Meet David Faulkner and Luis Esteban, living their best lives together in Australia

Luka chats with David Faulkner & Luis Esteban, the handsome Australian bear couple that loves to travel and both have unique stories! Check it out below.

For this interview article, I invited David and Luis for the interview together rather than separately.

As they are a couple, similar to my other articles with couples, I kept the interview as one but separated it by titles.

Based on the order in which I received the responses, I have put David Faulker first and then Luis Esteban.

David Faulkner’s Biography:

David was born in the UK, but he immigrated to Australia at the age of 2. He grew up in the Sydney beachside suburb of Cronulla, and he had a fairly regular, happy childhood.

He came out relatively late, in his mid-30s. He always knew he was attracted to men, but growing up in a conservative family in a conservative suburb and having no positive role models, he didn’t think coming out as gay was an option. He figured that he would meet a woman, get married and make the most of it.

Things changed when he went to live in London for 4 years in the early 90’s. It was taking him outside his regular environment that gave him a new perspective on his life, and so he started taking baby steps into the LGBTQI+ world. By the time he got back to Sydney, he was ready to come out.

To his pleasant surprise, he was accepted and embraced by family and friends, so his coming out was not traumatic. His only regret was not doing it earlier.

He met his lovely husband, Luis, when he was 52, after a series of longish and short-term relationships. While they are very different in many ways, they shared a love of adventure and travel. They are also both from close families who actually enjoy spending time together.

Luis and him have been together 12 years and married 6 years. He has had a varied work life. Worked for a while as a photographer (mostly school and portrait), then in banking, then, for the last 20 years, before he retired in mid 2024, he was working as a financial manager for people with disabilities, he was working in a specialist unit with clients who were homeless, itinerant and/or had challenging behaviours. The job was at times very confronting and challenging but always incredibly rewarding. 

Luis Esteban’s Biography:

Luis come from a small village in Spain. He grew up quite care free in the village and by the age of 18, he left to go to University in Salamanca. In the mid-90s, he moved to the USA for work reasons, and there he met a beautiful woman, who later would be my wife.

By 1999, he was back in Spain, and by 2000, he moved to Australia, where he got married. Everything so far had been a completely normal heterosexual life, where he had never had any sexual interactions with men. He was mostly oblivious to the queer community, as he had met very few gay men.

He would say, as he was curious about what gay life was. When he lived in the USA, he was in Washington DC, in the area of Dupont Circle, which happens to be a big gay area. Even when the gay clubs and bars were nearby, Luis never ventured there.

However, things changed when, in 2013, he went to a nude beach in Sydney where he met a guy; that was it, everything changed for the better. That was his year of coming out, at 48 years of age. Then, there was a relatively easy and very civilised separation, and by the end of 2013, he was free to be himself (and also alone, as the beach boy also ran away when he told him he was separating from his wife). Cest la vie.

By mid 2014, he met David, and that was love at first sight. His new gay life had started, and they have been the best years of his life. As a couple, they have travelled the world multiple times, and they have met many wonderful people. In February 2020, they got married in the gardens of their complex, in a very simple but beautiful ceremony with family and friends.

They were very lucky with the timing of their wedding, as it was just before the lockdowns and nightmare of COVID (about 2 weeks after our wedding, the lockdowns started). Also, February 2020 was a significant time for him. One week after the wedding, David and Luis were marching in the Mardi Gras parade (his first time marching in the parade). Since then, they have tried marching every year with the Harbour City Bears, which is a wonderful, fun experience to march.

His first trip to Spain with David was in 2015. It was the first time he was visiting his family as a gay man with a boyfriend. David was a bit concerned about how he would be received by Luis’s very large family. From day one the concerns went away as he was welcome with open arms. It was clear to them that he have never been so happy as he was with David.

Among their trips, they spent six months living in Madrid in 2018. It was a great time to visit their family multiple times and travel around Europe, having Madrid as the base. It was a fabulous experience that they wish to repeat. They loved Madrid, and the gay life there, with its multiple bear bars and a bear night club, so whatever his taste is, there is a bear for you.

Since 2022, they have been involved with the Harbour City Bears, which has opened our circle of friends even more with all the great guys involved in the bear community in Sydney. One of their last adventures was to visit Palm Springs in October 2025, where we had the best time. They were very welcome by the Palm Spring bears and the gay community. One of their wishes is to return there for another long holiday as soon as practical (probably in approximately 3 years’ time).

