Harnett David
| Type of person | Individual |
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David Harnett
1957 - 2015
DAVID Harnett, first and foremost, loved his wife Audrey and children Elle, Mo and Lucy. That, along with his love of adventure, gave him a rich and full life. David was born, in Adelaide, on November 17, 1957, to parents Gil and Mary. Brothers Tony, Paul and Andrew, as well as sister Liz, completed the family.
David began his primary school education at St Brigid’s Catholic School, in Gawler, and completed his schooling at Blackfriars College, Prospect. A passionate footballer, David played A grade for Gawler South, but the lure of surfing and travelling with his mates on the Yorke Peninsula was even greater. Along with footy and surfing, David also enjoyed a wide range of sports, including sky-diving, hang—gliding and karate.
While training to become a teacher, an opportunity came for him to do his final year studies on exchange in America. This experience told him he didn’t really want to be a teacher and awakened a desire to travel. And travel he did, albeit on a shoestring budget; often hitch- hiking, he travelled to such places as Afghanistan, the United States, India, Turkey and Asia. He travelled by himself most of the time, while sharing some legs with others.
At 25 he was working in Sydney as a bricky’s labourer, but was ready for a new chapter. With his parents’ support he returned to school to do year 12 and work towards entry in a pharmacy course at university. Once again, he got stuck into his studies until the third term of third year when he ‘got distracted’ — he met Audrey. That ‘distraction’ would last a lifetime and bring adventure, love and happiness. It was a shared love of travel and adventure that brought Audrey and David together.
David repeated third year and then an internship at Glenelg. It was in 1988, in Glenelg, that David and Audrey had their first child, Elle, and married.
The following year brought the next chapter in David’s life as he returned to Gawler to work in the pharmacy with his father, who, in partnership, ran “Harnett and George”
David put his heart into his work and was dedicated to providing a first-class service to all who came into the pharmacy. The family grew, with the addition of Mo in 1989 and Lucy in 1993. David loved his children and the challenges of raising his family as they grew with their schooling and sporting interests.
He retired at 50 to enjoy and explore more of life and travelled to Africa, diving with sharks and whales, and also loved Kangaroo Island, where he and Audrey built an eco-home and became part of the community. He also loved to dive and fish there.
In 2008, Elle married Ben in the garden of the family home and that same year David and Audrey’s first grandchild, Tori, was born. ]acob followed, in 2010, and Max in 2013.
Last year David and Audrey caravanned up the north coast of NSW and fell in love with it, buying a place there so they could share time between Gawler, Kangaroo Island and South Golden Beach.
David looked forward to reconnecting with his earlier love of surfing. Audrey and David were on the coast sharing the beautiful environment when his life was tragically taken. On March 18, David received a significant head injury while surfing, knocking him unconscious and resulting in his drowning. His body was recovered from the water by a local couple, who (along with several women and one man) immediately administered CPR for more than half an hour, but to no avail. Audrey arrived at the scene within minutes.
David will be remembered as a unique individual with a personality and character that endeared him to so many. He was always there for the family and each Saturday he would take his dad, Gil, to the Kingsford Hotel for a beer. He was a devoted ‘pop’ and a good friend, who was at peace with nature and loved a Cooper’s Sparkling Ale. He loved and was loved. At the memorial service more than $1500 was donated, which will go to the Glossy Black-Cockatoo Rescue Fund that will use the money to plant more than 1000 sheoak trees to honour David at Western River, on Kangaroo Island, fulfilling his wishes.
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