Dave died on October 10, 2018 aged 72.  

He was born on December 30,1945 at the Manning Hospital and he didn’t ever venture too far from his beloved Taree. Dave was the eldest son of Eric and Susan Russell. He was one of 11 children.

Dave started to show promise at sport from an early age and when he was 12 he won all his age races at the Mid North Coast athletics championship held in Taree. He was named the senior boy’s champion.

“The 100 and 200 metres were my favourite,’’ Dave told the Manning River Times in an In Profile article in 2002.

He also showed promise as a cricketer.

However, it was hockey where he set a State first. Manning Hockey Association officials visited Purfleet with the view of starting a team in 1959. Dave and his mates were keen on the idea, but there was a problem.

“We didn’t have any money to buy hockey sticks,’’ he said.

“So we went into the bush and dug up some tree roots and made up sticks from them.’’

This worked for in 1960 Dave was a member of the premiership winning Purfleet under 16 team. The following year he was selected to represent Manning Hockey in the State under 15 championships. From here he was named in the NSW 15s side to contest the national titles in Melbourne, becoming the first Aboriginal to represent NSW in the sport. The NSW side contained two future Australian representatives, but Dave was the star of the show in Melbourne, where he was named player of the championship. He gave hockey away a couple of years later to play rugby league with mates.

“If I’d kept playing hockey I would have made the Olympic team, I’m sure of that,’’ he said in 2002.

Hockey was his favourite sport, but did he have regrets?

“I loved football, so no not really,’’ Dave said.

Playing for Taree Old Bar in the then-Group 18 Rugby League competition Dave was named co-winner of the group’s under 18 player of the year in 1963. A five-eighth or centre, Dave graduated to first grade with Old Bar and the club’s captain-coach, former international Darcy Henry suggested he trial with Western Suburbs. Dave turned down the offer.

“I wasn’t interested in getting paid to play – I just loved playing football and I didn’t want to live in Sydney. I was happy here,’’ he said.

Dave switched to Wingham and was a member of the club’s first grade grand final team in 1972. Then South Taree, an all-Aborginal team based out of Purfleet, was formed to play in the then Group Three Saturday League in 1978. Dave saw out his playing days there and had his finest moment in the game with the erratic but always entertaining South Taree sides. In 1981 Dave was captain-coach of the South Taree team that went through the season unbeaten before winning the grand final. The previous year Souths had made the final of the NSW Koori Rugby LeagueKnockout, a competition then in its infancy.

Dave loved sport. He believed it was a natural way to bring a community together.

He was also an advocate for Aboriginal causes and worked hard to bring about better community relationships. He enjoyed his work as the Aboriginal Community Liaison Office at Taree Police. Here he educated police officers on the Koori ways and culture and gained a knowledge of the court/justice system to assist Kooris in need of help.

Dave initiated the Fine Default Community Service Order Program for Aboriginal offenders in Taree. In 1991 Dave organised a program for NAIDOC Week that involved sports and a touch football game between the Kooris and the local police. This gained considered media attention and it is still played.

“My years as a Aboriginal Community Liaison Officer was an experience I will long remember – the highs and lows and gaining new friends,’’ he said later in life.

Dave was at various time a supervisor with the Taree Indigenous Employment Program (TIDE), CDEP supervisor with the Purfleet/Taree Local Aboriginal Land Council, while he also worked with the former Oxley County Council.

Dave did an enormous amount of voluntary work in the community as a gardener and landscaper, a bus driver, guest speaker, coach and mentor. 

Dave was predeceased by his wife, Melva. He is survived by siblings Patricia, Gail, Ann, Vincent and Sueanne, daughters Narelle, Glenda and Tina and his grandchildren.