Step back in time with The Flying Vet, a fascinating documentary that follows David Bradley and his wife Susan, operators of the world’s largest veterinary practice. From his tiny Cessna flying out of Kununurra, David served cattle stations across northern Australia, with David being an integral part of the fight against TB in the Top End.
The film captures breathtaking aerial shots, raw and authentic stock work, and plenty of familiar faces for anyone connected to the northern beef community. Cattle stations like Bullo River Station, Newcastle Waters, and Rockhampton Downs are featured throughout, making this a true slice of Top End history.
For me personally, seeing this documentary as a 12 year old planted the seed to head North as soon as I left school. Little did I know I would end up working for Susan and David at Carlton Hill in the early 1990s.
It took a bit of digging to track this rare documentary down. Directed by James Knox in the early 1980s, I managed to find him and took the chance to meet James a few years back in Manly, NSW, and he generously agreed to share the film with our community - you won’t find it anywhere else. He spoke fondly of the experience, especially the long aerial filming sequences with David, which he said were some of the most memorable moments of the production.
The documentary is also proof of this story told to me by Alister Trier, Head Stockman at Newry from 1985 to 1988:
"These were TB testing days, so vets regularly visited to test the herd as then required. Andrew Norris and Bob Coward did the rounds of the GRM properties, Bob in his 172, Andrew preferring to stay on the ground. Another vet in those days that used to fly was David Bradley. I never met him, but he had a hot little Mooney that used lest fuel than a 172 but could keep up with a 210. It was a good aircraft, and the story was that David would take off, climb and level out, then go to sleep as he flew back to Carlton Hill Station (near Kununurra, on the coast in WA west of Legune), only to wake up out to Sea with no land in site."
And if you like the David Bradley documentary you'll enjoy a similar documentary: SARAWAK STOCK TAKE
Enjoy the journey!
April 2026 UPDATE: I was saddened to hear of David's passing, my condolences to his family and friends - he will be sorely missed. Please see below a tribute to David by his son, Nick Bradley, on 23rd April 2026, announcing the sad news of David's passing.
Simon Cheatham | Founder | RFTTE.com | RFTTEJOBS.com | simon@rfttejobs.com
Viewer discretion is advised: Please note that these films reflect the prevailing attitudes and practices of the time.
VALE. DR DAVID BRADLEY B.VSc.23rd April 2026 by Nick Bradley:
It is with great sadness that my brother, Richard, and I share the news that our father, David Stanley Bradley, passed away yesterday. He was 80.
Born in 1946, Dad lived a life that was, by any measure, extraordinary. He was a veterinarian of rare talent and tireless dedication, and together with our mother, Susan, his wife of 35 years, he built a practice in Australia's remote north and became known as the original "Flying Vet," piloting his own plane across the vast distances of the Kimberley, Northern Territory and parts of western Queensland to service the cattle stations and their herds. In doing so, he became one of the driving forces behind the Australian Brucellosis and Tuberculosis Eradication Campaign (BTEC), a landmark effort that transformed the northern cattle industry. Most of his more than 15,000 hours at the controls of his Cessna 172s and his beloved Mooney were logged in the service of that work.
He and Mum later became station owners themselves, running Carlton Hill and Ivanhoe, and from that base Dad became a trail-blazer in the live-export trade between northern Australia and Indonesia, setting up Carlton Beef to help pioneer an industry that today exports more than 700,000 cattle annually.
Along the way he logged more than 5,000 hours in R22 helicopters, most of it mustering his own herd.
In the years that followed, Dad made his home in Selsey, England, lending his livestock expertise to the CJD and Foot and Mouth outbreaks of the 1990’s, and then into small animal practice where he became a cherished part of the community. The pet-loving families of that corner of West Sussex entrusted him with their dogs, cats, hedgehogs and companions of every kind, and I know he will be missed there every bit as much as he is here.
Beyond his work, Dad was an adventurer in the truest sense. He sailed around the world, chasing horizons with the same quiet determination he brought to everything else.
But more than any of this, he was a wonderful father. A quiet man, but thoughtful and engaging, he was kind, gentle, charming, and deeply erudite; the sort of person whose company you never tired of, endlessly curious and generous with his time and wisdom. Richard and I were lucky beyond measure to have him, as was his sister Judy Crawford, who cherished him always.
He passed away at home in Wangaratta. He leaves behind a family who adored him, a legacy carved into the landscape of northern Australia and the lanes of Selsey, and memories that will sustain us for the rest of our lives.
