I moved to Australia 7 years ago from Las Vegas. My intention was to stop in Sydney for a bit because I wanted to move back to San Sebastian. I thought I wanted to live in Spain. But I stoped in Sydney and all I had was a skateboard, my guitar and a backpack. I lived in an old lady’s attic for four weeks. Then I got involved with a hospitality group in Sydney and I thought, “This is really good here”.
I’ve been in Surry Hills almost a year. Before I came to the Clock I was a bar manager in the CBD. When I worked back in the CBD, there was a different dynamic there. What I’m noticing about Surry Hills is that there are a lot of cafes and bars which is an exciting development about the area. I have got to know Surry Hills. I know the neighbours, the local shop owners. I’ve got to know the community centre.
When I came to The Clock, because this is an institution, I thought it was important to connect with neighbours. I go next door and I know my neighbours. They come over for a glass of wine. I have a good relationship with the Director at the neighbourhood centre. We are sponsoring the Surry Hills Festival. It’s important; local community and local pub, you have to be a part of it.
I want to build a strong management team here at The Clock that connects with locals. “Are we looking out for the locals coming here?” is what I keep asking. I want to make sure we do. We want to talk to the people who come to the pub and see what they want. So stay tuned!
I moved to Australia 7 years ago from Las Vegas. My intention was to stop in Sydney for a bit because I wanted to move back to San Sebastian. I thought I wanted to live in Spain. But I stoped in Sydney and all I had was a skateboard, my guitar and a backpack. I lived in an old lady’s attic for four weeks. Then I got involved with a hospitality group in Sydney and I thought, “This is really good here”. I met cool people there were good events. All these things popped up. That’s different to what I grew up with in Las Vegas. Las Vegas is one- dimensional. I thought I’d give it a year. One year turned into two. And now, just the other day, I just got my Australian citizenship. That was a good experience, to come into a place and not know anyone was a challenge, but it’s good to feel like now I’m part of a community.
I would tell my younger self, “It will all work out”. There are times where I doubted myself and thought, “What have I done? I’ve moved so far from home and none of my family is here”. But I think if you just stay the course you’ll be fine.
An important thing for me is purpose. When you have purpose you have clarity and then you feel good about what you are doing. That takes time. It takes getting away from the daily grind and having that time to listen to yourself and think about what makes you happy.
18th August 2017
Surry Hills & Valleys 