Vale Brian Trouville OAM : 1942 – 2016
Brian was our Club President joint founder of Southside Paddlers and club coach.
Sometimes pictures are better than words, if you would like to view an album of photos of Brians journey with Southside Paddlers we gave him a coffee table photo book last year with these photos and he was thrilled with it. The photos are in an album on Flikr, so you may have to create an account first to view, but worth the extra minute that will take you. Brian Trouville Photo Book https://www.flickr.com/photos/127184985@N05/sets/72157653881270538
For words : Here’s some sporting achievements of Brian’s :
Posthumously awarded an Order of Australia, Australia Day Honours 2017. This award recognizes the achievements and actions of people who go above and beyond the norm and in so doing have encouraged aspirations of the highest values in the community.Australian Honours Lists : https://www.gg.gov.au/australian-honours-and-awards/australian-honours-lists/ PDF
Brian has been actively involved with the community through his lifelong dedication to the sports of Sprint Canoe and Surf Lifesaving.
Brian began his career in community service as a Surf Life Saver with Maroubra SLSC – At age 17, over 56 years ago, in 1959 he was Awarded the Merit of Surf Bravery Rescue (Lurline Bay). His sense of duty has grown from saving one life to making a vast contribution and impact to many people involved in both surf lifesaving and sprint canoe, primarily as a coach, but also as manager and mentor.
As a young adult his athletic talents were confirmed with four Australian Surf Lifesaving Championship medals and two NSW SLS Championships. The emergence of his real talent was his gift for coaching and team management and has been a lifelong passion. He demonstrated this talent early, coaching a beginner paddler to Olympic level. Brian was an Australian Olympic team coach at four Olympics and during his tenure the sprint kayak team results saw a winning medal count not previously achieved.
The majority of the coaching roles Brian has held over the years have been unpaid and voluntary and required a large commitment of his time in preparation of elite athletes for peak level competition. This involved a lot of time away from home and work with coaching and travel. Brian was employed full time by IMB from 1969 – 1991 and after his AIS coaching role with Toll till retirement.
The exception was his paid role as AIS head coach – sprint kayak. Brian’s highest achievements have been Head Coach of the Australian Olympic Sprint Canoe Team for 12 years over 3 Olympics including, Seoul 1988, Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996. He was assistant coach for 1976 Montreal Olympics. He took the Olympic Canoe Sprint team medal count to a level not previously achieved during his tenure.
Following his period as an Olympic and AIS coach, Brian maintained involvement with the Australian Canoe Federation and NSW Canoeing (Now Australian Canoeing and Paddle NSW) as a volunteer coach in the National Talent programs for about 15 years. In 2010 he inaugurated the only sprint kayak club for the development of elite athletes in the Sutherland Shire, Southside Paddlers. After successful lobbying with the local government member and the local council he secured a location to base the new club – he now coaches a group of aspiring young paddlers and has already had success with several athletes moving from beginner to the National Kayak teams.
As well as Brian being an Olympic and AIS coach, he also put back his knowledge to the sport as director of the Australian Canoe Federation Sprint Coach Network to this present time and he has freely mentored many coaches to elite level over the years.
Additionally Brian has made time over the years for his surf lifesaving passion and volunteered as head coach and surf boat coach for North Cronulla Surf Lifesaving Club, where he is also a Life Member. His indefatigable efforts have brought success to many teams at Australian Surf Lifesaving Championships.
Brian’s contribution is well recognised by those who know him in sprint canoe and surf club communities. Recently, he received a Cook Community Award from Sutherland Shire Council recognising his devotion to his clubs and his valued contribution to the community. Brian doesn’t seek out recognition from others, finding personal reward from seeing the growth development and achievements of his athletes in sport and personal lives.
Everything Brian does involves excellence, he makes things happen, he is a motivator and contributor, a living treasure filled with valuable sport and life knowledge and skills that he shares freely.
Brian was passionate about health, many would have seen his posts on facebook, been given books to read, movies and videos to watch about health. Last year as part of a nomination for a coach award I had to submit a reply to this statement. This is what I wrote
- Promotes a healthy culture providing a fair, safe, healthy and inclusive environment
Health is Brian’s primary focus. ‘Health’ is Brian’s middle name.
The welfare of his athletes is a primary focus.
His major achievement in the past year was to offer our club athletes (all our young teens to young adults) access to an ECG and test their heart health. We believe we are the first Amateur Canoe Club (and possibly amateur sporting club) in NSW and possibly Australia ( other than elite level sports / institutes) to provide our club athletes with the means to get an ecg and have the results reviewed by Cardiologist to read and interpret. We were greatly surprised to find in such a small club, 2 athletes needed further investigation and referral to see a specialist, but have since been cleared.
