DAMIEN LEITH CHARMS LIVE IN AUSTRALIA.COM GUESTS AND TELLS THE WORLD HIS MIGRATION STORY
For all his musical triumphs in the four short years since arriving in Australia, Damien Leith's measure of success in migrating to Australia reveals his pragmatic and decidedly humble attitude.
"I've haven't been out of work since arriving here, which is a wonderful thing to say," he told guests who attended the LIVE IN australia.com Official Office Launch this month. "It's a long way from playing in an ABBA tribute band back in Ireland, although I was a terrific Benny!"
As he told his story of being determined to live in Australia after a 2001 visit with his Australian wife Eileen, the family issues around their impending departure, and the three years it took he and Eileen to finally make the move, it was apparent that the hopes and fears that Damien experienced in making a life in Australia mirrored the emotions that so many migrants feel in making the same journey.
Damien, who earned a chemistry degree in Dublin, says he knew after spending three weeks in Australia on holiday, that he hadn't seen enough of the country and that it was obvious to both of them that Australia was where they wanted to raise their children.
"The first thing that caught my attention was that for children this was the place to raise kids. The climate and the lifestyle you couldn't reproduce in Ireland," he says. "It was also evident from the onset that there are opportunities here... and not just in chemistry. Also the adventure of moving, it's good to see the world."
The time from deciding to go to actually going, however, was not all smooth sailing. With the Australian consulate in London and a host of questions about visa and migration issues that he couldn't find answers to, Damien described the discovery of LIVE IN australia.com as a tremendous relief to know that he had found a source of information that was well laid out and answered all his questions.
"My wife and I spent a few hours one night going through the site, and that's what made the major difference to us. We now had a source to get as much information to make it as easy as possible, and I'm forever grateful for that because the process from the time we applied, we were fortunate. It was a quick trip, due to my qualification and the process was very simple," said Damien. "I come from an analytical background as a chemist, so I like to know what I've got and what's needed, and I wanted things to be stress free. All those things combined made your service great."
From the moment Damien and Eileen arrived, everything it seemed fell into place with their perceived risk becoming an opportunity grasped with two hands.
"I found work immediately on a contact basis and when one contract expired another one came along. The other amazing thing was the level of job. There were opportunities presented to me here that for whatever reason I couldn't get in Ireland. When I came here I applied for a managers job and they gave me the chance, what more do you want?" says Damien. "
Damien performed an acoustic rendition of 'Not Just For The Weekend' at the Launch, written four days after the birth of his second child Jagger, which is a track on his recently released second album 'Where We Land'. After explaining his journey to Australia, the audience was mesmorised by the beauty of Damien's voice, the appropriateness of the song, and the profundity of the lyrics.
"Not Just For The Weekend is a song about commitment and about making a life together, and about creating a home life. I wrote it four days after Jagger came home, and I thought it was highly relevant for today," he said.
During an interview with LIVE IN australia.com recorded on the day of the launch, Damien was emphatic about encouraging other migrants to make the move down under.
"Give it a go, it's not as daunting as you might think, that's the main message here. There're great opportunities and Australia's thriving right now," says Damien.
Watch Damien's superb performance at the LIVE IN australia.com launch event.
View Damien's interview about migrating to Australia.
Visit Damien's site http://www.damienleith.com.au
