He'll do a set on Yom Ha'atzmaut if we can raise enough money for Ukrainian refugees

Today David Southwick is a senior politician, the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party and a Member of Parliament for over ten years.

But back in the Eighties, Nineties and Noughties, he was the go-to-guy to spin discs at your simcha. For a banging bar or bat mitzvah, there was only one man for the job … DJ Dave.

When he wasn’t playing YMCA or Hava Nagila at your aunty’s engagement, he was manning the wheels of steel at Chasers nightclub, playing pop anthems that packed the dancefloor.

But thirty years on from his heyday, while Chasers may still be there, DJ Dave has long since stopped scratching and hung up his headphones. Or has he?

With Israel’s 75th anniversary upon us, David Southwick is bringing DJ Dave out of retirement … for one night only. 

In the biggest comeback since Abba reunited, the Caulfield legend says he’ll swap the Liberal Party for the Yom Ha’atzmaut Party.

Forget  Parliamentary motions. Dave will be doing the Locomotion, alongside other classics from his simcha setlist at Zionism Victoria’s community concert on April 26th … But only if the price is right.

The pop-peddling pollie says he’ll take to the stage on one condition – that the community raises at least $10,000 for UIA’s critical work supporting Ukrainian and Russian refugees fleeing to Israel.

So if we’re going to take a trip down memory lane, allowing DJ Dave to relive his glory years and the rest of us to relive our simchas, we need everyone to chip in. 

To make a donation to support UIA’s aid for refugees and to Bring Back DJ Dave  – your chance to see the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party back at the turntable where he belongs – click on the button below.

Share your memories of DJ Dave

Was Dave the DJ at your bar or bat mitzvah? Did he get your guests grooving at your 18th or 21st? Did he play the first dance at your wedding? 

If so, we’d love to here from you, and so would he.

The DJ Dave era may not be an entire chapter in the history of the Melbourne Jewish community, but it’s certainly a fabulous footnote and deserves to be chronicled.

So send in any photos, videos or even merely memories of those crazy congas, marvellous macarenas or lively line-dances he got going, and we can all relive the magic of those sensational simchas.