Vale, Dad. Fair winds and following seas.
Andy Burns
Sorry to hear. A life well and truly lived.
Anthony McKnight
Lovely reflection mate.
Madelienne Anderson
So sorry to hear this. Sending love and light to you, Richard and Susan.
Mark Norval
A huge contributor to Northern Australia. A true pioneer in his field. Condolences to family and friends.
Peter Camp
I’m sorry to hear this sad news. David was a smart and dedicated man. I was privileged to have worked with him and his family at Carlton Hill Station during the 80’s and 90’s. My condolences to you, Richard and your mother, Susan. Regards, Peter Camp.
Andy Hallen
Sorry for your loss. RIP David.
Hamish Brett
Condolences to all the family Nick, regards Hamish.
Naomi Tootell
Sorry to hear this Nick. Amazing tribute!
Wendy Nicholas
Sending hugs xx.
Fox Lumsden
I had the pleasure of working alongside your father throughout BTEC, a good friend. He had a good sense of humour and was a very professional operator. Many veterinarians started their careers working for him. Sorry to hear of his passing, condolences to all.
Sophie Moore
Sorry to hear this Nick. Dan and I raised a glass for David last night. What a wonderful tribute and beautiful photos. Memories to last a lifetime. Our thoughts are with you, Susan, Richard and the family.
Pamela Godsall-Smith
My best wishes and commiserations to you Nick and all the family. A very memorable man. You and Richard have had great parents who were remarkable for the impact they made personally and nationally.
Adrian Lehmann
Sorry to hear Nick, thoughts and prayers are with you and your family at this time.
Charles Morgan-Giles
My condolences and deepest sympathies to the family.
Anita Jacoby
What an extraordinary life. Condolences to Susan and your family.
Nathan Barnes
Sorry for your loss Rich, thinking of you and your family.
Mark Jones
Big love to you all and sorry for your huge loss.
Will Dawson
Very sorry to hear this news Nick, Rich and Susan.
Kali Balint
Thinking of you and the family Rich.
John Armstrong
A sad day for sure. Your Dad was legend status in the trade and BTEC.
Natalie Bergsma
Condolences to you and your family. What an extraordinary life your dad lived.
Gale S Hatton
Condolences Nick. Thinking of you all.
Gina Warriner
Thinking of you all Nick.
Sarah Fay
What a wonderful tribute to your father. He must have been quite a guy.
Pearl Hamaguchi
My love and thoughts are with you Susan.
Kate McGregor
Beautiful words Nick. So sorry to hear this. Thinking of you and lots of love.
Hudson Munyee
Thoughts and prayers with you all.
Adrian Tsang
Sorry for your loss, Nick. What an extraordinary life he had!
John Parche
Holding all your hands. We remember the great times in the NT and WA in the late 80s and early 90s.
Valerie Vallee
Passing of a legend, our heartfelt thoughts go to you all.
Donald Robert Wedgwood Piper
Sorry to hear of your loss mate. All the very best to you and the family. A beautifully written snapshot into his life as well mate.
Marcus Prato
Sorry to hear Nick. Condolences to you and family. What an extraordinary path he forged.
Russell Hanigan
Our condolences to the Bradley family. Nice tribute Nick. Vale David Bradley.
Tony Cocking
Your Dad was one of the greatest men I have had the privilege to meet and to work for. What a life, what a journey, what a legend and what an inspiration.
Giles Tipping
Beautiful words Nick. Our thoughts are with you all.
Marie Muldoon
Sending our love and deepest condolences to you all. David was a great man.
John Andrew Pitcher
Sorry for your loss dingo!
Rach Dunn
He sounds so amazing. What a great man to have been your father.
Sam Spark
Beautiful words mate, what a life. Thoughts are with you and the family.
Emma Pups McPherson
So sorry to hear this, sending hugs for you all.
Justin Dyer
Condolences to you Nick and all the family at this sad time. He leaves a great legacy.
Pip Hodson
So sorry for your loss Nick, your dad sounds like an extraordinary human.
James Hindhaugh
Beautiful words Nick. Condolences from Shelley and me.
Blair Thompson
Sorry for your loss Nick.
Mary Warriner
Beautiful words Nick. Thinking of you all.
Liz Vaughan
Beautiful words, he sounds like a great man. Sorry for your loss Nick, Richard and Susan.
Peter Brandy
Sincere condolences to you and brother mate.
