Anna Finch didn’t realise the hidden treasures of Jervis Bay on the South Coast of New South Wales despite years of holidaying there.
Even when she #madethemove from Sydney with her partner Gavin Finch, their young daughter and another on the way, she kept her city-based executive search job and commuted for more than six years, “wrongly assuming that there was not much going on close to home.”
“But when I took time to look harder, it became very apparent that the South Coast was, and continues to be, alive with business and career opportunities,” Anna says.
“Scratch the surface and there are so many incredible businesses doing incredible things with anything from just a few employees to hundreds.”
In 2016, Anna directed all her energies into her own locally based business, KardiaHR, which is now “going gang-busters”.
“In Sydney I was working with big global businesses. Down here, I work side by side with business owners. I get so much satisfaction from partnering with these guys – they’ve got a lot on the line – and many have become friends,” Anna says.
For Gavin, living regionally gave him the life-changing opportunity to do what some fathers can only dream about.
“As a stay-at-home dad for many years, the bond I share with my girls is second to none,” says Gavin, who has since gone on to build a new career within the IT field, working minutes from home.
The family lives on a one-and-a-quarter-acre block only minutes from the beach and even managed to enjoy Covid lockdown.
“We usually go camping on weekends, so we set up our camper-trailer in the back yard and spent our weekends there!” Anna says.
“I couldn’t imagine living in a city unit again.”
