GOLF


I did the normal backpacking and tourist thing of driving around the country and had an amazing time windsurfing, fishing and camping and doing all those things, before I settled back in Perth in Western Australia


”


and the PGA Tour. After almost three decades away from the island where he grew up, Rick returned to Guernsey in 2018. For this interview, he sits on the other end of a phone at his hometown club with the sun beating down on the 18-hole beachside course which, unlike many, already has golfers back on it. Guernsey has been no exception to the COVID-19 pandemic except that, as we speak on 6th May 2020, the course has been opened for four days as two nine holes to comply with the designated two hours of outdoor exercise. Throughout their lockdown, which came into place before mainland UK, working hours were reduced to twelve a week. A complete four-day shutdown was forced due to complaints before essential worker status meant they could return. From 27th April, they were able to work unrestricted again before a slightly impromptu return to golf was announced with one day of notice. Rick’s journey back to La Grande Mare has been different to usual career timelines. For many, their home town club might be their first job rather than their last, but coming from a small island with a sense of


F


or Rick Hamilton, five years in Australia were followed by twenty-four years in Hong Kong, where he travelled extensively as a consultant for his own company


adventure means things don’t quite work that way. As previously mentioned, he had planned to be a fireman in Australia, but a City & Guilds qualification in Engineering meant things were able to go in a different direction.


“When I was in my late teens a lot of my friends got apprenticeships and, back then, it was a big thing to go backpacking and Australia and New Zealand were the main destinations, especially Australia,” Rick explained. “Growing up on a small island is lovely, but you’d hear stories about these people going around the world, and it was something I thought would be nice to do one day, I thought it sounded amazing.” “When the right time came, there were about thirty of us that went backpacking over two years. A lot of my friends had City & Guilds apprenticeships and, back in those days, Australia was screaming out for tradespeople whether it was a mechanic, a chef or nursing and hairdressing. It was easy to get in so, after we’d travelled around and finished our tourist visas, we applied for residency and went back and settled there.” “I did the normal backpacking and tourist thing of driving around the country and had an amazing time windsurfing, fishing and camping and doing all those things, before I settled back in Perth in Western Australia. When I was driving up and down the coast,


PC June/July 2020 35


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