Martin Smith is not the first Lismore resident to be born in the UK and emigrate to Australia. He doesn't like to sit still, has a love of motorbikes and is a man who has changed careers many times. Lilly Harmon sat down with Martin to learn more about his eventful life.

I was born in 1965 in the city of Derby in the UK, the North Midlands. It’s right smack bang in the middle of the United Kingdom.

I didn’t actually stay in Derby that long as my father was a part of the armed forces, so we moved around a lot. He wasn’t a fan of inside jobs so we worked and lived on farms.

My earliest recollection was living in Staffordshire when I was working with my dad on farms from a young age. Feeding calves and lambs from the crack of dawn was normal. He was a relief manager for farmers, so he got little cottages through the job. 

One year we moved about five times, like a nomad lifestyle. I loved it, a great life to be brought up with. However, winters in England were absolutely harsh. I hear people complain about Australian winters and honestly, they’re nothing compared to England, it’s lovely here. 

Eventually, I moved to a little place called Henley-on-Thames. It was such a beautiful place and I loved living there. The main location of my childhood memories however was Meriden near Birmingham where I lived for a year. It was the absolute centre of England, even more than Derby. It’s the origin of Triumph motorcycles, which I now have one of my own. 

Definitely a different type of lifestyle, and one you couldn’t really experience now in the UK. It was both a good and bad time because it was around the time of the IRA bombings in England.

I remember the day of the Birmingham pub bombings in 1974 very clearly. Since we were just outside the town you always were wary of the possibilities and constant bomb scares. As a child, as I was 10 at the time, you didn’t necessarily comprehend the danger behind it but you knew there was definitely something happening around you. 

Lasting memories, long lazy summer days, learning to ride horses at the local stable, taking the many bridle and byways throughout the UK. Just a few of the things I miss.

I've always rode bikes since I was about eight. I used to ride around the backyard and during my teenage years, I had amassed, at one stage, four or five motorbikes in the backyard. That's before I could ride it legally on the road.

We used to push them down the road and down to the old railway. Obviously, we had a lot more freedom in those days, we could work on farms at an early age. Then they found out it was a little bit too dangerous and that kids got hurt. They started bringing the rules and regulations. 

My first bike on the road was a Yamaha FS1E 50cc moped. It did about 60 miles an hour. It went quite fast for a little bike. That's also the first one I had a little accident head-on. Ever since then, I couldn't play rugby. Just recently I had a knee replacement because of that, but I'm still riding bikes. 

I remember one story, pushing it down the main street in Woodford Halse with my brother, who's four years younger than me. The local Bobby or policeman pulled up alongside and said “ Hey Lads”. We told him we were going down to the railway. He said, “Why don't you get on it and ride it”. We were so confused because we didn’t have our licences! He said, “Well, I'd much rather you'd ride it down and get off the road damn quicker than you are pushing it.”

With my friends, we made this camp inside a hayrick in a barn. We tunnelled into the hayrick and had chairs and everything. We kept it hidden for so long and then one day someone decided to light a cigarette inside and pretty much burnt down the entire barn. 

In 1976 I started high school, I went to Blessed George Napier Roman Catholic School in Banbury. I spent a few of my high school years there but Catholic school environments weren’t the best for me. I later moved to a public school which let me have a lot more freedom.

I left at Year 10 and went straight into work. I became a labourer and builder’s apprentice. I worked for a master carpenter and he taught me everything I needed to know about building. In those days builders did everything from digging the trenches to tiling the roof. I was truly a jack of all trades. Over time I got into antique repairing and reproducing. 

(One of Martin's joinery projects made from a younger life learning from a master carpenter)

One of the last projects I worked on was restoring historic listed buildings. One of the most significant ones I worked on was The Royal Ordnance Depot in Weedon Bec, Northamptonshire. These were built during the times of Napoleon. 

I met my second ex-wife Wendy in 1995 and had three children. James is 27, Mac is 26 and Tilly is 17. We moved to Australia from England in 2008 for a lot more opportunities.

James and Mac in their younger days

Martin's daughter Tilly

The Migration process was fraught with anxiety, from skills assessments to medicals, then our visa final came through, it only took about 18 months. The process of selling property in the UK first and having to enter Australia within 12 months of our medical proved a problem. We had to come for a holiday first… then return to pack up our belongings. With hindsight, I wouldn't bring anything, even clothing was a problem.

When we left the UK it was -12 degrees celsius and snowing, 56 hours later (it was only supposed to take 26 hours door to door), we arrived in Brisbane to 40+ and humidity through the roof, carrying clothing, arctic coats, and dragging double luggage allowance, some of which never got unpacked.

So my advice to anyone who is thinking of migrating from the UK to Australia is to ditch the lot…all you need is a straw hat, a pair of thongs and your budgie smugglers.  

 I was working for Bennett Construction and Wendy was working at a preschool. One of my first jobs was working on a building at SCU University. 

We bought a house in South Gundurimba. It was a big white house and a big garage and pool. You certainly would have not been able to buy anything in England for that low of a price in 2008, certainly not now with the cost of living crisis. 

Over the years in Australia, I’ve changed my career many times, because there’s so much opportunity here for a change of career rather than in the UK.

I went to University and finished a Bachelor's Degree in Business. I wouldn't have had that opportunity if we’d stayed in the UK. The choice of coming to Australia on the whole is definitely good. Would I go back to live in the UK? Probably not. Go back to live in the south of France with my brother. One might be tempted by the wind. 

After I retire in a few year's time I aim to do a tour around Australia on the back of my motorbike. 

In the last few years, I’ve been the courtesy bus driver for the Lismore Workers Club. You get to know a lot of people in the community doing this job. I’ve always joked to the regulars that I’d write a book one day called; “ The Life and times of a courtesy bus driver”. “What goes on, on the bus, stays on the Bus.”

I’ve had a lot of ups and downs, but to cut a long story short we’re here today in our little shack in Modanville. Not for long, however, as we are needing to move house… again. The adventure continues…