Dave ‘Prousty’ Proust dies after battle with brain cancer, as tributes flow

“He was a true family man and he loved to make people laugh.” The family of bush poet, comedian and father of six Dave ‘Prousty’ Proust has paid tribute to the Central Coast legend.

Tributes are flowing for a true Central Coast “legend” and one of Australia’s most revered bush poets.

Dave Proust died on Wednesday morning at his Forresters Beach home surrounded by his family after a three-year battle with brain cancer.

His family, including wife Therese, six children Danielle, Monique, Luke, Peter, Jimmy and Tony and 10 grandchildren, have been surrounded by love and support from all areas of the community.

Dave ‘Prousty’ Proust passed away on Wednesday.

Dave and Therese Proust were married for 41 years. Picture: Facebook

“Yesterday when he passed away we were all at home,” Mrs Proust said.

“It was really peaceful and beautiful … horrendously sad and also really loving.

“We’ve had so many beautiful messages and such an outpouring of love. It was a real compliment to who he was.”

Mrs Proust said a family member put it well when they said “he was like a giant. He left a footprint wherever he went”.

“He was a true family man and he loved to make people laugh,” she said.

Prousty was an Australian bush poet, comedian, presenter and actor whose work touched people across the country and internationally. His passion for poetry was evident through his works which reflected the Australian way of life.

Dave Proust played rugby league for Terrigal with his sons Jim and Tony and son-in-law Ryan Quick.

Closer to home, Prousty was a firefighter, keen rugby league and touch football player and devoted dad to his six children.

Mrs Proust said the pair had been married for 41 years and met at a Gosford Bowling Club disco where Prousty asked her out.

She said they had a wonderful marriage full of love, children, travelling across Australia and performing with Prousty’s bush poetry immersing them in the country music scene

She recalled a time at Tamworth Country Music Festival when a young girl was performing on stage and a man answered his phone in the front row.

Prousty jumped off the stage, grabbed the phone and said “please don’t you ever ring him again because he’s mine mine mine” and then asked if anyone else in the audience had their phone on.

Prousty didn’t let his brain cancer diagnosis stop him from performing. Picture: Ron Hutchings

Mrs Proust said Prousty’s personality was the same on and off stage and he held onto his passion for performing after his diagnosis in 2018.

“It didn’t stop him. He just loved to perform and he got on stage and told stories about it. He was incredible,” she said.

Prousty’s diagnosis also didn’t stop him from bungee jumping off Victoria Falls in southern Africa in 2019 and, while he lost the ability to read, he remembered and came up with new stories and poetry.

Mrs Proust said after one of his surgeries, he was in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and said to the doctor “hey, can I run a poem past you? I need to know if I can remember”.

“They got a few nurses over and he did it and had them all laughing. It was just amazing,” she said.

Prousty pictured with his son Luke in July 2021 after the cancellation of his show. Picture: Sue Graham

During his last interview with the Express in May 2019, Prousty talked openly about his cancer diagnosis which he nicknamed “Daryl”.

“It’s a death sentence, so I just crack jokes about it,” he said.

“I’m fortunate I have a lot of family around and I get to talk about it and get it out of my system.”

Prousty was due to perform his poetry and stand up comedy one last time in June and raise money for the Mark Hughes Foundation which helps people impacted by brain cancer.

However “Prousty’s Last Hurrah” was cancelled due to Covid restrictions.

“That just devastated all of us,” Mrs Proust said.

“It was such a blow, it was his last opportunity.”

However she said between ticket sales and the sale of beanies, they raised more than $20,000 for the Foundation.

Dave Proust and his family raised money for the Mark Hughes Foundation.

Since his passing, tributes and messages of love and support for Prousty’s family have spread across social media.

Country music singer Gina Jeffreys took to social media to say “we lost a great mate today”. “Prousty – hilarious human, bush poet, great friend, beautiful husband to Therese and a wonderful dad and grandad to a gorgeous family. Our world was better coz we knew you.”

Adam Harvey also paid tribute to his “great mate Prousty”.

“He was a great bush poet, a very funny man, and a legend. Dave will be missed by so many.”

Dave Proust also loved entertaining workmates during his time as a firefighter.

Terrigal Wamberal Sharks Rugby League Club expressed its sympathies to the Proust family.

“Raise a toast to “Prousty” he will always be the man, the myth, the legend!!!,” the post read.

Central Coast Dolphins Touch Football described Prousty as “one of the greatest blokes to ever pull on a Dolphins shirt”.

“Prousty was champion on and off the footy field, one of the great characters to play our sport,” the club posted.

“One of the originals, Prousty was with Erina Terrigal (Central Coast) Dolphins from the early days. We were so lucky to have him on our side, he made everyone around him happier.”