Hamish Macdonald
What a remarkable man and life. So incredibly sorry for your family’s loss mate.
John James Greig
All the best to you and your family as you navigate this very sad and reflective time. I’m sure there is a lot to celebrate about a life well lived also.
Carol Oats
What a fabulous life he had and what a beautiful and eloquent ode to your dad.
James Hunter
Thoughts are with you and your family.
Janek Gazecki
Sorry to hear this Nick. Hope you are doing OK.
Richard Jackson
Condolences Nick, Rich and family.
Shauna Anderson
So sorry to hear of your loss Nick. Sending all my love and thoughts to you, Susan, Richard and the family.
Geoff Warriner
Sorry to hear the sad news Nick. Condolences to the family.
Simon Hunter
Condolences Nick and Rich, thoughts are with you all.
Allan Hamley
What an incredible tribute to a remarkable life. A life very well lived.
Michelle Bromley
So sorry to read this Nick, we are sending our love and condolences to yourself, Susan, Richard and your entire families.
Sarah Myers
What an amazing life. Sorry for your loss Nick Bradley and family. Cherish all those memories.
Tom Stephens
Our sincere sympathy and with profound respect. What a legend. Such a beautiful tribute.
Mark Muller
Sincere condolences to you all Nick. What a life!
Chris Ed
He really was the best of us.
Philip Tickle
Sorry for your loss Nick. He sounds like an amazing man.
Elizabeth Henderson
I remember him as very interesting and a charming soul. Thinking of you all.
Simon Bedard
Condolences fellas. Thoughts are with you and your families.
Kirsten Mildren
I’m in shock. Such a huge loss.
Val Dyer
Very sad to hear of David’s passing. David was dedicated to his role in testing for TB. RIP David.
Niccolo' Sammarco
Our deepest condolences Nick. What a truly spectacular life he had.
Brad Dolahenty
So sorry mate to hear this sad news, condolences to you and your family.
Banushka Bracher
So sorry to hear about the passing of your father. What a beautiful tribute to him.
Darleen Bungey
A beautiful tribute to a man that through the years I have only ever heard wonderful things.
Gabrielle Patterson
What a great life. Thoughts are with you.
James Kerr
David was obviously a special man and made a huge impact throughout his career. Cherish the memories.
Dennis Yong
Sending condolences to you and your family during this time of great loss.
Nicola Higgins
Oh no Nick, I’m so sorry.
Toby Martin
Great tribute, condolences to the family.
Dean Ryan
How lucky were you to have such an amazing father.
Carrie Donaldson
So sorry for your loss Nick and family.
Scott Davies
We all only have one father. Sorry for your loss. RIP.
Fiona Hewson
Sorry for your loss Nick. Beautifully written tribute.
Hamish Cole
A wonderful tribute Nick to an incredible man who led an amazing and fulfilling life.
Jim Gall
What a full and remarkable life. A fitting and thoughtful reflection.
Julia Durack
I’m so sorry to hear this. Sending love.
Polapat Leenutaphong
Condolences to you and your family Nick.
Chris Gerard
Sorry to hear this news Nick. Condolences to you, Richard and your family.
Ann Ward
My condolences to you all. He certainly lived a huge life.
Kellie Tannock
Our deepest condolences to you Nick, Rich and all your families.
Lisa Pile
My love, thoughts and prayers are with you, Richard and your family.
Belinda Paspaley
So very sad to hear this news. Sending my love to you all.
Sean Ramsden
Wow what an amazing life. Condolences to you and your family.
Skye Wallace
Condolences Nick. What an incredible life. Thinking of you all.
Jules Hall
Beautiful words Nick. My sincerest condolences.
Vanessa Mills
Sorry to hear of your family’s loss. He’s well remembered.
Patrick Underwood
An extraordinary life so well lived. Your Dad was a giant in the BTEC days.
Judy Hughes
Many wonderful memories from the 70s and 80s in Kununurra. Sincere condolences.
Barbara Evans-Butler
He lived such a full and purposeful life and will be remembered and missed.
Geoffrey Beere
My involvement with David Bradley as a friend from 1980 – 2026 was memorable, my last message from David was on the 10/04/26 and as usual it was a completed wordle Puzzle, we would speak around once a week on the phone. David joined me in Sarawak, I worked with him for a year in East Indonesia, and he joined us in Bursa Turkey for fun. I will always remember that when we were tracking for VRD at daylight in the Cessna, he would fall asleep, his excuse was that he would always wakeup if he got to close to the ground.
