'A small Christmas gathering — not like the parties of the past, but nevertheless, a welcome break, after such an exhausting year!'

It is important for me to surround myself with decent people. In the past, I haven't had such a good experience with work colleagues or indeed so-called friends and family. However, that all changed when I worked for Tesco, Cancer Research and The Newcome Arms. Admittedly, I haven't always been complimentary about my time in Portsmouth, but the difficulties I went through, had nothing to do with friends and the people I worked with. I look back with fondness at my time in Fratton, it was a huge part of my life and I have many fantastic memories. Work colleagues got me through the dark days, and ever since, I have always sought out a similar group of people.

Luckily, in my current job, I have some wonderful staff, who are most certainly akin to those I knew in the UK. These people have welcomed me as their new boss, with open arms and with my one-year anniversary approaching, I thought it was time we celebrated Christmas together as a team.

We spent a relaxing night at The traditional Woodbridge Hotel, in Guildford, surrounded by memories of home. The walls of the beautiful building are adorned with old tin signs and pictures of the home country and Ireland. This is a pub where I feel at home and with a group of folk singers playing throughout the night, I had a thoroughly enjoyable time.

Moving to Australia wasn't just about forging a successful career, it was also about enjoying a work/life balance that suits me at my time of life — so far I've achieved that in every respect. Australia has never been an easy country to live, but it has certainly given me far more, than the UK ever did and for that I will be forever grateful!
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