“Constantly question yourself but don’t beat yourself up, make mistakes and forgive the mistakes.”
That’s the advice from one of Australia’s 2024 Fathers of the Year, singer and TV personality David Campbell.
He shared the award with his own father – rock legend Jimmy Barnes – who he credited with shaping his values with which to raise his three children.
The duo have talked openly about their evolving relationship. After becoming a father aged 17, Barnes left his son with his maternal grandmother as he prioritised his music career with Cold Chisel.
After Campbell grew up experiencing his dad as simply a family friend, they reconnected and built a unique father-son bond.
Campbell said embracing the mistakes one makes in parenthood was something he found important being a dad.
“That’s what my dad and I have tried to do with our vulnerability and talking about our stuff in public, just allowing people to be like, ‘hey, this is an imperfect art form and we’re all trying, there is no perfection’,” he told AAP.
“It’s hard to talk about how that has shaped you as a father but it’s good to actually interrogate it and go through it every once in a while. It validates the choices people making in real time.”
Barnes’ well-documented recent health battles have seen him in and out of hospital in the past year.
He had open-heart surgery in December, before a hip injury earlier in August put him back under the knife.
Campbell said his father’s ability to overcome those struggles with strength was another source of admiration.
“I went to him in hospital and he was still in a lot of pain and a lot of morphine but I went back a week later, the morphine was gone and he’s walking around,” he said.
“It’s unbelievable … it’s like I’ve been brought up by Wolverine.”
The awards are put on by charity The Fathering Project, who aim to transform childrens’ lives by educating, supporting and empowering dads.
Campbell said his Father’s Day would consist of a trip to Dad’s to drop off his award and have a quick cup of tea.
“That’s his Father’s Day present – I don’t know if I can top that one really,” he said.
