Essendon Football Club is mourning the passing of Life Member and the Club’s Number One Ticket Holder, Bruce Heymanson, who lost his brave battle with cancer overnight.
The Club wishes to extend its deepest sympathies to the entire Heymanson family.
Bruce, 72, was a much loved figure and his generosity, passion and commitment to see Essendon achieve success both on and off the field will be deeply missed but never forgotten.
Chairman David Evans has paid tribute to a man who always held the best interests of the Essendon Football Club close to his heart.
“The Essendon Football Club has lost a great member of its family and I wish to extend my deepest sympathies to Bruce’s wife Rosalie, his children Greg, Nicki and Burt and to the extended Heymanson family,” Evans said
“Bruce was an incredibly warm, caring and genuine person who never stopped thinking about other people.
“Bruce has been a personal mentor to me over many years and his generosity, energy and passion to see the Essendon Football Club achieve every success has been amazing,” Evans said.
“I, like so many in the Essendon family, am incredibly saddened that we have lost a man who was seen as the Club’s modern day father figure.”
Bruce also held a special bond with the players and was a great mentor to many.
He was incredibly generous with his time and words of encouragement. He also personally funded initiatives such as the building of the player’s lounge at Windy Hill, which was named in his honour.
Senior coach James Hird said past and present players would be saddened to hear of Bruce’s passing.
“It’s a sad day. Bruce was a fantastic man who has done so much for this football Club,” Hird said.
“More than anything Bruce loved the players. He’s done so much for so many players, back from the early eighties through to the players that are here at the Club today.
“Whether we’d won or lost Bruce always had positive things to say about and to the players. He loved the players and he loved this Club.”
Bruce worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the Essendon Football Club was a strong and viable organisation.
He was a committee member from 1988 to 1998 and was an integral member and leader of a number of coterie groups including the Essendonians, Red n’ Blacks and the Dick Reynolds Club.
More recently, Bruce has played a tireless and critical role in fundraising for the Club’s new High Performance Centre at Melbourne Airport.
He was also devoted to making a difference in the community by raising money for a number of organisations and charities including breast cancer research, Berry Street Kids, Epworth Hospital, Australian Water Ski Association and the Australian Paralympic Committee.
The club will advise via its website memorial service details in due course.
The Heymanson family respectfully ask for no flowers and would prefer a donation be made to The Epworth Oncology Centre or the Flight Plan.
