Corkonians Abroad: Life in Perth

This week I caught up with Barry Cotter from Knocknaheeny, who now calls Perth, Australia home. He lives in the suburb of Joondalup.

How did you end up in Perth?

I moved to Joondalup in 2018, but it wasn’t my first stop in Australia. Before this I lived in the country towns of Narrogin and Bunbury.

I moved to Western Australia because I was sponsored to become a maths teacher in 2009.

I was promoted a few years ago and am now working at the Department of Education branch, so I moved to Joondalup.

What is life like in your new home?

We have a Mediterranean climate here, which is fantastic, but it does get very hot in the summer.

This means you can get a lot more done when you have free time or weekends. (There are also 10 months of the year with major drought).

There is a good standard of living and a decent work-life balance. It’s a clean, safe place to live and Perth is a beautiful city with plenty to do.

Traffic can be a problem, with the motorways at times looking like the M50 on steroids.

What was your biggest challenge after moving?

I miss my family and friends and have been so far from home since my father got sick ten years ago.

My partner Trish is a traditional musician and we have built a strong base of friendship within the Irish music community here in Perth. We get together regularly for fun.

Having a strong support structure helps. These are sensible people who are willing to give up everything to help you.

How would you spend your weekend?

It depends on whether Trish works – she’s a nurse – but we usually have a nice breakfast out and then move on.

We live next to a shopping center with over 300 shops as well as several pubs and cafes, so we can spend a few hours there.

We’ve lived here for a few years now so we don’t feel the need to be tourists and see the sights, but we only live five minutes from the beach so we can go for a walk if it’s not too hot. .

Tell us a little about the culture of where you live?

Joondalup is very English in culture, even in the street names. Outside our house there is a sign for Charing Cross Road and on the corner for Notting Hill. I walk through Piccadilly to get to the bus stop.

There’s not much diversity in this suburb, although my neighbor is from Monaghan, that’s all.

We have an Irish pub about 10 minutes away, but the town itself looks and feels very English.

The main topic of conversation at local meetings seems to be housing prices, so I don’t tend to stick around for long.

What are the main differences from Ireland?

Australia is a melting pot of so many nationalities that it is difficult to define culture like Ireland.

For me, the big difference that I like is the lack of church influence in public schools and public life.

Have you had any culture shock type moments over the years?

I went to a pub for the first time in Narrogin – at 6pm they were putting chairs on tables because it was quiet and they decided it was last call time.

Australians get up at 5am to go swimming and running because it’s too hot during the day, but late at night is never boring unless you’re in a big city.

When the Queen died and the whole country came to a standstill, it became obvious that Australians still considered themselves to be living in a colony. It was disturbing to see digital billboards at bus stops with photographs of the Queen surrounded by a black frame on her way to work.

Tell us about your career in Australia.

I used to be a math and physics teacher. I completed my H. Dip at UCC and did my internship at my old school, Terence MacSweeney Community College.

I currently work for the Western Australian Department of Education as a secondary school consultant.

I do a lot of things under this name, but none of them will seem interesting to your readers!

I’m now an office jockey. I previously worked as a Regional Training Specialist and had to travel all over Western Australia to provide one-on-one training to students who were studying to become a Maths Specialist for ATAR (the equivalent of the Certificate of Achievement in Maths).

On Monday I could be in Kununurra, which is 2200km north of Perth, and on Wednesday I could be in Esperance, which is 700km in the opposite direction.

It was an amazing job and during the three years I held this position I visited almost the entire state of Western Australia. I’ve seen a lot more of the state than most Western Australians.

In 2019 alone, I made 60 flights to visit students.

Tell us what you think about the possibilities and how another part of the world can offer more opportunities?

It’s funny because I got this opportunity in Ireland.

In my case, the Western Australian Department of Education had a severe shortage of teachers and they came to Ireland to recruit new staff. I answered an ad and was offered a job in a small town in the state. Now it’s not so easy, I’m very lucky.

There are a lot of opportunities here, but the problem is that Perth has a rental and housing crisis and often people can’t move here because they don’t have anywhere to live.

I meet a lot of young Irish migrants in Perth who work in construction and mining and earn good money, but the lifestyle they require can be tough for young families.

What was your most memorable moment in your new place?

Every time a guest comes to visit from home is special.

Watching Cork win the Sam Maguire Award in 2010 remains a great memory.

Any special wishes for friends or family in Cork?

I know my mom Ann will read this so I’ll say hi to her. I love you, mom.

Hello Anthony, Layla, Michelle, Tommy and all my wonderful nieces.

Mark Evans – stay against the wall.

If you were to return to Cork for a day, what would be your ideal day?

I did this several times: getting up in the morning and driving into Kinsale for breakfast, then walking around town and visiting the Speckled Door for lunch with a view.

Afterwards we drive to Cobh, take a 99-cone walk along the seafront opposite the Commodore and stop at Kelly’s Bar for a quick pint.

We end the day at my brother Anthony’s house as a family.

What are you looking forward to in the coming months?

I’m turning 50 in January and Trish has created a mystery trip to celebrate. I don’t know where, but I’ll spend a week somewhere nice.

Is there anything you particularly miss about Cork?

Obviously family, but other than that I love being in Cork and listening to Cork people talk and it’s just a way of life in Cork that you don’t get anywhere else. It’s hard to describe.

I miss Pan and Oliver Plunkett streets and I miss seeing boys and girls playing hurling, camogie and football on the green spaces around their area.