Turning 70 came as something of a surprise to Wombarra resident, David Roach. “It’s not the age itself, it’s the fact that I am still getting the same kick out of doing the things that I used to do as a teenager; jumping on my bike to go and check the surf, wandering about in the bush, getting lost in a novel. My 16-year-old self could never have imagined that this was what life would be like at 70. As a teenager, 40-year-olds felt ancient. Anything after that was just a void.”
David and his wife, journalist and author Caroline Baum, moved from Sydney to Wombarra 23 years ago. “It’s the wild landscape of Wodi Wodi Country that you fall in love with first, the escarpment and the coastline. It’s extraordinary and magnificent. That’s the reason you move here. But getting to know this community, that’s the reason you stay.”
David grew up a bit further down the coast in Moruya, Yuin Country. It was a fantastic childhood, he says. “Not much money, and a huge amount of freedom.” His father was a house painter. “By the time he retired, my dad reckoned he’d painted every house in the town three times. When I finished school, I had no idea what I wanted to be. Not a clue. Dad suggested that I become a butcher. His logic was, ‘Everyone has to eat.’”
Instead, David spent some time travelling before enrolling in the National Art School. “It was the best education anyone could have,” he says. Eventually he became a screenwriter and director. Best known for such films as Beneath Hill 60, Young Einstein and Red Obsession, he figures he has spent almost 50 years living the creative life. He admits that it’s not for everyone.
“It can be a roller-coaster ride. If you’re lucky you could have some successes and get a few awards. But for every project that breaks through, there are others that disappear without trace. There are periods of isolation and self-doubt, times when you wonder whether you should have chosen something more secure.”
A few years ago, David volunteered at the nearby Clifton School of Arts, became a member and eventually joined the committee. “I thought I could just help out. I guess I did it out of some kind of civic duty. I’d never been part of community organisation, never even been on a committee, I thought it would be like a necessary chore. I had no idea that it would become such a rich and meaningful experience.
"You realise that you are part of this chain of committees that stretches back over a century. You job is to not only maintain the beautiful heritage building, keep the doors open and the lights on but to actively support artists, run workshops and exhibitions, to bring fresh new ideas and experiences to our little part of the world.”
He is now president and speaks warmly and proudly about the local arts community and current projects at the Clifton School of Arts. “We live in a creative community with so many great artists, writers, musicians and filmmakers. Combine that with our tradies, teachers, carers, supportive businesses and our other community organisations like the South Coast Writers Centre, we’re pretty well served.”
David and his committee are currently working on one of the most ambitious projects CSA has undertaken since the building was saved from demolition in the 1990s. They have plans to build a multi-purpose gallery at the rear of the heritage building. The extra space is desperately needed to allow for flexibility of programming and will incorporate disabled access and facilities.
“The original building was built by local miners over 100 years ago. A dance hall was always planned as a second stage but it never eventuated. This beautiful extension will complete the work that those miners started.”
He says the committee is spending a lot of time applying for grants and raising funds. “With the support that we receive and the generosity of our members and volunteers, I’ve no doubt that we will achieve our goal.”
Recently CSA won the 2025 City of Wollongong Arts and Cultural Achievement Award. David says it was a real honour for the whole team. “This sort of official recognition really helps.”
When he reflects on what is going on in the world he says, “There is no doubt that we are living through dark times. With what is happening politically, with wars, inequity and the massive challenges of climate change and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. I do feel we can make change at the community level, but it takes a common vision, it takes time, effort and certainly camaraderie.”
He says he will continue making films and working on other projects, (like Life Sentences, a podcast about contemporary biography that he produces with Caroline) but he has taken the pressure off himself. “The local community work more than sustains me.”
David is an important and integral part of our community, an international talent with a wide range of interests. But by bringing people together and offering support to so many others in our local community he gives of himself and creates enormous opportunities for others to grow. It is a winning formula he and others have created.
Contact Clifton School of Arts for further info, activities and art shows.
Janice Creenaune is a volunteer for Polycystic Kidney Disease Foundation Australia. Email janicecreenaune@gmail.com