Image: Nothing can separate this adventurous pair of handsome husbands, Luis (left) and David (right).

David Faulkner’s and Luis Esteban’s Response to Interview Questions:

Luka Musicki (L.M.): Welcome, David, my friendly, cuddly, old-aged friend, haha, you are a nice person, I appreciate your patience with me over the years.

So we have been friends for almost as long as I joined the Harbour City Bears, right? And I think it is the same with Luis, right? 

David Faulkner (D.F): Okay, for staters we can stop with the “old aged” business. I can’t remember the exact circumstances on how we met but I do remember seeing you as a new face at bear events. 

L.M.: I have never done an interview with two bears for an interview, but I wanted to get his insights as well, if this is okay? How did you two meet? Where did you two meet? When we were you two married?

And you spent a lot of time with each other, and it is so romantic. What do you think is the special about being together without any issues or conflicts (as far as I can see that you two are enjoying each other, right?) And it must be good that David can speak 5x types of English and Luis can speak a Spanish continent and Spain, haha, just kidding. 

D.F.: Luis and I met through a dating app called RSVP. I had been using hookup apps but was really on the lookout for a partner after being single a couple of years. I’d been on RSVP for a couple of years without any success and decided to have one more scroll through the profiles before giving it up.

I saw Luis’ profile, liked what I read and sent him a message. He replied that he was currently seeing someone. I then resigned myself to being single and I was okay with that. A couple of months later I got a message from Luis to say that things didn’t work out with the guy he was seeing and was I interested in meeting.

The next day I was flying to Broken Hill for a month for work so told him maybe when I get back to Sydney we could meet. We chatted every night I was away and met up for a drink the day after I got back. Drinks lead to dinner then dancing at Palms then…..well, you know how things go from there. Our relationship developed pretty quickly.

Luis had always lived on the North side of the harbour and me on the south side so the biggest decision we had to make in those early days was whether I would move to the North or he would move to the South. Luis moved into my place on the South side about 2 months into the relationship.

Luis and I are very different in some ways but we find a connection in both having a love of travel and adventure, both coming from close families and both enjoying socialising with friends.

I’m more of a homebody than Luis so we have a good balance of him dragging me out of the house and me finding things for him to do around the house. No relationship is without issues and conflict and we have had to work through some issues in the past.

I think the most important thing in a relationship is respecting each other’s differences and allowing the other person to be who they need to be and not try to hold them back. We decided to get married in February 2020. Marriage was something we had talked about but never really wanted the big wedding event. There was no getting down on one knee in a romantic setting.

Luis had family from Spain coming to Australia for a holiday. One day driving along in the car Luis mentioned if we were going to get married, it might be nice to do it when he had family here. I agreed. We initially were just going to keep it very small with just family but that soon ballooned out and we eventually had a full scale wedding with family and friends.

I was glad we did it, even though I was incredibly nervous, I don’t even like celebrating my birthday. It was beautiful day.

L.M.: David, what was it like growing up? Especially in the queer community? And you are from England, UK, right – before moving to Australia, right? And Luis, same question, what was it like for you growing up and growing up in the queer community? 

D.F.: I grew up in Cronulla, a beach suburb in the South of Sydney. My upbringing was very non eventful. I had the privilege of growing up in a loving family environment. Mom worked for an airline so we were lucky that we could travel internationally as a family.

That’s probably where I got my love for traveling. We also spent every summer holidays on the Gold Coast. These are some of my happiest childhood memories. Even though I didn’t come out until the mid 1990’s my involvement with the queer community really started in the late 70’s.

One of my neighbours and school friends came out very young and sometimes I would venture out with him to Oxford St to places like Patches, Capriccios and The Albury. Even though I knew I was gay I wasn’t ready to come out so I always dragged along straight friends and we would end up in some straight pub or club in the city.

Even after I came out and started dating men, most of my friends were still straight, and that remained the case for many years. It wasn’t really until more recent years with more involvement with the Harbour City Bears that my group of gay friends started to expand. 

Luis Esteban (L.E.): As indicated above, I grew up in a small village in Spain where there is no concept of queer or gay community. I grew up as heterosexual until I came out when I was 48.

So, I was oblivious to any queer community. I assume there was a gay community in Salamanca in the 80s, when I was at University, but I never was aware of any activity.

L.M.: Have you two travelled around the world together? Where have you two been to? What has been you favourite place or places to visit? 

D.F.: Yes, Luis and I have travelled a lot in our 12 years together. We have actually travelled to every continent together.

