Don grew up on a small farm near Natimuk in country Victoria and was blessed to be raised in a Christian family. Though he understood the gospel from an early age, it was at a church camp in Robe, South Australia, that he fully surrendered his life to Christ. After completing secondary school in Horsham, he trained as a teacher in Ballarat and enjoyed a forty‑year career in primary education before retiring in 2017.

Don and his wife, Vilma, began attending GraceWest in 2014 and have remained an active part of the church family. He now serves as a Deacon overseeing Church Site Maintenance. They have four children, two sons‑in‑law, two daughters‑in‑law, and four grandchildren. Don desires to see GraceWest remain a place of refuge where believers worship, encourage one another, and glorify God together.