Henri Bource (25 March 1934 – 4 September 1998) was a Dutch-Australian scuba diver, underwater filmmaker, musician and shark attack survivor who lived and worked in Australia.[1][2][3][4] In his film Savage Shadows, he recreated the scene of a great white shark removing his left leg.[5]

Henri Bource
Born(1934-03-25)25 March 1934
Died4 September 1998(1998-09-04) (aged 64)
Occupation(s)Scuba diver, filmmaker, musician
Known forSurvivor of a shark attack
Notable workSavage Shadows

Early life

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Bource was born in Rotterdam and emigrated to Australia as a teenager in 1954.[6] He learned to use an aqualung with his father[7] and trained as a graphic artist.[6]

Shark attack

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Bource was attacked by what is believed to have been a 2.4 metre long great white shark off Lady Julia Percy Island in Australia in November 1964. He was 30 years old at the time,[8] and was living in Hawthorn East. He lost his left leg but survived the attack and went on to retell the story in his 1969 documentary film, Savage Shadows.[5][9][10][11] He continued to dive, wearing a modified diving fin on the stump of his left leg.[12] During the 1970s he made a short film for BHP and Esso called Reef of Steel[13] and appeared in Island Treasure in 1981.[14] He was interviewed at various times about his shark attack, including by Peter Luck in 1979.[15]

Music career

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Bource was a saxophonist and band leader of the Henri Bource Allstars.[16] He also played with the Thunderbirds (1960–62), The Planets and The Johnny Donohue Quartet.[17]

References

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  1. ^ "Shark victim satisfactory". Canberra Times. 1 December 1964. p. 17. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  2. ^ "Untitled". Canberra Times. 7 January 1967. p. 8. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  3. ^ "Untitled". Canberra Times. 2 December 1964. p. 3. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  4. ^ "SHARK TAKES DIVER'S LEG". Canberra Times. 30 November 1964. p. 1. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  5. ^ a b COLLINS, PETER (6 December 2014). "Witnesses recall Lady Julia Percy Island shark attack, 50 years on". The Standard. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  6. ^ a b "Network 28". Canberra Times. 17 October 1983. p. 26. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  7. ^ "HE WANTS TO DIVE AGAIN!". Australian Women's Weekly. 16 December 1964. p. 15. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  8. ^ "COMFORT - Henri Bource's shark attack (1964)". The Daily Intelligencer. 2 December 1964. p. 1. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  9. ^ "Top 10 Shark Attack Stories". HowStuffWorks. 2 May 2008. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  10. ^ "SAVAGE SHADOWS (Part One)". John Harding. 27 October 2009. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  11. ^ "Global Shark Attack File 1964.11.29" (PDF).
  12. ^ "HENRI BOURCE (1935-1998) Great White Shark ate leg". John Harding. 18 May 2016. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  13. ^ Company, Broken Hill Proprietary; Productions, Henri Bource; Ltd, Esso Australia (1970), Reef of steel, [S.l.] : Made by Henri Bource Productions, retrieved 5 December 2017 {{citation}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
  14. ^ "NFSA – Title Details". colsearch.nfsa.gov.au. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  15. ^ "NFSA – Title Details". colsearch.nfsa.gov.au. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  16. ^ "NFSA – Title Details". colsearch.nfsa.gov.au. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  17. ^ "NFSA – Name Details". colsearch.nfsa.gov.au. Retrieved 5 December 2017.