Our first trip was to Europe, mostly UK and Spain so Luis could meet some of my UK family and I could meet his family and friends in Spain. In 2018 we decided to take 7 months off work  and we rented an apartment in Madrid.

From there we travelled extensively around Spain but also ventured to North Africa and Scandinavia, traveling through the fiords to the Northern most point in continental Europe, North Cape.

Since then we have taken other extended leave from work travelling around Australia for 10 months in our campervan and another 3 months away in Europe travelling through Ireland, Iceland and the Netherlands, and as always UK and Spain.

When Luis retired in August 2025 (I had retired a year earlier) we took off for 5 months travelling to Kuala Lumpur, UK and Spain (of course) then to Montreal, USA (Palm Springs and Oregon), South America (Argentina and Chile) and Antarctica. My favourite country is Spain and favorite city Madrid. 

L.E.: As mentioned above, we have been around the world few times. Mostly in Europe. Most trips include England and Spain to visit our families, and then we go to other places.

Among our favourite places are Norway and the northern lights which we saw in 2018; Iceland which we visited in our extended holidays in 2023. More recently we have been to Palm Spring and Antarctica in 2025, which have been the most spectacular locations one can visit; Palm Springs, a gay paradise, and Antarctica, a wonder of nature.  

L.M: I can see that you two have different beards length, which is not unusual, as couples tend to have different styles to make them unique, as it would be weird to date and marriage a photo copy of oneself.

But I mention this as David, you used to dye your beard and look younger than Luis, but when you stopped, people thought you were Luis’s dad. Then that was a funny perspective with age, right? But you acccepted it and did not want to fake your natural beautiful aging image.

As they say, age like fine wine, right? How have you dealt with these perspectives and championing aging to the best way to overcome challenges?

D.F.: When I first met Luis I was still dying my beard. We often were mistaken for brothers. Once I decided to let my beard grow it’s natural grey I guess I looked older and I have twice been mistaken for Luis’ father.

He is only 4 years younger than me but looks much younger than his age. He is starting to go a bit grey now though so that could put some age on him. I don’t mind looking older but I am finding the health issues that come with ageing a bit challenging.

I was born with Spina Bifida which technically means I have a disability but It has never prevented me from doing the things I wanted to do in my life. I’ve always lived a very active life and remained mobile. This has changed a bit in recent times and I’ve had a few health issues that I’m currently working through.

I have started working with an exercise physiologist to get me back on track and give my body the best chance to thrive as I enter into older age. Someone once said that ageing isn’t for the faint hearted. It’s very true. 

L.E.: Around the time we met, in 2014, David used to dye his beard. About 2 years later he stopped, so he went white. That cause two funny incidents, when someone asked him whether I was his son. I laughed at that, as we really don’t look father and son. He is only 4 years older than me.

However, I must admit that I have a dark beard, which makes me look a bit younger than I really am. Actually, I’m very young, given I came out only 13 years ago. I’m full of energy and curiosity to experience as much as possible of the gay life Sydney can offer. 

L.M.: David, you have a tattoo on your back. What is the significance of the tattoo, and what are your future plans for tattoos?

D.F.: I’ve always loved tattoos and had a few small ones over the years. When I retired I decided to get a larger significant tattoo. I decided on a phoenix which I had inked on my chest. I’ve always liked the symbolism of the phoenix, rebirth rising from the ashes.

It seemed relevant for my life at the time, leaving my working life behind and embarking on a new journey into retirement. Tattoos are a bit addictive so don’t be surprised if you see a new one appear soon.

L.M.: What do you do for hobbies and fun, other than your busy schedule?

D.F.: I actually do have a busy schedule. There is always something going on. I’m spending more time in the kitchen preparing food and trying to improve my cooking skills. I love cooking for friends and family. I’m reading a lot more. My favourite genre for reading is historical nonfiction.

I’m trying to get my steps up and walking as much as possible. I’m doing a little bit of volunteer work with Matthew Talbot Hostel, a centre for homeless men providing accommodation, meals and support. I only use social media when I’m travelling mostly to share photos.

When I’m home I disengage all my social media. I find it too much of a distraction and don’t want to spend hours scrolling. Of course there’s always travelling and we like to get away in the campervan as much as possible. Luis and I both love going bush, hiking and finding remote places to camp for the night. I also have plans to restore some old furniture I have and to try to improve my Spanish. 