THESE ARE SOME COMMENTS LEFT BY THE RFTTE.com community:
Lara Jensen
So sorry to hear. Thoughts with David's family and friends.
Peter Brophy
Sad news. RIP Mr Bradley.
Patrick Barry
A really nice bloke and a real good vet. Had the pleasure of working alongside him TB testing in the NT VRD and East Kimberley districts. Sincere condolences to family.
Donna Schubert
Our condolences to all his family.
Sandy McAntee
Condolences to family and friends.
David Darby
Condolences to families and friends.
Neil L Dickinson-Jones
Had a long association with David through the BTEC days, very sad news. Sincere condolences to David's extended family. RIP David.
Grant Wellington
Sad news. He was a great bloke and will be sadly missed.
Pat Slingsby
Sad news, condolences to all his family. Many fond memories of David. RIP.
Celia Hogan
Condolences to the Bradley family.
Karen Breitkreutz
Condolences to all the family, sad to read.
Justin Warren
Owned and flew one of his aircraft, DBI, which apparently stood for David Bradley Investments.
Simon Harden
RIP. Tested cattle in the 70s on Avon Downs, he started FIFO.
Fred Dayes
Condolences to Susan and family. Spent many hours beside the crush with David.
Andy Dobson
Condolences to all the family, a great vet.
Ashley Dickson
Condolences to all David’s family.
Wayne Spence
I think I did one of the first mobs of cattle David Bradley TB tested at Yellow Water Hole on Kirkimbie in the 1970s.
Royelene Hill
Remembering David during the BTEC era and his fly-ins to Moolooloo in the Victoria River District. A good vet and true gentleman.
Miles Nye-Chart
Sad news, condolences to family. A great man and vet who will be missed.
Peter Flamsteed
Condolences to the family.
Kymbo Kimberley
A much loved member of the Kununurra community. Rest in peace dear David, a friend to creatures both great and small.
Terri Fogarty
Condolences to the Bradley family. David was a well known local when I lived in Kununurra.
Robert Hale
RIP Dave Bradley. Knew him from the 70s when he used to come TB testing and blood testing. Sad loss and condolences to the family.
Brendan Proudman
Sad news. I knew David in Kununurra when he had Kona Park and operated the vet clinic from there. Condolences to all the family.
Lynette Lincoln
Condolences, so sad.
Annette Sullivan
Condolences to the family.
Grigo Ferguson
Very sorry to hear about David. My condolences to you Susan and the family.
Allan Craig
My dog got a broken hip in the yard and David took it back on his plane, operated on it, pinned it, and brought the dog back as good as new. Didn’t charge one cent.
Peter Letchford
The original Flying Vet. Paved the way for many of us. Thanks mate.
Peter McMahon
Sorry for your loss. David Bradley was a top bloke. RIP.
Christine Daysh
Condolences to Susan and family. He was a good man and will be greatly missed.
Eric Molyneux
Knew David on Brunette Downs and later in Kununurra. Bloody really good people. Sad to hear he has gone.
Vicki Priest
Condolences Susan, Nick, Rich and family on the passing of David.
Michael Azzo
Memorable days in 1987 BTEC working for him as one of the vets.
Isobel Lewis-Anderson
Met David and Susan in Kununurra one year and went water skiing on the Ord River. Condolences to families and friends.
Bruce Tye
Condolences to Susan and the boys. Many memories of the BTEC days.
Lizzy Bishop
R.I.P David.
Campbell Copeland
Shocked and saddened to learn of David's passing. In the late 70s he alone TB tested over 100,000 head of cattle. Nothing but good memories of Braddo.
Meldie Wreford
Thoughts and memories Susan, Richard and Nicholas. David very special. RIP.
Sonya Teece
R.I.P David. Have a lot of memories from BTEC days.
Brad Taylor
Have fond memories of David. Gave him a hornbill cuckoo out of a windmill on Wave Hill which he kept at Carlton Hill.
Squatter Coffey
I was at the concert at Carlton Hill.
Tracey Woodhouse
Condolences to the family.
Sue Templeton
Condolences to Susan and family. David was a great influence in the north during the BTEC days. RIP David.
Beth Hollingsworth
Sincere condolences Susan to you and the family. RIP David.
Lee Fitzpatrick
Lots of Flying Vets back in those days!
