Finding Home Through Service: Dave’s CatholicCare Journey
This year marks two decades of supporting people in the community working for CatholicCare. For Dave, the work has never simply been about programs or policies. It has always been about people.
David Wilson never expected CatholicCare Hunter-Manning would become the place that changed his life.
Originally from a small island in Fiji, Dave arrived in Australia at 18 years old, knowing very little English and with no clear sense of where life would eventually take him. He found the adjustment to living in Australia difficult.
“I felt like I was starting over, I was trying to find a way, how I could survive in Australia,” he said.
Dave worked across a variety of industries to gain experience and earn a living.
“I worked everywhere – a steel mill, the hotel industry, in the kitchen, out west doing blueberry and banana picking and I was also a supermarket night filler. I even did a bit of modelling when I was younger,” he said.
After settling on Sydney’s North Shore, he met the woman who would become his wife. Together, they built a life grounded in family, resilience and hard work, eventually raising two daughters.
Dave worked hard to build a future for himself and his family while trying to navigate life in a country that once felt unfamiliar and, at times, difficult to manage because of the language barrier.
Encouraged by his wife, Dave returned to study through TAFE and university, describing the experience as both educational and deeply personal.
“My wife said, ‘Do you think it might be better for you to go back to school because living in Australia is very hard.’ People are fortunate here, because in Fiji, you don't have the luxury to be able to go back to school.
“So you can try to educate yourself again. It involved a lot of soul searching and self-development for me,” Dave said.
Despite the many jobs and experiences, something inside him kept searching for more. Dave says he always felt called to give back to the community.
“I always wanted to do something for vulnerable people, for the people who are fighting difficulties every day of their lives,” he said.
That desire eventually led him to volunteer work supporting young people at Westlakes in the mid-1990s, before later joining CatholicCare in 2006 when the organisation took over the service.
More than 20 years later, Dave remains one of the organisation’s most respected and deeply valued staff members.
Over the years, he has worked across youth services, residential care, juvenile justice programs, and community support initiatives. He spent nearly eight years leading the IMPACT juvenile justice program, helping young people navigate life outside detention and supporting them to avoid reoffending.
He currently works in the Supported Independent Living program, helping young people navigate the journey into adulthood and teaching life skills for those ready to become a part of the community.
For Dave, the work has never simply been about programs or policies. It has always been about people. Reflecting on the proudest part of his career, he said it has been seeing vulnerable young people grow and succeed.
“Oh, I think for me, it's like just working with vulnerable people, like seeing their faces or seeing young people fly, you know, like they can actually have the skills and the knowledge and understanding of how the world works.
“But, you know, there are so many highlights for me. It's just appreciating every day the work that I do with great people that I've come across and that propel me forward every day,” he said.
Colleagues describe him as compassionate, fair and deeply grounded. Many see him as a mentor and role model, although Dave himself remains characteristically humble about the impact he has had.
“I just treat people the way I want to be treated,” he said.
Diocesan colleague Kate Crncevic highlights how special Dave is, capturing how many of his co-workers feel about him.
“Inspirational leaders are those who show up authentically every day with passion for the greater good and quietly go about their work for the benefit of others. Dave is always happy, always humble and always a positive energy in the team,” she said.
In sharing his story, one theme surfaced repeatedly: CatholicCare has given him a sense of belonging.
“There's a lot of places which I couldn't relate to until I came to CatholicCare. So, I really found my anchor, you know, it's like a safe haven.
“When I’m with an organisation, I’m all in,” he said. “CatholicCare is like home to me.”
For Dave, the organisation became far more than a workplace. It became a place where he felt safe enough to grow into himself.
“When I came here, I was lost,” he reflected. “When you feel safe, things start to open up.”
It is a deeply personal reflection from someone who has spent decades creating that same sense of safety for vulnerable young people, families and communities across the Hunter.
While Dave has spent decades helping others, he openly acknowledges the profound effect the organisation has had on him personally.
“The organisation shaped me for who I am today,” he said.
He describes learning patience, kindness, and tolerance through his work and says CatholicCare helped him discover the importance of faith, compassion, and believing in the goodness of people.
“I’ve learned so much about being patient, being tolerant … just being kind,” he reflected.
His reflections also reveal a man shaped by the people around him. Dave speaks warmly of mentors and leaders who supported him along the way, including the late Bishop Bill, Sister Kim and former CatholicCare Director Gary Christensen.
One of his fondest memories is of Sister Kim beginning mornings with quiet reflection and prayer.
“She was one of the biggest highlights for me. Spending time with her grounded me for the day,” he said.
Today, Dave sees the next stage of his journey as supporting younger workers entering the sector, mentoring staff and passing on the wisdom he has gained through decades of community service.
“I’d like to be more of a mentor type of person, pass the torch on to others,” he said.
Looking back across his career, there is a quiet but powerful thread running through Dave’s story; the idea that meaningful work not only changes the lives of the people being supported but can also transform the person doing the supporting.
For Dave, CatholicCare became the place where purpose, healing and community came together.
And while he may not fully realise the impact he has had on the people around him, Dave’s story is a reminder that some of the most influential people are often the ones who simply show up every day with kindness, humility and a genuine desire to help others.