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David Caffery

NewActon Events Manager & Cultural Coordinator (aka the resident party planner)

Interview Itinerary

Question: Which three people would you invite to dinner (if you could choose anyone in the whole entire world)?

David Caffery: Jean Francois Lyotard, Dr Zeuss and Suzi McKinnon.

Q: What’s your go-to party dress up character?

DC: I once went to a party dressed as the lizard from Priscilla Queen of the Desert – it was a pretty fabulous lizard with a lot of glitter. I’ve never gone far from that.

Q: Favourite album?

DC: I’m struggling to go past The Beatles’ collection. That’s one album because the whole collection is on repeat in our office. But (UK geneticist-turned-electronica producer) Max Cooper is currently writing an album called Emergence – we hosted a live preview of this recently and it blew away the audience with a mix of tears and celebratory dancing. So I think that’ll be my album of all-time.

Q: Best prank and on whom?

DC: That’s a big question. I live for pranks. Best Prank of All Time credential goes to my old flatmate, Phil. While I was overseas he put one full tonne of crushed-up newspaper in my room. It took two parties of eighty people to scrunch it all up. When I got home, the place was eerily quiet and my flatmates had smug faces. I ran into my room, saw nothing but a sea of paper at waist height – not a desk, not a bed, just paper – and then fifteen people jumped OUT of the newspaper to start a party. There were another five people completely hidden in my ensuite, where the newspaper touched the roof. When I rolled out of my bed, I went up. We called it ‘Funland’ because you could backflip without concern. Phil left for overseas the next week and it took me three months of borrowing neighbours’ recycling bins to rediscover the carpet. Two years later, Phil moved back in and I turned his room into a skifield: 2000 litres of beanbag balls stuck to every vertical and horizontal surface, fans causing blizzards and skis on his bed. It escalated again, but later he got grumpy at a confetti cannon and strobe light in his tent at a festival, so he tapped out. Big softy.

Q: What’s your best feature?

DC: My trail of glitter.

Q: Led Zeppelin or Rolling Stones?

DC: Beatles.

Q: Favourite philosopher and why?

DC: Nietzsche, because he did away with pointless thinking and grounded existence in a now that we create. I have a 15,000 word thesis on this if you’d like elaboration... :)

Q: Fantasy job?

DC: Designing and producing artistic events for the best precinct in the world.

Q: What’s your signature dance move?

DC: Both hands in the air, jumping like I’m doing butterfly (you know, the swimming stroke). Blue Lightning’s always trembling in my blue suede shoes.

Q: Best ever lolly?

DC: Chocolate is better – that’s a fact – although red frogs leapt into a close second place recently.

What are a few of your favourite destinations/things to do in NewActon?

01

Nishi Gallery

Nishi Gallery is one of the best buildings in Canberra. I crave its understated sublimity. I have sat in countless exhibitions and watched the building’s shape emphasise hundreds of artworks.

02

Dionysus

The other NewActon weapon is my office because it has a bloody bar. It’s a good stress reliever when we’re in peak-event periods but pretty dangerous. My other craving is a really short glass with ice, lime, tonic and mostly tequila.

Left of Centre Right by the Lake

NewActon. One word, one fine place to live, work and just be. We took the rulebook, looked up classic principles of excellence in architecture and urban design, ripped out the pages that prescribe same-same and characterless, and added a chapter entitled, “How to create a truly innovative cultural precinct that shifts the status quo, and be awarded multiple times for doing so.” And then we scribbled our name on the title page in crayon. Cnr Marcus Clarke St & Edinburgh Ave Canberra ACT 2601       Privacy Policy

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How to be a Model Citizen
DO: Enjoy our live music events
DONT: Ask us to turn it down
DO: Revel in the lush greenery of our gardens
DONT: Step on the plants (that one’s pretty obvious)
DO: Considerately dispose of your cigarette butts and rubbish
DONT: Be gross and litter
DO: Have a conscience and return mistakenly removed items
DONT: Steal our plants
DO: Familiarise yourself with nearby hardware stores
DONT: Pilfer our hose reels
DO: Be environmentally responsible
DONT: Drive to NewActon if you can possibly ride, walk or carpool
DO: Remember to carry dog poop bags
DONT: Pretend you didn’t see her/him/it do it
DO: Be sharing and caring
DONT: Keep NewActon fun times to yourself
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Support the Arts:

Donate to support the arts. Our focus right now is Australian Dance Party…

Australian Dance Party is Canberra's newest dance and performance company led by choreographer and performer, Alison Plevey.

Like a political party, Australian Dance Party challenges ideals and debates current issues. They activate everyday spaces with the power and playfulness of the human body.

This not-for-profit arts organisation shows the value of the arts in wider places like politics, science, on the streets and at some great dance parties.

Help them put their best foot forward.

“Dance Dance, otherwise we are lost” - Pina Bausch

Other organisations and events we will be supporting this year include Canberra Symphony Orchestra, National Gallery of Australia and Art, Not Apart festival.

Thank you for your donation!

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