A Scottish paramedic who ditched the UKs National Health Service for a better life in Australia can now play bagpipes on the beach next to his four-bedroom home.
Darren OHare, 38, originally from Fife, worked as a paramedic for the Scottish Ambulance Service in the Forth Valley area for 10 years but now earns thousands more as an Australian paramedic in a happier work environment.
Mr OHare had an enjoyable experience in the NHS but it came with its challenges - especially during the pandemic.
The father-of-three shared the dream of moving to Australia with his wife Susan, 39, for 15 years before they finally made the trip.
In June this year, Darren, his wife, their three daughters - Carmen, 21, Ellie, 15 and Keira, 12 - along with pet dog Finlay, packed up from their three-bedroom house in Grangemouth and relocated to Perth.
His pay before overtime has increased from around £48,000 in the UK (AU$93,300) to AUD$109,000 (£56,000) - even though he was a manager in Scotland and is a bottom level paramedic in Perth.
The family are renting a four-bedroom house close to the beach for $680 a week while they wait to obtain permanent residency and for the sale of their old home to be completed.
Mr OHare said there was no chance on hell they could have afforded a similar property in Scotland.
Darren OHare (pictured) worked as a paramedic for the Scottish Ambulance Service in the Forth Valley area for 10 years but now earns thousands more as an Australian paramedic
In June this year, Darren, his wife, their three daughters (pictured together) packed up from their three-bedroom house in Grangemouth and relocated to Perth
Ms OHare has also noticed a difference between the working conditions in the NHS and the health service in Australia, saying his colleagues seem happier and there is less stress despite the similar challenges they face.
He also feels his quality of life has improved, enabling him and his wife to give their three daughters the best chance in life.
I dont like bad mouthing Scotland and Im fiercely proud of the Scottish but a major thing for me is opening my blinds and seeing some bright, sunny skies, it lifts your mood, Mr OHare told PA Real Life.
We finish work and go to the beach, we live right on the beach and weve booked various trips to see the wildlife, dolphins, whales, things like that.
Western Australia is a massive place and theres so much more to do - the world is your oyster.
Darren enjoys a better life in Australia can now play bagpipes on the beach (pictured) next to his four-bedroom home
Darrens (pictured working for the NHS) pay before overtime has increased from around £48,000 in the UK (roughly AUD$93,300) to AUD$109,000 (roughly £56,000)
Darren spent almost 12 years in the British Army from the age of 16, working for the first five years as a mechanic before transferring to the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, where he worked on battle tanks and, as a bagpipe player and joined the pipe band as a regimental piper.
He joined the Scottish Ambulance Service in 2014, working as an ambulance technician for four years before qualifying as a paramedic in 2018.
Darren described his time within the NHS as enjoyable but said it came with its challenges.
In December 2019 I got a promotion to a team leader as a front-line supervisor and obviously, five months after that, we were up to our necks in a pandemic, he said.
To be a supervisor through that period was wild, it was a really big challenge through Covid.
But ultimately, 10 years and three months, it was a really enjoyable experience and I worked with really good people.
Darren was first inspired to move to Australia by a possible transfer during his time in the military to the Australian army, which in the end fell through.
The father-of-three said it had had shared the dream of moving to Australia with his wife Susan (pictured together) for 15 years before they finally made the trip
Darren said his family (pictured together) have settled well into work and school in Australia
Mr OHare revisited the prospect of moving Down Under when he became a paramedic, saying he applied or reached out to every ambulance service in Australia and New Zealand but was informed they would need to favour their residents first.
In 2022, a colleague told him St John Ambulance Western Australia were seeking international applicants and Darren said their dream was reignited.
He applied for a role within the ambulance service in December 2022 and was accepted in December 2023 and they moved in June this year.
He said the process of obtaining visas for the family, enrolling his two younger daughters into new schools and selling their property in Scotland had been stressful and time-consuming.
After putting their three-bedroom house in Scotland on the market in February, the sale has fallen through twice and they are still waiting for it to complete before starting the process of obtaining permanent residency in Australia.
He said they will purchase a house once everything is finalised.
It was just such a long, drawn-out process but the house is the last tie (to the UK), Mr OHare said, adding the family have settled well into work and school in Australia.
After putting their three-bedroom house in Scotland (pictured) on the market in February, the sale has fallen through twice
While waiting for their Scottish house sale to complete, the family are renting a four bedroom property in Perth (pictured) with a large backyard nd theatre room. Its also close to the beach
While waiting for their house sale to complete, the family are renting a four-bed, two-bath property with a large backyard and theatre room close to the beach.
Theres no chance in hell that I could afford a house like this in Scotland, he said, adding that he and his wife both earned a good income back home.
The house we were living in was too small for us, the five of us plus our dog and we needed a bigger house but we could not have afforded one.
Were hoping to buy something similar now in Australia, if not bigger.
I was a manager for the last three years in Scotland… Im earning more now as a bottom level paramedic here in Australia, he said.
Darren is also set to receive a pay rise over the coming weeks as he can apply to have his years as a paramedic recognised and ascend through the ranks.
We all have bad days at work and theres challenges here, theres no denying it, but everybody seems to take it in their stride and there seems to be a lot less stress, he said.
It feels as though theres a much more collaborative approach between the ambulance and the hospitals, and I can only go from my experience, but on a recent shift, I spent a lot of time waiting to hand patients over but theres no stress.
Theres no aggravation from managers or hospital staff, everybody is understanding of the situation and we all work around it and with it as best as we can – I think everybodys just a bit happier for it.
Darren (pictured) said of his Australian job: I was a manager for the last three years in Scotland… Im earning more now as a bottom level paramedic here in Australia
Darren described the process of obtaining visas for the family (pictured), enrolling his daughters into new schools and selling their property in Scotland as stressful
He also feels his quality of life has improved with regular trips to the beach and more activities for the family to do together.
We want to give the girls the best chance in life, he said.
Ideally, we would have done it 10 years ago when we had a 10, a five and a three-year-old if everything would have lined up.
Everything on offer for us is far better than what we had back in Scotland.