L.E.: Our main hobby is travelling. In August 2025 Luis retired (David retired in July 2024). And to celebrate our retirement we went on a 4.5 months trip that took us to Europe, (England and Spain), and then North America, South America and Antarctica.

At this point we have visited all 7 continents. Next, we will be traveling more inside Australia. I also like going to the nude beach on the weekends, but that only happens once in a while as we tend to be busy with life, and the bears on Sunday afternoons.

L.M.: Would you say being a bear has helped your career? Is your audience primarily bears for work and life?

D.F.: I’ve always been drawn to the gay bear scene. I find the bears to be generally more relaxed and less attitude. There’s also a wide variety of ages in the bears which I like.

I’m also involved with Sydney Leather Men, another group of men that I feel comfortable around. 

L.E.: Getting involved in the bear community since 2022 is the best thing that happened to us. We have met lots of people within the community and try to participate in as many events as possible. Love the bears and the beards too.

L.M.: Is there any advice that you would give someone (like a bear) who would be interested in travelling around the world, and finding a life-long partner, and what is involved?

D.F.: I guess in terms of a lifelong partner my advice would be to be patient and don’t settle for someone just because you don’t want to be single.

I took 52 years to find someone I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. Advice for travelling would be to spend a bit of time in places and get to know a place and the people. Don’t just travel to tick off places. 

L.E.: Having a partner to travelled the world is the best. Most certainly I would not have travelled as much if I was alone. I know for many people being single and travelling is not an issue.

For me having a companion while travelling a fundamental. And if the travelling companion is David, then even better, and he is a master organiser; He researches the places, accommodation, how to get there, and what to do, and I just go for the ride. Well, and if is South America, I’m also the translator.

L.M.: What are your career goals for the future?

D.F.: My career goals for the future are to not have any career goals. I am loving retirement and have no plans to re-enter the workforce. 

L.E.: Until 3 days ago there were no career goals as both of us are retired. But, I’m afraid of getting bored not doing anything most days. I love going to the beach, but when the weather is not ideal, there is not much to do, so I have decided to start working again, in a less stressful environment; just part time, back into my old financial modelling auditing work (which may sound boring, but it is very interesting if you are a technical, mathematical person).

So, my aim at the age of 60 is to re-start my financial modelling career, but in a part time fashion, and then travel in between projects. So, the real retirement might come in 1 or 2 years, but not stressing about it.

L.M.: Is there anything else that you would like that I have missed, or you would like to say to our audience?

L.E.: It seems that no matter how late you come into the gay world, there is room for everyone. Enjoy gay life, and if you are into the bear community even better, everyone is welcome, and people do not judge.

Richard Faulkner’s Instabear Questions:

• What type of animal would you identify with (and if bear, what type?)
  • Although I’m more of a dog person in terms of pets, I probably identify more as a cat as I love lazing around at home but also enjoy a bit of an adventure when let loose.
• Location: 
  • Erskineville, Sydney, NSW, Australia
• Pronouns: 
  • He/Him
• Relationship status:
  • Married (to Luis)
• Favourite Drink:
  • Whisky Sour, Pisco Sour (anything sour really)
• What type of guy are you into? 
  • I can’t resist a bear and body hair
• Favourite Cities/Vacation Spots: 
  • Madrid, Spain
• Favourite Hobby or Pastime:
  • Reading/ Cooking
• Idea of a good date? 
  • Dinner in a fancy restaurant
• What do you look for in a guy? 
  • Funny, generous, adventurous, honest and integrity
• Where can you find yourself?
  • Contacted by social media, like Facebook Messenger

Luis Esteban’s Instabear Questions:

• What type of animal would identify with (and if bear, what type?)
  • Polar Bear
• Location: 
  • Sydney
• Pronouns: 
  • He/him
• Relationship status: 
  • Married to David
• Favourite Drink:
  • Gin & Tonic and beer.
• What type of guy are you into? 
  • Mature guys, Bears with beards
• Favourite Cities/Vacation Spots: 
  • We love Madrid and Palm Springs.
• Favourite Hobby or Pastime:
  • Travelling and the nude beach
• Idea of a good date? 
  • Pre-dinner drinks, dinner and then dancing at Palms (that was our first date, and here we are 12 years later). 
• What do you look for in a guy? 
  • Intelligence, conversation (and facial hair as an initial visual attraction)
• Where can you find yourself?
  • Facebook – Luis Esteban
  • Instagram – Luis.esteban.ca