After marrying an 'Aussie' girl Colin knew it was only a matter of time before he was jumping on the flying kangaroo (Qantas) and moving to Australia. The newlyweds spent a couple of years in the UK after their Australian honeymoon before beginning the long process of moving.

Not wanting to be on the job hunt while adjusting to life in Australia, Colin began looking for work before he moved. Colin sought the advice of friends who had worked in Australia, and fortunately one of them mentioned Cardno for its strong reputation in bridge engineering, the area in which Colin was working.

Through a recruitment agency in the UK Colin had a number of phone interviews hoping to secure a contract position but was offered a permanent job with Cardno.

Colin arrived in Australia in 2002 and hasn't looked back since, except for a few trips home to show off his new family and see his brother get married.

Although Australia is 17,000 kilometres away from the UK it is really only a hop, skip and a jump through a couple of international airports for Colin's family and friends who have come out a number of times to soak up Australia. With Skype and cheap international calls Colin said he stays in touch with his family almost more now than when he was living in the UK.

Was Colin slightly dreading the move across the world? Not really, he has previously lived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and knew what it was like to live in a different country. He said "it is where you work that has the potential to make the difference".

"I was lucky, being married to an Australian meant I was moving somewhere with an established network of family and friends but working somewhere with the right culture has also made the move easier," said Colin.

"Cardno has a work culture that promotes professionalism and with a client-focused psyche. Since starting at Cardno I have been lucky enough to work on signature projects such as Western Sydney Orbital and the Phu My Bridge in Vietnam as well as work with a team who shares the same work ethic as me."

"I was initially employed as a senior engineering and I am now the Manager of the bridges team, this role is extremely challenging and keeps me motivated," he said.

Australia may not have English beer but the beaches and weather certainly makes up for it. Colin is more than happy to call Australia home.