John Howarth

Story

I left England aged 26 to see some of the world before settling down. Australia seemed like a good place to try. I had a job arranged, but knew no-one, and had never been here before.

I cried my eyes out after leaving my girlfriend (now wife) and friends at Heathrow airport. Adventure has its price. I stayed on the plane at Bangkok as I had never been on a long haul flight and was unsure how to transit. It was late at night as I flew into Melbourne, and I remember peering down onto the streetlights wondering who was down there and what they were doing.

On my first day I awoke to 42 degree Melbourne heat and a blue sky. That first day I did what all travellers do – get a map to work out where you are, get some local currency, eat some food and find a place to stay. I checked into my apartment, then took a tram into the city.

In that first week I felt very lonely as I knew no-one. In the first month the company I worked for almost went into liquidation and my apartment flooded – so did the underground carpark and with it my 6 day old new car. It was a write-off. My girlfriend Jackie arrived 4 months later and we started to travel Victoria and enjoy this great country. We soon realised a 12 month visit was not going to be enough.

After 2 years we decided to become citizens and stay in Australia. In 1991 we moved to Canberra, and in 1994 we founded a company here. We have three wonderful boys who were born here as Australians in 1996, 1998 and 2001. We have lots of wonderful friends and memories of Australia, with plenty more ahead. I think we live in the best City in the world in the best Country in the world.

< Back to the Stories