestyle, 200m individual medley and was part of two relay victories.

“I am over the moon,” Mrs Coutts said.

“She never thought she was good enough and just never believed in herself.”

She said her daughter had worked hard after suffering major health setbacks and deserved the success she was now enjoying.

She lost her father when she was seven and, after an excellent junior career, she emerged as a likely qualifier for the Melbourne Commonwealth Games team in 2006 but a bout of glandular fever prevented that.

Alicia was diagnosed with an intussusception of the bowel in 2007 and had a section removed in surgery.

She recovered to qualify for her first Olympic team in Beijing in 2008, where she finished fifth in the final, performing well above her ranking.

Alicia had further abdominal surgery last year, after complications from her original operation, that cost her a chance to compete at last year's world titles.

“After the Games, she will train for the world trials in March and she gets to have four days off at Christmas,” Mrs Coutts said.

When asked how her daughter was coping with her new-found fame, Mrs Coutts said Alicia was her at her understated best.

“I still feel like the same person – maybe people might actually recognise my name now,” Alicia said.

After her heroics in the pool, all of Australia will recognise her along, with Monto and Mungungo.