Daphne Pirie’s life celebrated for funeral at Royal Pines Resort
Daphne Pirie was laid to rest at her funeral on Wednesday, but according to those closest to the sporting legend, her ‘titanic’ legacy will live on.
Gold Coast
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A halo of hockey sticks formed an arch over sporting icon Daphne Pirie’s coffin as she was carried from the grand ballroom at Royal Pines Resort to an awaiting hearse.
There wasn’t a dry eye as hundreds of mourners formed a guard of honour and said their goodbyes on Wednesday to one of the city’s best-loved figures.
But these were happy tears.
As Ms Pirie’s son David said during his eulogy, his mother truly “lived life to the fullest”.
Others spoke of her “smile you could see from the moon” and “titanic contribution to women in sport”.
Civil celebrant and long-time friend Ian Cousins said it was “typical” of Daphne that she passed on April Fool’s Day (April 1), for she would have “wanted everyone to remember her and smile”.
She was 90.
“Daphne had a long lineage of athleticism in her family. Her father and grandfather before her were both champion runners,” he said.
“To outpace her six brothers Daphne learned the art of speed and had a competitive drive that shone from an early age.”
Mr Cousins said Ms Pirie’s father would play the bugle as a signal to come home for dinner, while she practised running in the nearby park as dusk fell.
Her father’s only rule, Mr Cousins said, was to “win with grace and lose with dignity”, a mantra Daphne held steadfast her whole life.
David Pirie said “Mum was strong and tough” and her influence extended far beyond her own children.
“A lot of the kids she taught and guided went on to become huge sporting superstars in their own right,” Mr Pirie said.
“She competed successfully in three different sports at an elite level. Both Mum and Dad were responsible for hockey on the Gold Coast and without them, it wouldn’t exist.”
Son Rob said “Mum revelled in the spotlight” and was just as content in “Buckingham Palace meeting the Queen as she was having a beer and a mud-crab sandwich”.
“It was amazing how many people reached out to wish her well in those final days in hospital,” he said.
“Texts flooded in from the likes of Glynis Nunn, Marjorie Jackson-Nelson and Dawn Fraser. It was incredible.”
Ms Jackson-Nelson, a former governor of South Australia, sent her love remotely, saying: “How can one even begin to say goodbye to Daph?
“I love you so much and I’ll miss you.”
Niece Jodi Holmes described Ms Pirie as “a library of people and places”.
“She always imparted such down-to-earth wisdom. Once she told me you should practice golf until your hands bleed, if you want to be any good.”
Channel 7 Gold Coast chief of staff and friend Ian Buchanan said Ms Pirie was a “leader who had an uncanny ability to get people to work hard for the love of sport”.
“She had a smile that everyone in the room gravitated toward,” he said.
Two-time Olympic gold medallist Mat Belcher said he was “deeply saddened” of Ms Pirie’s passing, but added she had an “uncompromising vision” to make the Gold Coast the sporting capital of Australia.
Mayor Tom Tate paid his respects, saying it was “incredible to see how much Daphne had given to the world of sport”.
“The city will permanently honour Daphne so younger generations can learn all about her and think to themselves ‘I want to be just like her’,” Mr Tate said.
“I’m saddened to not see her smile again. I love you.”
Close friend Tamara Morris summed up the power of Ms Pirie’s legacy.
“She had such a huge impact on people that when she met the Queen people were probably asking ‘who’s that little old lady with the Corgi’s standing next to Daph Pirie?’”
“You coloured our world Daph.”
Pirie’s grand life filled with simple pleasures - April 12
DESPITE being a magnet for the top echelon of society – such was her standing – Daphne Pirie best enjoyed life’s “simple pleasures”, according to son Rob.
His earliest memories of his mother are the road trips from Brisbane to the Gold Coast, and days spent lounging about on the beach at Burleigh.
At her most contented moments, Daphne found peace in wedging her toes between the hot sand and just taking in the world around her.
And if the Pirie family wasn’t kicking back oceanside, Rob and brother David were “slung” over Daphne’s hip, one child per side, while she umpired a hockey game.
Later in life and right up till her passing on Friday, April 1, the champion hockey player and pioneer for women’s sport sought a similar relaxed vibe.
Her favourite spot, Rob said, was Hamilton Island where she would spend the mornings in the pool and afternoons on the balcony.
“Right up until the end, she never missed out on water aerobics,” he said.
After the passing of husband Mick in 2016, Rob said he became Daphne’s “official date” to every “event, ceremony, dinner or gala”.
“The way she commanded the attention of a room was phenomenal,” Rob said.
Coast sporting icon: Q&A with Daphne Pirie
“We went to the University of Queensland and Parliament House and, despite sharing tables with huge high-profile politicians, everyone wanted to come up and talk to mum. She had that kind of impact on people.”
Rob said even in later life, he felt like a boy following in the footsteps of a titan.
“I’d follow in her wake as she literally steamed through a room. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone else who knows so many people as Mum did.
“We were never palmed off as kids either. Wherever Mum went, we went with her.”
Another one of Rob’s favourite memories of Daphne was a “shoestring budget” trip around Europe for “10 dollars a day.”
“It’s not that we couldn’t afford to travel but Mum was always up for a challenge.
“At the time, I thought we were travelling poor but I later realised it was another one of Mum’s great life lessons.”
Daphne and husband Mick were affectionately known to their grandchildren as “Mickey Mouse and Daffy Duck”.
And they were never “pushed” into sport, Rob said.
“We were never pressured or pushed into sport and the grandchildren weren’t either.”
But he said Daphne still always imparted the wisdom of a champion.
