Lawson and Meyer rushed over to thank their mentor and demanded a photograph of themselves with Malcolm.
"I promised you a gold medal, Bruce," Lawson said at that time.
"I'll get you a second one in the fours."
It is now history how the Gary Lawson-skipped four won a second gold medal a week later which was crucial to the New Zealand men's team winning the Leonard Trophy for the overall team performance for the first time.
Lawson and Meyer were strong individuals and liked to do things their own way on the green and were not always popular with the bowls establishment.
"If it wasn't for me they would not have made the team for World Bowls," Malcolm said.
"Some people in Bowls New Zealand wouldn't wear them."
But Malcolm recognised their genius on the bowling green and realised that New Zealand would not win the Leonard Trophy without them.
Malcolm worked closely with Lawson and Meyer during World Bowls and spent time close to the green analysing what was happening in the game.
He had a close rapport with the ebullient Lawson and talked to him every day during World Bowls.
"I was proud to have selected a team to win two gold medals," Malcolm said.
"I had tears in my eyes when they won the fours."
Malcolm was a New Zealand men's selector for 11 years from 1998 and had an impressive record in that time.
He picked teams for World Bowls at Johannesburg in 2000, Ayr in Scotland in 2004 and Christchurch in 2008.
His teams won 10 medals three gold, one silver and six bronze and claimed the prized Leonard Trophy for the teams event this year.
One of his Commonwealth Games teams won a bronze medal when Dunedin's Mike Kernaghan came third in the singles at Manchester in 2002.
The five Asia and Pacific championships teams selected by Malcolm won 11 medals - five gold, three silver and three bronze.
In August this year, Malcolm put in his application to continue in the job and flew to Auckland for the interview.
But the criteria had changed and the selection panels job was to select both the men's and women's teams.
He realised that he would not be able to do justice to the job under the new system and withdrew his application.
"I would have had to travel to every centre in the country to see the women play," Malcolm said.
"I would never have been at home and was not prepared to commit myself to do this for four years to the next World Bowls."
Malcolm had a comprehensive approach to bowls selection.
"I looked at the attitude of the bowlers on and off the green.
I looked for visible signs like body language that could upset players when they were in a New Zealand team."
The players have four bowls in the singles event, and Malcolm was particularly concerned how they used their first two bowls.
"We needed to be confident that if they played a bad bowl that they could rectify it with their next bowl," he said.
"It is not so much whether they win or lose in a tournament but how they play.
"I liked players who were consistent, adaptable and who were compatible with the rest of the team."
Malcolm enjoyed watching the Kitty Hawk and secondary schools competition and always noted players of promise in his red note book.
He noted the name of current international Shannon McIlroy when he watched him play in a Kitty Hawk tournament nine years ago and Mark Watt when he was still at secondary school.
Future players to watch according to Malcolm are Tessa Hocking (Napier), Laura Craik (Oamaru), Raymond Martin (Wellington) and Ryan Khan (Tokoroa).
Malcolm, and his wife Margaret, have both made a significant contribution to New Zealand bowls.
Bruce was awarded the MBE in 1994 and Margaret has the New Zealand Order of Merit.
She was president of Bowls New Zealand in 2002-03.
Bruce had won 12 Bowls Dunedin titles and a national pairs title.
Margaret has 11 centre titles and was runner-up in the New Zealand fours in 2004.
The Malcolm fileAt a glance Age: 73.
Family: Wife Margaret, children Sandra, Rhonda, Brenda, Kevin and Brent; 11 grandchildren, 3 great-grandchildren.
Occupation: Secretary Port Chalmers Waterside Workers Union 1978-95; president NZ Waterside Workers Union 1982-95.
Sport management positions: New Zealand men's bowls selector 1998-2008; management committee ORFU 1974-89, president 1988; NZRFU junior advisory board.
Sports: Rugby (Port Chalmers premiers), rowing (NZ rowing eight 1956), bowls (NZ pairs champion 1990, Bowls Dunedin representative 26 years; 12 Bowls Dunedin titles).
Honours: MBE (1994), JP (1976).
Malcolm's top NZ bowlers when selector: Gary Lawson, Russell Meyer, Peter Belliss, Rowan Brassey.
