The following people have been recognised for their outstanding service to the AUF, diving, underwater sports and the community by being awarded life membership.  In the near future a brief biography and photograph of each person will be placed on these pages.  To read their biography just click on their name.

                                                                     Biography, Wal Williams
                                                       AUF Life Member

Wal became active in AUF when posted to Canberra with the Army in 1978 having joined AUF affiliated clubs in 1958 in Queensland, and later in Victoria in 1966.  Diving was in its infancy when he first joined in 1958, and spearfishing was the main event.  He joined his first club as an enthusiastic spearo but quickly realized that without his spectacles he was a lousy shot (there was no such thing as corrected lenses in face masks those days).  He consequently became interested in SCUBA diving and in about 1962 he had his first dive in the Tweed River.  Instruction was limited to: “don’t hold your breath while ascending as your lungs will burst”. That was it! 

The first AUF standards for diving were taught through clubs using older members who had been elected as instructors, but clubs had no way of standardization.  So he qualified as a basic diver within his Queensland club and then had to retrain in his next club in Victoria.  This club mistrust of other trainees was addressed when the AUF standards were taken up, with approval from the AUF, by the Federation of Australian Underwater Instructors (FAUI), the first national instructor body formed in 1972.  FAUI agreed to use the AUF standards and the AUF agreed to discontinue its club instruction. 

Thus when he was posted to Canberra in 1978 he was once again faced with having to retrain as a diver under FAUI.  By this time he was determined to help ensure that no one ever needed to have to retrain whenever they changed clubs.  He was introduced to Frank Poole, who was the Technical Officer in charge of diving standards for the AUF, and Frank played a significant part in his introduction to the high levels of standards and instruction which were being thrashed out at the time. He subsequently went on to qualify as a FAUI instructor. 

 He was elected as the President of the ACT Branch of the AUF and helped introduce the sport of Underwater Hockey (first called Octopush) to Canberra.  Several years later he followed Frank as the Technical officer for the AUF.  In this position he assisted Frank who had been charged with the responsibility for the final production of the AUF’s Standards and Procedures Manual.  

This was the period when the AUF were applying for and subsequently gained recognition from the Australian Sports Commission as the body representing the sport of underwater diving in Australia.  This representation enabled the AUF to gain Government assistance and opened its fully staffed office in Canberra.  It also made the AUF the body responsible for the standards, rules and procedures of all of the various sports covered by diving.  As Technical Officer he was therefore involved in the many negotiations which were occurring between the AUF and the growing number of diving Instructor bodies which were being introduced from America. Each body brought their own standards and particular methods of instruction and it fell to the AUF to ensure that each standard conformed to the minimum levels set down by the Australian Sports Commission. 

When Toni de Fina decided to step down as President of the AUF he was elected as the next President and thereby also became the Australian representative for CMAS at their General Assemblies which are held around the world every two years and where allaspects of our sport and championships are debated and decided upon. he attended at his own expense (the AUF was not that flush), assemblies at Malta in 1987, Japan in 1989, Cyprus in 1991, Egypt in 1993 and finally Mauritius in 1995.

He retired from the position of President in 1995 owing to ill health and the need to devote more time into his business. He had to stop scuba diving for health reasons but still snorkels and spearfish’s now that he has lenses in his mask and can see his quarry. 

SCUBA diving and Underwater Hockey (his daughter represented Australia three times the last as captain and she and her husband still represent NSW) remain of great interest to him and his contribution towards better standards and negotiations with other instructor bodies has led to the very safe level of diving within Australia.

                                                    Biography Graham Henderson
                                                       AUF Life Member

Graham Henderson Joined the AUF in 1977 through his association with the Latrobe University sub Aqua club Victoria, he was a keen SCUBA diver and Spearfisherman who subsequently become an avid player in underwater hockey.

He had an active role in the formation of the Victorian Octopush league and went on to be a founding member of the first AUF Underwater Hockey Commission in 1980.  He has represented Australia as a player on 5 occasions and also was a coach and team manager.

He was instrumental in setting up a referee accreditation system in Australia and co-authoring the first standards and procedures manual for referee training, the same manual that is used throughout the world today for underwater hockey referee training.

Graham started his administrative service in the AUF in 1979 when he became secretary of the AUF Victorian Branch; he went on to hold the positions of Vice President and President.  Also during this time he was the convener of 2 national skindiving championships held in Victoria.

During the eighties he was elected to the position of chairperson of the AUF underwater hockey commission a position which he held for 7 years, he then went on to be the chief referee for the commission for a number of years. During this time he formalised the commission by-laws and was instrumental in obtaining government STEP grants of $200,000.00 for our world champion underwater hockey teams.

In 1995 he focused his attentions on the AUF Federal body becoming Federal Secretary and then becoming the Federal President in 1997.  He oversaw a total restructure of the AUF and rewrote the federal constitution.  He became the public officer of the federation in 2000.  Also in 2000 he was awarded the Australian Government sports medal for his contribution to sport and the community.

He was elected to the position of President of the CMAS (World Underwater Federation) underwater hockey commission in 2005, and is now the current president of the World AquaChallenge Association.  He also holds the position of tournament director for the WAA and has overseen the running of the last 4 world underwater hockey championships.

Graham Henderson was awarded life membership of the AUF in 1996 for outstanding service to the federation and the sport of skindiving. He is the current president of the AUF.

Biography Toni de Fina
     AUF Life Member

Toni de Fina was the Federal President of the AUF for 28 years; he was also a some time member of the CMAS governing council. He created with the late Peter Cullen the Federation of Australian Underwater Instructors, for many years the only Australian Diver Instructor organization ultimately subsumed by an international diving instructor organization.

Toni designed and developed the first balanced first stage valves for single hose SCUBA, he also designed and developed diving systems for then developing cultured pearl farms in Northern Territory and Northern Western Australia.

He was instrumental in creating many of the diving standards still used today, he attended the world championships in Croatia (Yugoslavia) as a competitor.  He has continuing involvement in water sports, particularly spearfishing.

On occasion he is invited to prepare opinions on diving accidents and diving equipment and practices for civil court cases and inquests.

He is still diving and actively engaged in water sports.