IN 1960 Lakewood resident Brian Roberts said goodbye to England and has never looked back.
He emigrated to join his then-fiancée after she relocated to Australia with her family.
Mr Roberts originally lived in Macquarie Fields, working as an administrator, before moving to the Mid North Coast 10 years ago.
He described it as the best move he had ever made.
“My fiancée was already here, and once I arrived, I fell in love with the place and never visited England again,” Mr Roberts said.
“My favourite thing about Australia has always been the lack of class segregation, I just love that.”
The biggest adjustment was adapting to what he sees as our Australian idiosyncrasies, particularly around language.
He recalls his daughter Jacqueline being born and his boss telling him that they would go to the pub to wet the baby’s head, leaving him with a vision of beer being poured over the baby’s head.
Having grown up in an environment where Sundays meant dressing in your best clothes, he caused some amusement when he arrived for a Sunday beach outing dressed in a shirt, shorts and a tie.
Boston-born Kevin Richards, who resides in Lake Cathie, arrived in Australia in the 80s and empathises with Mr Roberts.
“I used to say that Aussies spoke in sentences, not words, because everything ran together,” Mr Richards said.
“It took me a while to adjust to their fascination with abbreviations. The first time I heard the word ‘arvo’ I was very confused.”
Today, both men are delighted to call Australia their home.
By Rachael THORPE
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