Old Boy Profile

David Knoff (SKC '02)

Growing up the second of three children in the suburb of Glen Waverley, David and his older brother, Michael Knoff (SKC '99), attended St Kevin’s from Glendalough through to VCE. David’s academic pursuits were varied and, as only one of two students in his year to study the combination of Physics, Maths and Materials & Design (woodwork), David kept his options open for life after school.

After VCE, David studied a Bachelor of Arts (Politics) at Monash University, it was during this time he joined the Australian Army Reserve. After graduating from Royal Military College in 2005, David served within the 5th/6th Battalion Royal Victorian Regiment before commencing full-time service, leading a platoon of soldiers to the Solomon Islands in 2007. This was part of the Regional Assistance Mission Solomon Islands (RAMSI) to restore law and order to the pacific nation. Returning from overseas service, David returned to Monash to complete his degree and commence work with the DFAT in Canberra.

David spent two years in Canberra learning the ropes of Australian diplomacy before he was posted to the Australian High Commission in Islamabad from 2011-2016. Here he worked as part of the Australian government’s effort to counter violent extremism and terrorism within Pakistan and support the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. For his final year in Pakistan, David shared an office with his old classmate from Kenny 1, Lachlan McLeod (SKC '02). Proof again that you never know how close you are to a fellow Kevinian. At the conclusion of his posting to Pakistan, David and eight other brave adventurous souls undertook an expedition to the Antarctic Peninsular to live the dream of visiting the most remote place on earth and complete a number of ski/ mountaineering trips on the icy continent. At the time, David was one of the first people to snowboard down a range of peaks on the Antarctic Peninsular using split-boards (a hybrid snowboard that can be separated into cross country skis for ascent).

After experiencing the Antarctic Peninsula, David moved to Istanbul for 12 months, where he worked as a freelance photographer. During this time, David focussed on his skydiving skills at various locations from Serbia to Spain and began embracing an ethos that “the best way to see the world is from the air”. David has completed over 500 skydives across the globe and won a silver medal for formation skydiving in Dubai in 2015.

Returning to Diplomatic work in 2017, David joined a combined team of Australian Defence Force and government officials as part of Operation Inherent Resolve in northern Iraq to counter the growing spread of ISIS. During this time, David and his team helped coordinate and advise Iraqi military and civilian agencies while managing the Australian government’s strategic interests in the region.

Following his time in Iraq, David aimed at returning to Antarctica. Through a long recruitment process that included a flight on a RAAF C-17 to the Wilkin’s Aerodrome near Casey Station in Antarctica, David was selected in 2019 to become the Station Leader at Davis Station Antarctica for the 2019-20 season. The expedition left Australia on 25 October 2019 for Antarctica where David and his team are enjoying a COVID-free lifestyle with an anticipated return in early 2021, after which they will have completed over 500 days away from Australia. David and his team participate in ongoing climate research and wildlife monitoring and, with the rest of the world forced into isolation, they have been lending a hand through a range of video clips, articles and online presentations, offering their expert advice on living in isolation.

David was awarded the Australian Service Medal (Solomon Islands II), Australian Operational Service Medal (Greater Middle Eastern Operations) and the Australian Defence Medal.

David has always taken time to travel in between work assignments and says that although time spent away from family and friends is seldom easy, the perspective and rewards of a lifetime spent experiencing the best and worst the world offers helps you appreciate the relationships you have and ensure you never lose sight of where you came from. He uses the skills he learned at St Kevin's: service, care, understanding, leadership and reliability in all the challenging roles he has embarked on. He has been to the hottest conflict zones and the quietest, most serene and many between.

David hopes to return to Melbourne in 2021 to finish renovating his house and plan for his next adventure... whatever that may be.