Most people will remember Dave as the farmer who came out in a live episode of Big Brother, something that was huge and shocking for the time.
“Growing up gay in the bush within an extremely conservative and homophobic family and community there were really only two options to being my true self. Move as far away as possible or kill ourselves,” Dave sadly admitted to WHO.
“Big Brother is completely responsible for the life I have now as I couldn’t see any other way I could come out,” he added.
While Dave is still single, he’s a donor dad to four children via two straight women and one lesbian, all of which are friends of his.
“When I came out, I thought children was something I had to shut the door on, so to have genetic kids through being a donor dad has been amazing,” Dave explained.
And while his children have families around them, Dave is ensuring he’s an active part of his kids’ lives.
“Their mums [would] bring them to where I’m doing a show and I get to see them during the break,” Dave said, referring to his work as a popular dog trainer who often does public gigs.
“That’s not connecting with your kids and I realise that now. I need to take time out and actually go hang out with them and just do whatever it is that they want to do,” Dave told Mamamia.
“They’ve got super-loving families around them and all that sort of stuff, and I’m a donor dad so it’s a little bit different to a full-time role of a father, but a dad’s a dad.”
Dave now posts the occasional picture with his kids on Instagram but has kept their names and their mothers’ identities a secret.
While he is now focused on his kids, Dave has carved out a great career for himself as an international dog trainer.
He has taken his business overseas and was even working in the US when COVID-19 lockdowns began.
Apart from his work as a professional trainer, Dave also works with troubled teens through his work with RuffTrack.
RuffTrack pairs disengaged teenagers with a dog, and are then taught skills like dog training, horticulture and carpentry, and ultimately gives them a chance to keep out of trouble.
“It’s about giving the teenagers a chance so they can break the cycle and avoid spending a lifetime behind bars,” Dave explained to WHO.
He has expanded on his love for his work on Instagram.
“The reason I decided to head back into the @bigbrotherau house and to leave my amazing life working with vulnerable and violent teenagers was to promote that work, the work that each of the young people put in to get their lives on track and break the cycle,” he wrote.
“For some kids life isn’t easy, in fact it’s a challenge from hour to hour to stay alive, safe and out of prison.
“@rufftrack is a flexible safety net that catches kids who have fallen through the cracks and give them the skills to bounce back into life,” he explained.
You can catch Dave on Big Brother from Monday-Wednesday at 7:30pm on Channel Seven and 7Plus.
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