Graham Wilmot is well and truly embedded in Great Lakes society. Valued member of the Mudcrabs Swimming Association, regular at Forster snooker, and golfing enthusiast are staples of his resume, but how did he find our coastal community, and what made him stay?
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“It was the parking metres at the beaches that started it,” Sydney born and raised Graham said.
“The moment they started putting in parking metres at the beaches in Sydney, I just thought, ‘nope, I’m out of here’.”
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Fourteen years later, and Graham and wife Marlene are happy as clams, nestled into the scenic streets of Tuncurry.
“I started out in Croydon, then moved to on to Burwood,” Graham said.
“Sydney was much quieter back then, but then the high-rise buildings started going up. It got a bit heavy, a bit too busy.
“I had lots of different jobs in Sydney, I worked on cargo ships, and I was in the national service for a while. Then my kids grew up and moved out of home, and then I retired, and we thought it was time to go.
“I loved Sydney, but it just got to a stage where I wanted a quieter lifestyle.”
Luckily for Graham, an old fishing friend had introduced him to just the place he needed, the Great Lakes.
“I used to come and visit for holidays in the 70s, I had a friend who holidayed here a lot, he had a boat so I would come up and go fishing and camping, I always really liked it here. I started spending more and more time here,” he said.
With all but one of his children and grandchildren still in Sydney, the move was a big one, but not one Graham regretted.
“I have one daughter who moved up here too, she works in Pacific Palms,” he said.
“The others all come and visit too, my son is about to come up for a few days. We used to visit the family and friends in Sydney quite a lot, but recently not so much. I really struggle going back to Sydney, going back to the traffic.”
An enthusiastic swimmer from his Sydney days, Graham didn’t hesitate to sign up to the Forster Tuncurry Mudcrabs, and now takes care of a lot of their publicity and marketing.
“It’s a great group of people,” he said.
“I’m glad we came here. We looked at moving to Port Macquarie, but it was just too busy for what we wanted. Living in Tuncurry is great, I like Forster too, but it’s quieter on the Tuncurry side, and flatter.”
With wife Marlene and little Lily the rescue dog, Graham is content to stay put in the Great Lakes from now on.
“All of the people around here seem to be very laid back and friendly,” he said.
“It’s much more go-go in Sydney. It’s a nice place. I still love the Sydney beaches, but the water here is nicer, less polluted.
“I’ve been to a lot of different places, but this one is my favourite.”
