COLLISIONS IN TIME - 2024/06/20

DAVE RASTOVICH

It’s rare you meet people in this life that you can instantly just tell that they are as comfortable within themselves and true to their core as they will ever be. Dave is one of these humans and watching his evolution has been nothing short of inspiring.

Dave and I have known each other for many years, although up until a few years ago, it was purely at a surface level. Dave was a professional surfer and although we travelled and worked within a similar circle, he represented a company that I didn’t do a lot of work for, so we would run into each other here and there and that was about it.

That all changed when a good friend to both of us put us together to shoot a film for his now new partner, Patagonia. Initially all three of us had no idea what we were making, we just knew that there were certain issues that we needed to address, and we set about doing that.

The collaborative process with Dave was easy, and we spent our initial trip to Tasmania shooting and discussing how we wanted to approach the process. This journey put us together in a way that allowed us to discuss some big issues and gave us insights into how each other saw them and approached life in general. Since then, we have had many journeys shooting and spending time away from home and I feel like we have learnt a lot about each other and become pretty good mates in the process.

This past few days I have had the pleasure of spending some time with Dave and his family in his home town on an amazing swell run that saw the east coast of NSW light up for days on end. I was a little late to the party and missed the first couple of days of the swell due to other commitments, although the day we did spend on the coast together was a special one. The conditions were sublime and the sand formations in Dave’s local area made for some seriously spectacular moments in the ocean.

I arrive at Dave’s property after a few errands to find him with their dog Luna who has had a bit of an incident that a friend, Whispy, has bought the poor girl in from. She’s shaken but as friendly as can be and all she wants from me is a bit of attention. She’s a rescue from what I can tell and is learning to adjust to the serene energy of her surrounds. Quite the departure from her previous situation. Dave is concerned for her and is patiently working to help the adjustment. I am certain with time Lunar will come to fit in with the way of life and love the life she finds herself in.

We all chat about the waves that have been pumping along the coast for the last few days and we look at some images from the day. Whispy has an image that I was able to capture that he likes and we talk about where it could end up. Lunar is feverishly wanting attention and we discuss her behaviour before Whispy leaves with a plan for us to all surf the next day, hoping that the swell gives us one more morning of joy.

Dave has built an amazing life for himself and his family, and has also allowed others into that journey, building a small community on his property, with close friends living in dwellings that are secluded and well thought out and it feels like an amazingly connected and thoughtful base of like-minded souls.

We spend some time chatting about his projects, in particular the boat he and a good friend are building, and we tour the property with the family. Dave’s presence is a calming influence on those around him and as we journey around the property I take in how simple and fulfilling his life has become.

From his gardens to the chicken’s (or the ladies as his partner Lauren calls them), to the projects that all have his hands involved, the thoughtfulness in food procurement and the simplicity with which all of this is seems to take place, it seems idyllic from the outside looking in.

In a world where simplicity and humility are at an all-time low in western culture, it is a pleasure to be around. The energy of the surroundings feel good for the soul. To see friends living their lives in such an amazing and connected way is inspiring in the deepest of ways, and having spent time with Dave over the last few years and witnessing his connection to the natural world, his intuitive intelligence and his humility and compassion for others around him, this little insight into his world at home has only solidified my perception of him as a human.

Inspiring is an understatement.