David Fidler

David Fidler was born in Manchester, England on December 23,1950,
the younger son of Len Fidler and Marjorie Fidler (nee Lowe).
He is survived by his wife Robin Tanya Dennis Fidler, brother John,
sons Geoffrey and Daniel.
David’s father served in the Royal Navy during World War 2 and was
expected to settle down after being discharged. His mother, as the
eldest child in a large family, was expected to care for her younger
siblings.
But as a couple they had other ideas, and the top of the list was
emigrating to - against Marjorie’s parents’ wishes. Australia
beckoned but the the post-war housing shortage meant migrant
opportunities involved living with generous-spirited Aussies.
In the case of David’s family, the offer of accommodation came from a
small outback town called Roma, a hot and isolated place not
recommended ever by the official from Australia house.
But Len and Marjorie said “yes, please” so the family departed
England forever when David was four.
Suddenly in mid-1955 they found themselves billeted in Roma and at
the start of a life of adventure. The two boys regularly roamed the
bush around town, armed with a toy popgun and a faithful dog for
company while the parents set about building a new life.
It wasn’t long before the remote minerals town of Mount Isa
beckoned. Their father secured a construction job on a huge new
dam project and the boys continued to relish life in the bush while

living in a tent. Sadly for the construction company, the monsoon
rains arrived early and washed away the part-complete dam wall,
leaving the family stranded on the wrong side of the Leichhardt River.

It was close to Christmas time and as food ran low while the flooding
continued, the boys’ diets grew to include their mother’s freshly baked
Christmas cake. Best adventure ever!
The family relocated virtually yearly as Len chased a bewildering
succession of occupations. David and brother John attended a dozen
schools across the length and breadth of Australia, finding some sort
of adventure everywhere.
In adulthood, David’s occupations included a successful restaurant
business, a hot dog stand, a satellite cable installation company, a
media production company and journalism. As he settled in to
journalism, he took to news-reading like a duck to water and as
newsreader on both television and radio he became one of the best-
known personalities in the city of Darwin.
If you go to YouTube and search (David Fidler Darwin) you will find
clips of him presenting the news on channel 8.
During the course of his career, he interviewed kings and celebrities
like Tina Turner and traveled all over the world. He even interviewed
the Pope.
David loved sailing and swimming and was exceptional at both.
He once spent 35 hours alone on the helm of his 55 foot yacht
through a typhoon in the Sea of Japan, having ignored a warning from
a passing freighter captain to turn back. On arrival in a high-end
Japanese Yacht Club harbour, he was greatly celebrated for having
survived the storm.

His interests were many and varied. He undertook extensive charity
work in Australia. He was an avid skydiver for quite a while.
He loved the remote city of Darwin and developed considerable skills
as a didgeridoo player, even teaching aboriginal people to play the
notoriously difficult instrument.

He was made an honorary Aboriginal tribe member and was given a
traditional name.
David retired and bought a remote guest house in Thailand, using it
as a base for extensive touring and exploring on his motorcycle.
He helped the monks and local police in his community.
He moderated a cruising sailor’s website from Thailand,
www.cruiserlog.com, using the handle “Auzzee”.
It was through this portal that David met his wife, Tanya.
Tanya is a recording artist and sailor.
Their correspondence let to a meeting in October of 2014 in Atlanta
and from that day they were never apart. They were married in 2017
and though they resided in Nashville, Tennessee, they continued to
sail and travel widely.
David recorded an audio book in 2018 titled “Shipwrecked Souls”,
which is on Amazon
Sadly, David passed on October 6, 2023 after a long and courageous
battle with brain cancer.

He will never be replicated.
Fair Winds, my love.