Tracey Vinnicombe
Condolences to David Bradley's family and friends.
Isabel Stewart
My first experience of the Australian outback was working at Carlton Hill in the 80s. Many good friends and awesome memories. Sad to hear of his passing.
Long before live export became a mainstream pillar of Northern Australia’s cattle industry, Dr David Bradley B.VSc. was already thinking bigger than most.
Recently uncovered pages from an old proposal titled The Carlton Project reveal just how ambitious and forward-thinking Bradley was during the Carlton Hill era near Kununurra, Western Australia. These documents outline a plan not only to grow cattle exports into Indonesia, but to create a sustainable model that would benefit pastoralists, Indigenous communities and international markets alike.
At the time, Bradley and his wife Susan owned and operated Carlton Hill and Ivanhoe Stations, running more than 36,000 Brahman-cross cattle across prime Kimberley country near the Ord River Irrigation Area.
Rather than relying solely on traditional export markets, Bradley recognised the future lay closer to home. Indonesia, particularly East Java, was rapidly growing and hungry for reliable protein supply. He moved early to build trade pathways, secure agreements and establish long-term relationships on the ground.
The proposal details Bradley negotiating a Memorandum of Understanding with officials in East Java to supply live cattle into cooperative village feeding systems. These were practical, grassroots cattle production models where local families would feed and grow imported cattle, creating income and food security.
It was a commercial model, but also a social one. Bradley believed all sides should benefit: exporter, importer, villager and producer.
Perhaps the most striking aspect of the proposal was Bradley’s desire to involve Aboriginal-owned cattle stations throughout the Kimberley and Northern Territory.
His plan was to identify paddocks with feed and water, source cattle during drought downturns, move them onto Aboriginal stations for weight gain, then finish them on Carlton’s irrigated leucaena country before export through Wyndham.
He also proposed stockwork schools, horsemanship training and station management support to help create pathways back into the cattle industry for young Indigenous people.
The Ord River irrigation country surrounding Carlton Hill was central to the model. Bradley had already planted leucaena, a high-protein tropical fodder crop that could rapidly finish cattle in a fraction of the time required on open rangeland.
The documents claim 1,800 cattle could be carried on 600 hectares of leucaena, country that would otherwise require vastly larger grazing areas.
That thinking mirrors today’s focus on supply-chain efficiency, finishing systems and value-adding before export.
Reading the proposal now, it is clear David Bradley saw trends years before others. He understood:
Asia would become the major growth market
Supply chains needed integration from paddock to customer
Northern cattle required finishing systems
Indigenous participation mattered
Relationships on the ground were critical
Many knew David Bradley as the original Flying Vet, the BTEC workhorse, pilot and station owner. But these pages also show another side: strategist, innovator and builder.
The Carlton Project may have been written decades ago, but much of its thinking still feels modern today.
Some people work in an industry. Others help shape where it goes.
David Bradley clearly did both.
Dear friends,
Since Dad's passing, our family has been overwhelmed by the kindness, messages and memories shared by so many people. Your tributes have reminded us just how many lives he touched as a pilot, veterinarian, businessman and friend, and how deeply he was respected for his humility, generosity and willingness to help others.
We have decided not to hold a formal memorial service, knowing Dad would have preferred a quiet farewell. Instead, we hope the memories shared and reflected upon in recent weeks serve as a fitting tribute to a life well lived. In time, we will scatter his ashes on the Ord River and Sydney Harbour, two places he loved dearly.
Thank you for your love, support and friendship. We have included below the eulogy delivered at Dad's cremation and hope it brings back fond memories.
With gratitude,
Nick & Richard Bradley
Now, I should warn you — when I sat down to write this eulogy, I quickly realised that David's life contained enough material for not one book, but an entire series. We're talking at least seven volumes. Possibly a box set. There'd be the flying years, the cattle stations, the world circumnavigation, the Egyptian visa incident — which I will get to — and that's before we even reach the chapter where he spent a decade failing to learn the piano. So in the interest of getting you all out of here before dark, I've had to be ruthless. Consider this the highlight reel.
We are here today to celebrate the life of a man who was, by any measure, extraordinary. A man who flew across the vast distances of northern Australia, sailed around the world, pioneered an industry, raised a family — and who was beloved from the cattle yards of the Kimberley to the quiet lanes of a small English village.
I asked both Richard and Nick: if he were up the back of the room right now, what would he whisper in your ear? Richard said he'd say — "How long till we get out of here?" And Nick reckoned it would be: "Don't make all this fuss about me."
