Dave describes himself as a certifiable Cockney boy, born at Guy’s Hospital within the sound of the Bow Bells. His mother sang in a band and his father was an engineer. They lived in a big Edwardian house in North London with his grandparents and uncles who were also musicians, but had ‘day jobs’ to make ends meet.

His Uncle Keith was only ever a musician. He was a pianist and session musician to Dusty Springfield and Eartha Kitt. He played at Ronnie Scott’s with his jazz trio and at the Stork Club as their non-stop seque pianist.

“It ran in my blood. My Great Uncle Heber was one of Charlie Chaplin’s vaudeville troop on the London variety circuit. Poppy was by day, a baker. He made the best rice pudding ever. But, at night, he was a cracker banjo player,” Dave said.

“I grew up listening and falling asleep to the thump, thump, thump - coming from our upstairs parlour – of my Uncle Keith hitting the pedals and Mum rehearsing. As a five year old, I knew what I wanted. To perform, paint and earn money. Given the family I had, I guess it was sort of inevitable that performance was in the blood.”

Dave landed his first job when he was only 10 years old. He worked with his Uncle Andy who was the family’s milkman. He let Dave wear a leather change apron, stock the freezers with individual fruit pies and collect the money. 

“What’s not to like about being a milkman’s boy? Uncle Andy taught me how to hold five empty bottles. I was terrified my hands wouldn’t be big enough or the bottles would slip and smash all over Mrs Whatsits path. I didn’t like that at all. Sometimes, it happened. Horror. So, I longed for a pair of finger-less gloves, just like my Uncle Andy’s. I got them and to this day, in Winter, as I garden or write, I have my finger-less gloves, and I never fail to think of Uncle Andy and what a great man he must have been to give this little 10-year-old Cockney boy his first job.”

Although he loved his stint as a milkman, Dave always knew he wanted to break into the creative and performing arts industry. He started tap classes when he was five years old and progressed from there performing at Gang Shows and London Palladium-style shows. Then came ‘Oliver’ and so his creative arts career began.

“We migrated to Australia when I was 13. After a few years of sheer academic slog, I tossed in all the math and science stuff. I actually went and saw the principal and told her ‘This is not for me.’ She was great. ‘What shall you do?’ she asked. “Triple Art and join the Melbourne Theatre Company Youth Theatre,’ and so I did. Off I went.”

Dave’s first acting job was being an extra on ‘The Box’ for Channel O as it was then. Now it’s Channel 10. He played a clown sitting in the canteen. 

“I absolutely sweated on having my inner clown focused! Lol!”

A month later, he auditioned for the Victoria Opera Company and was offered a contract as their lyric tenor in their young adults opera, which he described as an amazing gig that changed his life.

He enrolled in university to study Fine Arts and Sociology, but threw that away to write for Crawfords. He was contracted and writing Homicide and Division Four at 19. “Oh, the money!” He also graded rocks and opals which he hated, and worked as a waiter.

“If you haven’t ever worked as a waiter and you’re in the arts business, you’ve never had a career.”

“But, mainly, I’ve been incredible lucky. I’ve never had long stretches of being unemployed in the fields I love. Be it painting, acting or directing, writing… they sort of all fuse together, don’t they? And gardening. Must not forget that. Voltaire said ‘Gardening is the most noble pursuit’ – utterly, utterly true.”

Directing came naturally for Dave – he never sought it out. He “just became more involved with the bigger picture and development of new writing.”

Dave now works as a freelance actor and director. “I had my own theatre company, Renegade Inc. Our logo was a hammer. We were thorough mavericks. I still am. Simultaneously, I had a film company – grass roots support for new and emerging filmmakers. Loved both of these companies and now, I focus on many projects and my total support for the splendid Highlands based company Pigs Fly Productions Inc. Great people. Love ‘em and I’m a happy piggie indeed, being their patron.”

Currently, he is finishing post-production on ‘Wednesday,’ a short film written by Andrew Mcgahan, the Miles Franklin winner, which he shot in black and white – think Kurosawa 1950’s look. This will be used for the national and international indie festival markets.

He also worked on ‘Next,’ a feature film adaption of ‘A tree, falling,’ with Greta Scacchi. 

“’Tree’ is a sensational play dealing with dementia. Terrifyingly hilarious, written by Ron Elisha, a formidably brilliant writer. I did it for the stage in Melbourne and garnered quite a few Green Room Awards, especially for the late, great, amazing Jonathan Hardy. He was also known as a writer and wrote Breaker Morant. He was my partner for forty years. He went to his cloud not too long ago, after 25 extra years with a new heart.”

Dave said he couldn’t be happier working as a freelance actor and director, “But nothing is better than coming home to Hill Top, my cottage and Nika the pooch in the Southern Highlands. I love it. God’s own.