Allan Lake
| Town/City | Elwood |
|---|---|
| First name | Allan |
| Last name | Lake |
| Country of Origin | Canada |
| Date of Birth | 24/09/49 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1985 |
| Submitted by | Allan Lake |
Story
We wanted a big change in our lives & moving from the Canadian prairies to Tasmania was a major change in terms of climate, history, culture . . . everything except language.
I flew to Australia with my Scottish wife Brenda & 3 daughters, Stephanie, Fiona & Anji, who had all been born in Saskatchewan. We had the luggage of a family migrating, which in our case meant 25 cases – a nightmare. We knew nobody in Tasmania, had no accommodation so the first few days & weeks &, in fact months were a huge challenge. But it worked – we somehow made the transition. There were some low moments to be sure.
As soon as we got off the plane at Launceston & we saw the hills & trees I thought “We’re going to be fine here.” Then I saw the charming city & felt so lucky to be in such a place. The architecture, all the Georgian/Victorian buildings seemed friendly, unlike the city centres of the newer Canadian cities. We stayed in Launceston for 13 years before heading to Perth, Melbourne & Sydney.
We are Australian now; we’re not leaving.