During his time at Princes, David Prest was a member of the Football Ist XVIII, Cricket Ist XI, Captain of the School, and Dux.
Prest taught at PAC from 1958 to 1962, was Headmaster of Wolaroi College (NSW) from 1963 to 1968 and Principal of Scotch College, Perth, from 1969 to 1971. He also taught briefly at the Leys School, Cambridge, where he met Geoffrey Bean whom he encouraged to apply for the Headmastership of Princes. In 1972 David Prest was appointed Principal of Wesley College, Melbourne, where he remained for the next twenty years until he was succeed by another old scholar, Glen McArthur. From 1992 to 1997 he was the Principal of Goulburn Valley Grammar, Shepparton.
David Prest was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1992 for his services as Headmaster of Wesley College and to the Association of Heads of Independent Schools in Australia.