Born in England, David Crawford migrated to Australia at the age of seventeen. Early employment included five years on a sheep station. Later, he became a field assistant on the rice research station at Humpty Doo outside Darwin. While there, David restarted his school studies, battling with childhood dyslexia. In time, he gained a place in university and later added a Master of Science degree to his Bachelor of Science. In the meantime, he got married, started a family, and worked as a technical officer in agriculture research. Moving on, David gained a teacher's qualification and taught high school science. His first teaching position was in the town of Hay, not far from where he mustered sheep all those years earlier. David has retired from teaching, but now in his seventies, he still works in a high school.