Born East Fremantle WA
18 September 1946
A product of East Fremantle – and proud of it – David Neesham is a member of one of Western Australia’s best-known sporting families. Unlike two of his brothers, he turned his back on a career in Australian football to become one of Australia’s greatest water polo players.
His long association with the sport and the Melville Water Polo Club began in 1960 at the age of 14 and he played in the club’s A-grade team from 1963 to 1988, except for 1970 and 1971 when he lived in Canberra.
His dedication to the perfection of skills and development of water polo strategies soon saw Neesham in the WA team. He played for the State from 1966 to 1981, apart from 1970-71 when he represented NSW. He also coached the WA senior team four times between 1981 and 1988, including the 1987 title-winning side.
No accurate records are available but it is estimated that Neesham played 285 international matches for Australia, which at the time of his retirement was a national record. He was chosen for four Olympic Games between 1968 and 1980, captaining the team in Montreal (1976) and Moscow (1980). He also played in three World Championships between 1973 and 1978.
Neesham is credited with having developed a revolutionary style of goalkeeping, which evolved from his observation of other sports, soccer in particular – and his method was accepted worldwide.
Neesham was subsequently appointed coach of the Australian Women’s team and steered the team to a gold medal at the 1995 World Cup.