On a cold and rainy Sunday evening in late July 1998, David Browne of Melbourne, Australia, lost his life in a motorcycle accident. The world lost a man who was mighty in both body and spirit.
David commenced his studies at Camberwell Grammar School in year 7 (1982) on a partial academic scholarship, and during his 6 years there, immersed himself in all facets of school life. David was an outstanding student of the Sciences, Mathematics, Latin and Chinese, and additionally maintained a high level of involvement in extra-curricular activities; he played clarinet in the concert band, was a member of the Amateur Radio Club, and on many occasions his skills as an audio technician were called upon for Middle and Senior School theatre productions.
David was an avid sportsman and represented the school in cross-country and cricket, and he also developed a keen interest in body-building, which, in the years after leaving school, saw his physique change from that of a slender youth into one of a veritable man mountain.
Involvement with the school cadet unit provided David an outlet for his natural leadership skills, and in 1987 he topped the Advanced Training Award course as a CUO (Cadet Under Officer, a Lieutenant equivalent). Cadets also instilled in him the desire to continue a family tradition of military service. Having achieved outstanding results in his HSC subjects, David was accepted to the University of New South Wales’ Faculty of Engineering at the Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra.
As an Airforce Officer Cadet, David combined academic and defence studies for 3 years, and in his final year, was awarded the posting of Squadron Cadet Captain; the second most senior level of Officer Cadet posting within the Academy. He completed his 4th academic year at the Advanced Students Squadron attached to ADFA. David would often refer to his years in Canberra as being the best of his life, for it was there that he met his closest friends, including the woman who was to become his wife. Life in the Defence Forces also provided David with the opportunity to travel extensively throughout Australia, as well as North America.
David received a degree in Electrical Engineering from the UNSW in 1991; his final year thesis was a feasability study of portable satelite communications systems for use in combat situations. In 1992 David was posted to RAAF Base Williams at Laverton, Victoria, where he managed the maintenance of a training radar unit. In 1993 he married his fiancée, Rebecca Webster. 1994 was a year of great change for David. He was posted to Logistics Command on St. Kilda Rd, separated from his wife, commenced studies for a Masters Degree in Business Administration, and spent 2 months travelling through Europe.
In 1995 Davd moved into residence at the RAAF Base at Pt. Cook, Victoria, where he was able to spend considerable time indulging his passions of restoring his 1967 Ford Thunderbird, and riding motorcycles. It was in this year that David had his first motorcycle accident; a car attempted to execute a U-Turn in front of him as he was travelling South-West along Franklin St. (near RMIT in Melbourne). He was in hospital for several weeks, and had to return months later when it was discovered that he had suffered a sub-dural haemorrage.
1996 brought with it a 2 year posting to Canberra, where he wrote a Request for Tender document for a Defence Forces satellite communications device. He spent much of his spare time in 1996 and 1997 travelling between Canberra and Sydney visiting his girlfriend and riding his motorcycles on the beautiful roads which surround Canberra. His work put him in the position of liasing with private industry, and he recognised the need to expand his horizons and move into private industry himself.
In 1998 he resigned from the RAAF and returned to his beloved hometown, Melbourne. He was hired by (the then) IT and management consulting firm SMS, and within weeks was on assignment to Colonial Mutual as the Project Manager for their Y2K remediation programme.
At about 9:30 pm on Sunday the 26th of July, 1998, David was riding his motorcycle home from a shopping trip with a close friend. They were travelling North along a rain saturated Church St, Richmond when David lost control of his bike. He was thrown clear, but collided with a taxi travelling South. He was treated at the scene by MICA paramedics, and transported to the Alfred Hospital, where he died a short time later.
David was a man who greatly valued the institutions which had contributed to the person he was, and especially the people who he had met through them. Even during his postings to Canberra, David maintained links with his old highschool through the cadet unit’s promotions courses held every December at Mount Disappointment, 75 km North of Melbourne. Two days before his funeral, he was scheduled to hold a careers talk at Camberwell Grammar School, for boys who were considering engineering careers in the Australian Defense Forces.
David’s funeral was attended by more than 100 people, representing all aspects and periods of his life.
It would be impossible to sum up David's character in any simple way, because he was such a complex fellow, however the statements below are a start.
He lived every day true to these
words.