Your family moved from the UK when you were 6. What was it like growing up in Oz?
It was pretty rough really, In today's terms I experienced racism and bullying. I was the new Pommy kid with a proper little English accent which got me an undeserved beating most days. Then when my brothers got to school they started on them too. That was when I had had enough and was big enough to hit back. Unfortunately this set me on a course of feeling I had to fight to survive which pretty much set a course of various poor choices well into my 20's.
Not all was bad though. I had a very loving family, home was a refuge, and we escaped often on family holidays. I guess the poor attitude of the community my folks had moved to served to make us a close family.
You grew up in a Christian family, but it wasn't until a family friend's death, & seeing the way she responded to the incident that really started to turn the cogs over...
This is true. It was Wendy's father that died in a car accident. When the authorities had completed their investigation the police turned up to see what charges were to be layed against the other at fault driver. Wendy's mum just turned to them and said "Oh no we don't want to press charges, they have suffered enough, I forgive them..."
I was like WTF just show me where they are and I will sort them. I realised at that moment that I had no tangible reference point for forgiveness just vengeance. I knew I had a problem but didn't know how to address it, anger.
Surfing Nias, 1980’s
Greg Nole & Dave
Whilst at a raging party, you were hit with an overwhelming sense of conviction... can you tell us about this experience?
I was in my mid twenties and since Wendy's dad passing away we had agreed to acompany Wendy's mum to church on Sundays.
Along with my christian upbringing and these treks to church I had started to process some of my thinking, though at a minimal degree. This particular party was nothing out of the ordinary for us just a big one, with plenty of drink and gear to keep it pumping.
The father of the host was there and he was a Jewish man. Somehow we got into a conversation on the Jewish people and God. He was not devout in his beliefs and I was far less aware of details than my current state made me feel. It was a good natured conversation but probably raucous. Suddenly others were listening and soon were jumping in, joking, but saying things like "oh come on Dave what do you know about God, what about when you did this or that and said this and took that..." It was suppossed to be good natured but I suddenly found myself in this dark space and all I could hear were accusations and my life started to crash in around me. I don't remember what happened exactly but nek minute I was lying on the floor crying in front of what felt like a hundred people just going "I'm sorry, I'm sorry" Wooo not the usual reason I may have been on the floor, and fit to say I needed to get out of there. It took me a while to process this but realised that I had a choice - Take God seriously or just ignore him and continue down the rabbit hole I was beginning to fall down.
After that it was a process of both Wendy and I pursuing an understanding of what a relationship with God meant and what it meant to us.
By the following year we had both decided this was real, got baptised, and then got married.
Speaking at Gymea baptist church
You started dating your now wife Wendy at 19, and went on a massive journey of both coming to know God together...
Yes that’s right. She was the one good decision I made at that stage in my life. After she poured a full schooner over my head at the local pub, which I probably deserved, she had my attention. We traveled, surfed and partied together for 7 years. Then as the stories above allude our paths collided in a big way with the reality and relevance of God and the life of Jesus. I am 60 now and she has been God's gift that has held me and our family together. 40 crazy years.
Surfing was an escape for you...and down the track moving into CS was quite a natural progression?
The salty water, the oceans waves and the wild of the sea has always been part of me. I was born and had my early years on the rugged coast of Cornwall UK. When we first moved to Australia we lived for a while on the beach at Port Stephens. So I loved the ocean. My brothers and I had the legendary Coolite boards as kids. When I started high school and found friends that surfed we were at the beach every weekend and some days we were supposed to be at school. But yes, it was an escape from the community I was living and struggled in. So years later when God replaced all that anger with his love, it was a natural progression to forge a bond between my faith and a love for God with my love for surfing.
Surfing Rote Island
As head of department for Horticulture at Tafe, Regional Coordinator & family man with your wife and four kids... how did you balance your time & commitments?
Haha that’s still a miracle but I realised early on that there was no correlation between hours put in and the results of what God can achieve. I learnt to prioritise, be honourable with the time I had, steward well what I was given and put others before myself (because as you can read between the lines of the earlier stories until my mid twenties life was much more self focused).
You're now passing the RC role over after 15 years, to absolute legend Georgia Wilsher. What does this next year of rest mean for you...
A year of replenishment. Focus on some things that I have put on the back burner. Possibly take up a few new skills, travel a bit and keep my heart open to the next thing God has in store. And of course revel in the goodness of what God is going to bring through Georgia. It’s going to be epic!
God has been impressing 'learning to walk in the grey'... can you elaborate on that for us?
This would be a long paragraph if I really dive into this space. But suffice to say that God has been teaching me that things are not as black and white as we like to make them. If we decide something is either black or white and it doesn't fit that box, then I am already making a judgment. Who am I to judge anyone? When I get to meet Him face to face I don't think God is going to say to me 'Dave you loved those people too much.." But he may say "who were you to judge that person?"
Having things Black and White just makes things easier for us to navigate life; we don't have to question and stop and think as much because we have already made our decisions on every issue. Learning to walk in and navigate 'The Grey' forces me to rely on God constantly for wisdom and discernment. You are walking in ongoing revelation.
A verse of scripture that's hitting home right now...
“So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” 1Peter 5:6
Favourite worship album?
I don't really have one to be honest. I love a wide variety of music and find the lyrics of many secular songs turn my thoughts to God. But I do have an extensive Worship playlist on my phone that includes music from among many; 'Vertical Worship' 'Elevation worship' 'Bethel' ' Francesca Battistelli' & 'Third day'.
Regional camp