Master Dave Lacey, younger brother of Grandmaster Vince Lacey, was a driving force in the early propagation of Buk Sing Choy Lay Fut in Australia. Born and raised in the tough districts of Kowloon, Dave trained alongside his brother under Master Lai Hung and later Grandmaster Kong Hing. He developed into a fierce, no-nonsense martial artist with a deep understanding of both combat application and traditional values. While Vince often took the spotlight, Dave’s role was equally important — he was the engine behind much of the school’s day-to-day intensity, and his discipline and sharp technique earned him wide respect among students and peers alike.
When the Lacey brothers immigrated to Western Australia in the mid-1960s, it was Dave who helped establish their early teaching base. They began holding classes at Barrack Street Jetty, then later moved to Cremorne Arcade, where their school became infamous for its hard training, strict etiquette, and willingness to deal with troublemakers head-on. Tales of rooftop training, bloodied sparring sessions, and even sword-wielding encounters with disruptive outsiders are now part of local martial arts folklore. These weren’t just stories — they were lived experiences that forged some of Australia’s earliest martial arts champions, including a young George Michielsen, who would go on to carry the torch of the lineage.
Though Vince eventually relocated to the United States, Dave remained in Perth to continue teaching and holding the school together. Later, he made the move to Melbourne, where he continued to spread the art and cultivate new generations of martial artists. His teaching style was firm but grounded, rooted in real experience, and enriched by decades of training under Hong Kong’s most formidable masters. While he was often quieter than his brother, Dave was no less committed — his focus was on preserving the art in its purest form, ensuring that students didn’t just learn movements, but understood the deeper code that defines true kung fu.
Master Dave Lacey’s impact remains embedded in the foundation of our Academy and across Australia’s Buk Sing lineage. He helped shape a generation of practitioners with his relentless work ethic, fierce loyalty to tradition, and unshakable integrity. His contributions may not always have been shouted from rooftops — but they were certainly forged on them. Today, his legacy lives on in every punch, every form, and every student who learns with humility, focus, and heart.
