Alan Sim
| Town/City | Coorparoo, Brisbane |
|---|---|
| First name | Alan |
| Last name | Sim |
| Country of Origin | Scotland |
| Date of Birth | 14th August 1965 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1991 |
| Submitted by | Alan Sim |
Story
My father, who sadly passed away in 2005, always talked of travelling and my memories of growing up were filled with potential moves overseas. I was fortunate to come to Australia in my penultimate year of university (1986) and work at the iron ore mines in the Pilbara, WA as a Mechanical Engineer. My love affair with Australia started then in the outback of WA. After graduating and working in north-west England for 3 years, I decided to migrate to Australia.
I left the UK (Manchester Airport) on 4th May 1991 aged 25 arriving in Adelaide on 8th May 1991 where I had some very distant and elderly relatives.
On departure from the UK, there was inevitable sadness in leaving behind my homeland and my family and friends but mixed with considerable anticipation about life’s journey ahead.
I now live in Brisbane with my Australian-born wife, Trish and two children, my daughter, Eloise (1997) and son, Alex (2000) who were both born in Perth, WA. I became an Australian citizen on Australia Day 1994.
Despite arriving at the start of the “recession we had to have”, I have worked continuously since arrival in my professional capacity as a Mechanical Engineer.
My years in Australia have taken me from Adelaide to Brisbane (June1991), Perth (Nov 1996), Norway (July 2004), Singapore (March 2005) and back to Brisbane (Dec 2005). I describe myself as Scottish by birth and Australian by choice and believe I think, act and behave as an Australian does. I will be forever grateful to Australia and its people (of which I am now one) for allowing me to live, enjoy and create a life in this beautiful country.