Getting settled in for Christmas Down Under

Last month, Athlone man Darren O'Neill moved with his partner Becky Garman and their children, Jack (10), Jasmine (5), and Ellery (2), to Perth, Australia.

Darren is a son of Trish and Terry O'Neill, while Becky is originally from Crawley in England. The couple met in Australia in 2011, before moving back to Athlone where they were based from 2013 until this year.

Darren and Becky answered these questions for us about getting settled into life in Australia again, and their plans for Christmas this year.

How did your move to Australia come about?

Darren was offered a sponsorship opportunity and so we decided to move to Perth in November 2025.

How have you found the process of getting settled?

We’ve been quick to settle. We did a lot of our organising before leaving Ireland. Our older children, Jack and Jasmine, have started in their new school and are settling in well.

What are the best and worst things about living there?

The best things are the weather, the facilities and of course the beaches. The worst would, for sure, be missing family and friends - and also the spiders!

What are your plans for Christmas Day this year?

On Christmas Day we will have our dinner early and keep the afternoon and evening free to make calls to family back home.

Is there any message you'd like to send to your friends or family reading this?

To our friends and family and wonderful neighbours back home: We miss you and are slightly jealous of your traditional Christmas weather, and being able to celebrate in person.

We would like to give a special shout out to the under-11 St Joseph’s football teams. Best of luck with the season ahead!