Brian was a primary instigator in getting our club on the donation list for a Defibrillator, funded by Response for Life and Tradies. This is kept on the club premises (a container) in case of emergency. We never want to use it.
Brian constantly reminds athletes via sharing articles on health via books/videos he will hand out at training to posts on our closed facebook page. He promotes good eating habits for sport but also for life.
A healthy culture is created by Brian’s ability to make each athlete; member and parent feel welcome, needed and useful to the dynamic of the club. He has knack for sorting issues out seamlessly and quietly without involving anyone other than those involved. He has built a group of support people around him to help manage the club and athletes well being and inclusiveness.
Another example was a cooking contest for the athletes – only healthy after training snacks involved. We think it was only because Brian wanted something to eat, but it was a great way for the athletes to get more connected and feel included in the their health and training and not just following a written training plan. They were learning to take responsibility for their health, hands on.
Another indication of the power that Brian has to develop a passion for health is that one young man has taken his health and food advice to the next level, developing such a passion that he has developed his own health food product with 2 mates which is now on the market.
Brian also helps young adults when they need it most. Currently he has lent his old ute to a new paddler to get to training, and around the area. This is a normal thing for Brian to do, not the unusual. He writes references for jobs, for university applications.
Brian lends his kayaks, his paddles and most of all, his ears and his time.
Paddle In Peace Brian
Please see the attachment of Lifetime Achievements in Australian Canoeing and Surf Lifesaving.
Coaching – Sports Management – Recognition | Sport | Organisation | Year |
Club Founder/President/Coach,Life Member – Southside Paddlers | Sprint canoe | Southside Paddlers | 2010-present |
Cook Community Award – devotion to clubs | Surf lifesaving/ sprint canoe | Sutherland Shire Council | 2013 |
Life Member – NCSLSC | Surf lifesaving | North Cronulla SLSC | 2010 |
Head Coach – NCSLSC | Surf lifesaving | North Cronulla SLSC | 2009, 2010 |
President/Coach Cronulla Sutherland Kayak Club | Sprint canoe | CSKC | 2007-2009 |
Australian Sports Medal | Sprint Canoe | Australian Govt. | 2000 |
Coach/Manager NSW Thunders – SLSA Nutrigrain Series | Surf lifesaving | Surf Lifesaving Aust | 1998-2001 |
Head Coach – Australian Canoeing – 4 years | Sprint Canoe | Australian Canoeing | 1994 – 1998 |
Club Coach and trainer – 14 years | Surf lifesaving | North Cronulla SLSC | 1982 – 1998 |
Director – Australian Canoe Federation Sprint Coach Network – 8 years | Sprint canoe | Australian Canoeing | 1990-1998 |
Consultant Coach – Australian Institute of Sport – 2 years | Sprint canoe | AIS | 1989-1992 |
Manager Coach – Australian Institute of Sport International Tours – 3 years | Sprint canoe | AIS | 1989- 1991 |
Head Coach Australian Olympic Kayak Team – 12 years
Seoul, Barcelona and Atlanta Olympics |
Sprint canoe | Australian Canoeing | 1988, 1992, 1996 |
Award of Merit | Sprint canoe | Australian Canoeing | 1988 |
Inaugural Head coach Canoe/Kayak Australian Institute of sport | Sprint canoe | AIS | 1988 |
Manager Coach SLSA Australian Team – Hawaii ( One test V’s the USA Lifeguard team | Surf lifesaving | SLSA | 1984 |
National Coach (Honorary) Australian Canoeing ( ACF)
5 years |
Sprint canoe | Australian Canoeing | 1981 – 1992 |
Assistant Coach Montreal Olympics | Sprint canoe | Australian Canoeing | 1976 |
NSW surf ski champion | Surf lifesaving | North Cronulla SLSC | 1975 |
Coaching Advisory Panel Surf Lifesaving Australia– 10 years | Surf lifesaving | SLSA | 1975 – 1985 |
Board Ski Captain – NC SLSC | Surf lifesaving | North Cronulla SLSC | 1975 – 1978 |
Australian Taplin Relay Champion | Surf lifesaving | North Cronulla SLSC | 1974 |
Paddle NSW Coach – 7 years | Sprint canoe | PNSW | 1974-1983 |
Australian double surf ski champion | Surf lifesaving | North Cronulla SLSC | 1974 |
Australian Surf Ski Champion | Surf lifesaving | Maroubra | 1964 |
Australian/ NSW kayak champion | Sprint canoe | Aust Canoe/PNSW | 1964 |
Paddle NSW Treasurer | Sprint canoe | PNSW | 1961 |
Award of Merit Surf Bravery Rescue | Surf Lifesaving | SLSNSW/Maroubra | 1959 |