David was a secondary teacher before his twenty-five-year career as a secondary school principal. He was president of U3A Manningham from 2006 to 2010 and from 2019 to 2021, and he was Vice President of U3A Network Victoria from 2011 to 2016. David holds Life Memberships of the Victorian Association of State Secondary Principals and U3A Manningham. He was awarded an OAM for his service to education and to the community of Manningham in 2019.