NATHAN Prince’s bedroom at his Bacchus Marsh home resembles any typical teenage boy’s room.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
His bookcase bulges with dozens of trophies, medals and sashes from his football, basketball and cricket achievements.
Football photos and posters adorn his wall.
A scarf from his beloved Geelong Football Club is draped across the bed head. An electric guitar is propped in the corner.
Even a relic from his childhood – a scruffy-looking but much-loved Big Bird toy – sits on a guitar amplifier patiently waiting for another cuddle from its owner.
The only thing missing from the apprentice carpenter’s bedroom is Nathan.
The 17-year-old Bacchus Marsh footballer died on August 31, 11 days after he was struck in the chest and suffered a cardiac arrest while playing in the club’s under-16.5 qualifying final against North Ballarat City.
His bedroom, although empty of Nathan’s cheeky smile and mop of hair, is a haven for his family – his mother Bernie, her partner Dean Carr, the teenager’s older brother Matt, aged 21 and younger sister Alisha, 13.
Most days, Bernie props herself on Nathan’s double bed, if only for a few moments, to remember her son.
She stares at his trophies and photos, still numbed by the fact that Nathan will never walk through the door again.
She also looks out his bedroom window onto the row of standard iceberg roses, which produced their first blooms the day of Nathan’s death.
Maybe it was a sign that Nathan would be watching over his family.
While the pain of losing her son will never go away, it is somehow eased by knowing that Nathan’s death was not in vain.
Since his death, the debate over having defibrillators at all sporting events in Ballarat was reignited, resulting in 18 units being distributed to football clubs in the Ballarat league only this week.
“As a family, we will continue the push (for defibrillators), but I believe the issue has gained its own momentum,” Bernie said.
Nathan’s death sent a shock wave through not only the close-knit Bacchus Marsh community, but also in Ballarat.
“Everything happened so quickly, we were caught unawares when he received the knock to the chest. It was surreal ... ,” Bernie said.
Without the support of her family, friends and health workers at Ballarat Health Services, Bernie said she would not have been able to cope during Nathan’s time in hospital and since his death.
She said her son would always be remembered as a fun-loving young man who was accepting of, and embraced by, all people he met.
“His determination to succeed and achieve the ultimate at whatever he participated in was evident from a very young age. This continued right through school, his sports and even his employment,” Bernie said.
“Despite our immense heartbreak of no longer having Nathan with us, it is so humbling to know that Nathan’s memory will be honoured in enduring ways.”
The Ballarat Football League will honour the talented footballer with the Nathan Prince Medal, awarded to the player judged best on ground for the under 16.5 grand final.
The Bacchus Marsh Football Club has named its under 18 best and fairest the Nathan Prince Award, and the Nathan Prince Scholarship will be offered each year to a member of the Western Jets TAC Cup squad who enrols at Victoria University in Melbourne.