Kirsty fell in love with Tommy in Fremantle, Western Australia. Kirsty was from a farming family in Eyre Peninsular in South Australia, and Tommy was a brash young lad from a dairy farming family in Ireland. Both were on working holidays around the world, following a bereavement for Kirsty, and for Tommy – on a break, following a young life spent working hard to maintain the family farm.
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The Whyalla and Eyre Peninsula region is a diverse area that is home to approximately 60,000 people. It covers around 233,000 square kilometres, an area equal to 24% of the State of South Australia. The region extends from Spencer Gulf in the east across the Great Australian Bight to the border with Western Australia.
Cities in the region include Whyalla, a major centre for heavy industry and Port Lincoln, an iconic fishing and tourism centre.b The region’s economy is diverse with agriculture, manufacturing, fishing, aquaculture and tourism the pre-dominant areas of economic activity. The mining sector and renewable energy are growth sectors that add to this activity base.
Facilities in the region include 38 government schools and 24 pre-schools, the State’s largest regional university campus operated by the University of South Australia and 3 major Technical and Further Education campuses at Whyalla, Port Lincoln and Ceduna with smaller facilities at Wudinna, Cleve and Kimba. In addition, there are a number of research facilities including the Minnipa Agricultural Centre, the Lincoln Marine Science Centre and the Australian Maritime and Fisheries Academy.
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Boasting a combination of pristine coastline, rugged landscapes and an abundance of native wildlife, Eyre Peninsula is like no other region on earth. Whether it’s on land or at sea, Eyre Peninsula is truly Australia’s seafood frontier.
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After graduating as chiropractors in the United Kingdom in June 1997, Malina and Allan Judge knew they did not want to raise a family or start their careers in the United Kingdom. Allan was of a second generation to be born in Zimbabwe and Malina had lived in Malaysia, Hong Kong and Belfast. They loved their time in London but the cost of living was very expensive, people lived like sardines and the cold climate was challenging.
They were undecided whether to migrate to Africa or Australia. To help them choose, they decided to spend 3 months in each country. The first three months was spent in Africa and they thoroughly enjoyed the climate, wide-open spaces and living standards, but unfortunately, the writing was on the wall with respect to the country’s economy. There was also an issue with safety. All houses had burglar bars on their windows, as break-ins were common.
In September 1997, they flew to Adelaide. The cost of living was reasonable and they found work quickly. In 1998, they both secured work in the Whyalla and Eyre Peninsula region in South Australia. They were initially hesitant as they had settled happily in Adelaide but the regional jobs were better suited to their family needs.
Their long term goal was to move to Darwin after their two year contract in the region had expired as the weather was warm all year round and there was good fishing. For the first 6 months in rural South Australia they felt unsettled as if life was passing them by. There was no hustle or bustle or traffic in the morning, which they were accustomed to. While it was stress–free, it felt foreign to them and they ended up traveling 1-2 times a month to Adelaide to get their “city fix”.
After 6 months, however, they found themselves not travelling to Adelaide as much. They had started to enjoy local adventures such as fishing and hiking trips to the Flinders Rangers. By the time their two year contract was up, they had become accustomed to the way of life in the Whyalla and Eyre Peninsula region and decided to delay their move to Darwin. They found that their new rural lifestyle made it far less stressful in juggling family and work commitments. In the next two years they bought a camper trailer, boat and beach house - or as the locals say a “beach shack”, which had absolute beach frontage, and was located 25 minutes drive out of the town. This gave them just the lifestyle they were looking for with their young family.
Whilst employed as chiropractors in the local clinic, Allan & Malina realised that they had established a strong patient base from neighbouring townships where there were no chiropractic services. This gave them the idea of setting-up their own business.
‘Going from a secure employment to not knowing whether we would gain the support of the community and be able to maintain our lifestyle was daunting. We also knew that by making this commitment to the region we would stay here for the long term. It would mean that our children would eventually need to move away to attend university. But it was a business opportunity that may not have been achievable outside of the region.’
Now in their 15th year in the region their business has grown to 7 clinics spread across a large track of South Australia’s northern regions. It has been an incredible and successful journey.
‘When we look back to the time in London when we were exploring our options, we never thought that we would end up in a regional community and have the opportunity to build a multi-clinic chiropractic business and most importantly, to enjoy the unique lifestyle offered in the Whyalla and Eyre Peninsula region.’
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The Eyre Peninsula as a region offers a unique blend of sustainable industries including agriculture, fishing/ seafood, mining, tourism, and together with over 5400 small to medium sized businesses offers a diverse mix of employment and business opportunities.
