“I left home 3 years ago; I didn’t want to get stuck in the rat race of going to work, living in a rented place, doing what everybody else does. I did dementia care back in Scotland as well so that sort of makes you realise you don’t have much time really. Just get out there and do it. I did a couple of weeks in Thailand and Malaysia and I never really had a plan for Australia. I just sort of winged it.
I’ve been to Northern Territory, all the way through South Australia, been through central Queensland, done most of Victoria as well. I’ve worked on a station up in the Northern Territory 2 weeks after getting to Australia and it was a big jump into the unknown. I did a bit of gardening, help them muster, you tidy up, go on bore runs, it was just bonkers. It was stinkin’ hot, flies everywhere, dry as hell. I was there for about 6 weeks. Just before we left, we did a big muster trap there. They get choppers as it was a one-million-acre property, so they set up all the yards and I went in there once everything’s trapped, I was on gates ready for massive giant cows. It was crazy, and it was a good experience. That was the whole point of coming across, to put myself out there, do something not many people do.
I came here to work on a spud farm. I was gonna do a couple months here, save some money and then travel WA, but I met Eugene and never left since.
I grew up doing a lot of art at school, so I love my art. When I was younger, I planned on doing theatrical make-up, then it just sort of got forgotten about and I had to get a real job.
The furniture thing actually started in lockdown because I was bored. I got this old coffee table of a friend, so I decided to get some sand paper, sanded it back and painted it. It just sort of went from there and now it has gone a bit mad. I love it, gives me something to do. Now I’ve got furniture everywhere. After doing the first coffee table, I bought an electric sander and it makes life a little bit easier. From being bored to rediscovering my art, I sort of found my little niche and there is nothing like that really here. It’s like they say, ‘One man’s rubbish is another man’s treasure.’”