Well, David. We won't keep you long. But we are making the fuss. You've earned it.
My name is Andy Burns, and I'm a friend of Nick's. I've spent the past week immersed in the stories of people who knew David — and one word keeps appearing. In letters, in tributes, in conversations. People reach for it and can't seem to help themselves.
Amazing.
Amazing man. Amazing life. Amazing work ethic. Amazing father. When you sit down to describe David Bradley, that's the word the English language keeps offering up. And it fits. Every time.
David Stanley Bradley was born on the 1st of February, 1946, in Sydney. He grew up near the water, and the ocean never really left him. As a boy he loved surfing and sailing, and it became clear early that he had an exceptional mind. He won a scholarship to North Sydney Boys High School, and from there a scholarship to study Veterinary Science at Sydney University. He'd originally planned to study medicine — the Vet school made him an offer and he switched. Opportunistic, perhaps. But one of the great strokes of fortune in the history of Australian veterinary medicine.
Richard described his father's life in terms of chapters. The first: Sydney, the scholarship, the ocean — the foundation. In the second chapter — the years of his working prime — he was ambitious, determined, charming. A big-picture player, full of energy and forward motion. In the third, the quieter years, he became something else: measured, contemplative. An observer. A reader. A man who had done extraordinary things and knew it, without needing anyone else to say so.
If Richard had to name three qualities that never left his father across all those chapters, he'd choose these: Sensitive. Solitary. Gentle. Nicks - Determined, Charming, Pragmatic
To understand what David built in the north, you have to understand the scale of the country. I'm sure you all know it well. I don't — I'm from Prahran. The Kimberley. The Northern Territory. Western Queensland. Country so vast and remote that the only sensible way to cover it was from the air. And so David flew.
He ran the biggest veterinary practice in the world. Over his career he logged more than 15,000 hours — the same as a commercial airline pilot — except those guys were’nt doing emergency stomach operations on someone's cat laid out on an ironing board in their kitchen. Most of it was in the service of Brucellosis and Tuberculosis Eradication, one of the most significant public health and agricultural programs in this country's history.
To get to work, David would often fly the equivalent of London to Rome. At 100 knots, over empty red country. Who would do that? David Bradley would do that. He found flying deeply relaxing — especially at 10,000 feet, where the weather was smooth and the temperature was cool. A bit like him, actually. Smooth and cool.
A professor once told David that being armpit-deep in the rear end of a cow is the most pleasant place to be on a cold winter's morning. There's just one problem with that theory. They don't get cold winter mornings in the far north of Australia.
David spent around 95% of this part of his working life at the rear end of a cow. Ten-hour days in the yards, in the heat. But he never let it look hard — particularly not in front of the young ringers working alongside him. He didn't want them to feel afraid. So he made it look effortless. That quiet dignity, that consideration for others — that was David.
Perhaps the truest measure of a man is not what he achieved, but what he left behind in other people. He’s obviously had an amazing influence on his boys.
Simon Cheatham was twelve years old when he watched a documentary about a Flying Vet working the remote north of Australia. He was so inspired that the moment he finished school, he headed north — and eventually found himself working for David at Carlton Hill Station. One documentary. One life changed.
Lachie McKinnon, one of Nick's school friends, wrote this week recalling the day David flew him out to Wyndham Port in the chopper to watch a cattle boat loading for Indonesia. "I think," he wrote, "that was what got me into live export." A single afternoon. A career shaped.
Geoffrey — who David affectionately called Humphrey- as in - B. Bear when he questioned him — worked alongside David through 90,000 TB tests across the north. At the end of a long day at a yard called Black Gin, a cow broke a femur. Geof frey reached for the rifle. David stopped him. The animal showed no signs of pain, good feed and water — give her the chance. She recovered. "I have kept that wisdom with me for my working life," Geoffrey told me. "It helped me in many animal and human welfare decisions." One quiet moment of judgment. A lifetime of better decisions.
And then there was his sailing companion Brad Buffum, who for thirty years has taught his university students what he calls David Bradley's Perseverance Theory — born from David's simple response whenever something went wrong on the yacht: "Just keep trying. Keep working on it." One phrase. Thirty years of students.
He wasn't trying to inspire anyone. He was just being David. And that, perhaps, is the point.
