Community Funds

Bruce Grant "Son of Queenstown" 1963-1995

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​Bruce Grant was an Olympic skier, mountaineer, extreme adventurer and an extraordinary individual.  Whether he was skiing, climbing, hiking, or adventuring,  his love of the mountains was  in his blood.

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Bruce competed for NZ in the 1984 Winter Olympics at Sarajevo, placing 31st in the downhill event. He featured in the iconic film Off the Edge along with other local skiers, ruled the local Dash For Cash event on Coronet Peak for years, and was re-selected for the 1988 Olympics, but couldn't compete due to knee surgery.

Sadly, on 13 August 1995, Grant died during a violent storm while descending from the summit of K2 in Pakistan.

He was aged 31. 

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Devastated friends and family set up a trust in his name, to preserve his legacy,  acknowledge his love for live and to recognise the efforts of other young people who show a similar passion for life, adventure and the desire to succeed. 

In 1996  the trust made the first grant.

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The Bruce Grant Youth Trust awards grants to local youth, under the age of 25, who are looking to further themselves in the Arts, Cultural and Sporting fields.

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Past recipients have included Olympic skier Alice Robinson, World junior mountain bike champion Scarlett Hagen, Actor Ben Farry, NZ Ice Blacks captain Simon Glass, Singer Emily Burns, Snow boarder the late Hamish Bagley, Olympic Skier Tim Cafe, Tennis players Ricky and Ben McLachlan, Olympic skier Adam Barwood. The trust has also made annual scholarships to the Wakatipu High School winter academy, grants to local sports clubs and many more.

 

Since 1995 nearly of $450,000 has been distributed to local Whakatipu youth.

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2025 will mark 30 years since his passing.