Diving Australia Life Member Bruce Prance OAM passed away yesterday in his home town of Perth.

Bruce had dedicated a huge part of his life to Diving, such that it was fitting that earlier this year, he was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for his services to Diving.

Being involved in the sport for over 70 years, Bruce was a State Level diver before he became a World Class Coach. He was instrumental in the formation of what is now known as Diving Western Australia (he is also a Life Member of Diving WA) in 1957 and became a pioneer of dryland training in Australia. Indeed, he was perhaps Australia’s foremost expert on diving equipment maintenance and construction. As a testament to his longevity as a Coach, he coached athletes at the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games and then 24 years later, at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. It was only in recent years that he ceased coaching and he will be remembered by a huge number of Australian divers, for his passion and enthusiasm for coaching, and for Diving.

He was the inaugural Australian Institute of Sport Diving Coach, and played an enormous role in the formation of AIS Diving in 1984. It was a busy time for Bruce as he was also the Diving Australia President from 1984 to 1986.

Bruce won numerous coaching awards and was recognised many times, including the Australian Sports Medal in 2000, the Olympians Club of WA Outstanding Contribution Award in 2012 and the RAC Insurance Service to Sport Award at the 2016 WA Sports Star Awards. As mentioned above, his lifelong contribution to Diving was recognised at the highest level earlier this year when in the 2019 Australia Day Awards, Bruce was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia, “For service to the sport of diving”.

Bruce will be missed, but his contribution never forgotten.

Diving Australia offers heartfelt condolences to Runelle and the Prance family.