World renowned Coaching figure E.J. "Joe" King of the Leander Club in Queensland, Australia, passed away on December 22, in Brisbane after fighting a year long battle with cancer.

Coach King coached his entire career as an amateur with his beloved Leander Club, one of the most successful in Australia for thirty years. Joe had placed swimmers on national temas since 1966 and was revered by his peers in the coaching fraternity. Mr. King as he was always known to his athleres also combined his coaching career with an administrative career in the media industry being a long time employee of Queensland Newspapers as their distribution manager.

More than 200 coaches, swimmers, friends and family attended the funeral December 24 in Brisbane, with the eulogy delivered by former Olympic coach and now President of the Australian Swimming Federation, Terry Gathercole.