“She taught us that when an opportunity is handed to you, you have to make the most of it,” he said.
“And if there isn’t an opportunity, you have to create one for yourself.”
Speaking of opportunities, Daphne took the reins in organising and orchestrating her all-out 90th birthday celebration at RACV Royal Pines Resort, despite being “not so flash health-wise”.
“At first I said to Mum, ‘should we invite a close group of 15 people?’, to which she replied, ‘I’m turning 90 so I think we should invite 90 people’.
“Sure enough, everyone showed, and there were many who wanted to come but capacity was full,” Rob said.
And to all those who attended, Daphne’s 30-minute, off-the-cuff speech was the highlight of the evening.
“She started the speech off in 1955 and went right up to the present, and thanked everyone in her life. It was incredible,” Rob said.
“She never missed a beat, recalled every minute detail and was an incredibly natural and gifted speaker.
“Even in those last days of her life in hospital, despite drifting in and out of consciousness from the morphine, she would just pick up where she left off in the conversation.”
Rob said she had a “vibrancy” until she passed away and that “she looked a lot better than she was feeling”.
Daphne Pirie is remembered as a pioneer in women’s sport and one of the great Gold Coast icons.
Some of her most notable achievements include becoming president of the Queensland Rugby League, a member of the State Olympic Council and director of Gold Coast Events Management.
She also held the role as president of the Gold Coast’s Sporting Hall of Fame from 1999 until her passing.
“The Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS) was nothing before she started it and there were no women involved before she came along,” Rob said.
“She really laid the foundations for what it is today, among several other groundbreaking achievements.”
Daphne will be honoured on Wednesday at RACV Royal Pines Resort in Benowa at 11am. About 1200 guests are expected to attend.
The funeral will be held in the resort’s grand ballroom – fit for a woman who lived such a grand life.
TRIBUTES FOR A LEGEND
Queensland’s proud sporting record, celebrated most recently with Ash Barty, our Olympians and others, is the legacy of previous champions like Daphne Pirie. Daphne was an official Queensland Great, whose remarkable on-field achievements were followed by lifelong service to the sports community, for which our state will always be grateful.
Annastacia Palaszczuk
Premier and Minister for the Olympics
How does one say goodbye to Daphne? Our friendship has lasted 72 years and I have
treasured every single moment. Sport brought us together when we were both 18, her living in Queensland and me in NSW. We didn’t meet often as there wasn’t much competition in the early 1950s but our friendship endured. She gave 100 per cent in everything she did in all the sports she was involved with for her beloved Queensland. Her
vibrant personality, caring loyalty but above all how bravely she endured her illness over the last 15 years without any complaints is a testament to the person she was. I love you
Daph. I shall miss you so much dear friend.
The Honourable Marjorie Jackson Nelson AC CVO MBE - Former Governor of South
Australia, two time Olympic gold medallist
The strength of any community lies in its people.
They come from all walks of life … each with their own character and flair.
Our city has been blessed with a rich tapestry of people who have been more willing to give,
than take, during their time on Earth. These people form the soul of a community … its DNA.
Daphne Pirie was one of those.
A magnificent person, calm in her presence yet with a fierce determination to make a
difference.
I will remember many great qualities of Daphne but perhaps the most compelling was her
quiet demeanour and her grace.
City of Gold Coast Mayor, Tom Tate
Daphne was an exceptional human being and someone that I always aspired to be in life,
knowing that I would not even come close.
One piece of wisdom Daphne, my hockey mum, gave me at a very young age was to pull my socks up. I thought she meant to train hard, but no, she was literally telling me to pull my
socks up with electrical tape so they stayed up all game.
She told me to wear white shoes so my legs looked strong and toned and to pull my hair up
in a pigtail with a large bow so the selectors would notice me and my talents.
The little things that Daphne did for everyone culminated in great achievements for so many
others. Daphne’s ability to stand up in public and deliver speeches without notes was
amazing. I was always wondering how she did that with such ease. Daphne was a beautiful kind hearted woman, a great friend, a great mentor and she will be missed.
Debbie Bowman-Sullivan OAM, former Australian hockey team captain and Olympic gold medallist
Daphne was an incredible athlete and a trailblazer for women’s sport.
After achieving so much personally in her beloved hockey, she worked tirelessly to make
sport more accessible, and to ensure women’s achievements were genuinely celebrated.
She was a shining light, a friend to all, and a true inspiration.
Her contributions over the last 60 years have given athletes like me the opportunities she
dreamed of for us.
She’s a Gold Coast treasure who’s left an amazing legacy and hockey will miss her deeply.
Daphne always spoke about women’s sport with such passion, and I know she was proud of the contribution she was making.
Ambrosia (Rosie) Malone - Olympian, Australian
hockey team
The Gold Coast will shine a little less as we farewell our beloved Daphne Pirie MBE AO, daughter of the Coast and iconic trailblazer for women in sport.
Daphne contributed far beyond expectation because it was not a chore or a job, it was her life’s work and passion. She paid forward her incredible experience and wisdom as an elite athlete and a sports administrator over a career spanning more than 70 years.
She continued to contribute to sport well after her retirement. Just last year, Daph joined my
Stronger Communities Committee to further inform decisions for funding community sports clubs.
I will forever cherish the memory we shared when the Gold Coast was named as a 2032 Olympics co-host. You could have seen Daph’s smile beaming from a mile away as she was rugged up in her Olympic scarf to cheer for the future of Gold Coast sport.
Angie Bell MP – Federal Member for Moncrieff
Originally published as Daphne Pirie’s life celebrated for funeral at Royal Pines Resort
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