Salute to former Army sergeant and caravan park owner

But how did this former bank manager, army officer and explosives operator come to run two successful caravan parks? After working for the Commonwealth Bank, David joined the army in 1988 as a recovery mechanic, spending the next seven years travelling across the country, earning the rank of Sergeant.

He remained an army reservist for another nine years, after making his next career move as an AMP financial planner. Joining a small practice in Brighton, he met Simon Edwards. Their friendship turned into a successful business partnership, initially through the highly successful finance/corporate superannuation business they built together, then into caravan parks.

Simon’s parents were long-time owners of BIG4 Inverloch and CRPVic life members, Ray and Glenys Edwards. With a business plan and bank capital approved, they set out to find the right park, purchasing Bright Pine Valley in 2010.

Mistakes were part of the learning curve, but what David seems to have is that perfect combination of tough friendliness.

“We had a standard and we maintained it. That’s critical because people don’t want to feel they have to tell the camp next door to turn their music off at midnight – that’s the manager’s job,” David said. “Being consistent gives you respect.”

David’s last park was in Warburton, where the pair bought a rundown caravan park with a “jewel in the crown” – prime Yarra River frontage on a separate Crown Land lease. They undertook many improvements, building up a highly successful caravan park business.

Looking back, what makes him most proud of being a parkie?

“Seeing intergenerational holiday families come back. I was chatting to one guy who’d been coming for 72 years straight every Christmas. He’s in a nursing home now, but his family still come – his kids, grandkids and great grandkids have built that tradition,” David said.

“Those stories are what caravan parks are about – family, connection and memories that we look back on. I think we’re the only holiday destination that can achieve that.”

Read the full article in the 2025-26 Summer edition of The Parkie magazine.