While David was in the air, Susan was on the ground — manning the CB radio, running the caravan park, and raising the two boisterous boys in Kununurra. Nick and Richard grew up on the river, exploring and playing in places rarely visited by anyone else — some of the most magnificent country in the world. Dad was away a lot.— that was the price of an extraordinary life — But when he came home, the playground he chased them around in was unlike anything most children could dream of. They were lucky, they all were and they knew it.
In time, David and Susan became station owners themselves, running Carlton Hill and Ivanhoe. I spoke with Susan last week — she kept returning to the same words. What an amazing man. A wonderful human. A visionary.
From Carlton Hill, David pioneered the live-export trade between northern Australia and Indonesia, setting up Carlton Beef and building an industry that today exports… a lot of cattle. He also logged more than 5,000 hours in R22 helicopters, mustering his own herd. He did all of this before he was fifty.
When the stars aligned — when fortune fell his way — David was fond of saying: "It's Divine Intervention." Not a religious declaration, exactly. Something quieter. A sense of being blessed.
In a part of the world where aviation crashes decorated the landscape, David's fortune always held. Engine failures at 10,000 feet. The odd dozy moment behind the controls. Glide descents at night behind road train lights. A tail rotor in a tree. Flooded rivers. Wild bulls. The list is long, and always, they won out. And even at the very end, Richard notes, the Divine Intervention held — David timed his exit with characteristic precision, right before the loss of dignity. It can only be divine.
Beyond the cattle yards and the cockpit, David sailed around the world. In July ‘94, he and Susan walked down a dock in Darwin, spotted a yacht named Jupiter registered in Sun Valley, Idaho — coincidentally the home of friends of theirs — and struck up a conversation. A chance meeting that enriched lives and created ong lasting friendships. David came aboard as captain and sailed with them all the way to Antigua. Bradley Buffum who was on that boat describes the journey as ‘Long days of boredom punctuated by moments of terror’
And then there's the Egyptian visas — too good not to share. The party included Bradley David Buffum, their captain David Stanley Bradley, and crew member David Stanley Nutt. Both Davids had married women named Susan. The Egyptian consulate was not convinced they were three separate human beings. They all had to troop in and hold their passports up next to their faces to prove it.
David never smoked, barely drank, loved swimming, and stayed fit his whole life. He had terrific style and swagger — combine that with planes, cattle stations, and a Mooney aircraft, and you had a fairly formidable human being. Also blessed with the world's most beautiful handwriting. He loved Kipling and Shakespeare — There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, when taken at the flood, leads on to fortune — Julius Caesar - words he put on the walls of the boys' rooms.
He spent a decade attempting to teach himself piano and got, Nick admits, absolutely nowhere. The grandchildren could play better tunes after three minutes of practice. Nick still finds this extremely funny. I think David would too.
After all the dust and the open seas he resided in the UK working as a Vet in Selsey. He pootled around the English countryside in his Z4 with the roof down, visiting cathedrals. A friend in Selsey recalls him stopping to say hello to every dog he came across, knowing each one by name. The man who had once tested 2,000 Brahman cattle in a day now knew every dog in the village. That feels like David I’ve been learning about..
To his sons, Nick says simply, he was a legend. In later years he became something else — a sweet old fella, good-natured, great company. As a grandfather, the smaller the grandchildren were, the better he was with them. Maybe that was because the younger a child, the more like an animal they are and it may be that he preferred animals to people.
Richard describes something poignant: the older David — the quiet, contemplative man — was in awe of what the younger David had done. The dichotomy between his chapters was not lost to him. He knew the life he had led.
[ ANDY INTRODUCES RICHARD ]
"Before I close, I'd like to invite Richard to come forward and read a poem that meant something to his father."
[ RICHARD READS POEM — return to Andy for closing ]
David was eighty years old when he passed away, in April of this year. He leaves behind Nick and his wife Sarah, and their children Henrietta, Mimi, Isabel and Oscar. He leaves behind Richard and Kate, and their children Banjo, Willa and Max. He leaves behind his sister Judy Crawford, who cherished him always. And he leaves behind Susan — who last week said it simply: he was an amazing man.
Amazing. There's that word again. The one none of us can seem to avoid. And perhaps that's exactly as it should be.
Nick signed his announcement of his father's passing: Vale (Vah-lay), Dad. Fair winds and following seas.
For a man who flew across the top of Australia, who sailed around the world, who never stopped moving, never stopped trying, never stopped learning — may the winds be fair. May the seas be following.
— Andy Burns
