WHEN former Swan Hill mayor David Quayle first arrived in town in 1974, he was only planning to stay for two years.
But the English born migrant, who had arrived in Australia as a 15-year-old two decades earlier, left a greater mark on the region than he could have ever expected.
David left England with his family in 1954 as they saw advantages of starting life anew.
He was employed at the Box Hill Hospital in Melbourne as assistant engineer for 11 years, before relocating to Swan Hill for what was meant to be a two-year post as the hospital’s chief engineer.
During his time in Melbourne, David played 19 seasons of State League soccer for Box Hill and later became club president and a life member.
But while he wanted to continue with the game after moving to Swan Hill, there was no established soccer club in town.
“When I moved to Swan Hill, I started the club in 1975 because there was no soccer organisations here,” he said.
“It has now continued and I think there is something like around 500 members that play every Saturday.”
It was the start of decades of civic involvement.
David also had a background in theatre as a youth in England and when he first arrived in town, he was approached by the Swan Hill Musical Comedy Society to become a member of the choir for the production Show Boat.
Now a life member of the Swan Hill Theater Group, he helped get it running back in 1981, when it was divided into two separate groups under two different names.
“The two groups were involving the same people.. I couldn’t see why they couldn’t get together and form one group especially for financial reasons,” he said.
“I was asked to join the choir because they were short of men.
“It was one of my favorite pastimes the entertainment industry and being apart of a production I find exhilarating.
“It’s a release of other tensions, it a engenders a camaraderie from other members of the cast.”
For more on this story pick up a copy of Wednesday’s Guardian (August 10, 2016)
