The county of Derbyshire in the East Midlands of the UK is a far cry from the Shire of Narrogin, but even on a 37 degree day, the town in the Wheatbelt got Matt Sewell’s tick of approval.
A youth worker from YMCA Derbyshire, Matt came to Australia to undertake work in Sydney in his field of study - graphic design - before realising it wasn’t for him and his passion lies within youth work.
“Back home I work for a program called YPlay where we take disabled children and able-bodied children out on day trips, and we teach them new activities and skills, which also gives their parents some respite ” Matt said.
With three weeks to spend in Australia, Matt says the highlight of his time here so far was getting out to Narrogin with our General Manager of South West Jurek Stopczynski.
“I really enjoyed Narrogin and all of the staff were absolutely lovely. I started on the pool deck, then I was behind the counter for a bit as well followed by some handyman work other odd jobs -nothing like a free holiday!” Matt laughed.
The first day Matt and Jurek spent in Narrogin, temperatures soared above 37 degrees, and Matt said he thinks he was even getting sunburnt in the shade.
“Matt was a really great part of the team – we had nearly 100 people in the pool and he jumped on deck straight away, he had no hesitation in engaging with people and helping everyone stay safe in a crowded pool. The team really liked him – when we left after two days the team gave him a signed pool noodle as a memento of Narrogin,” Jurek said.
He added: “It was great that Matt was so impressed with the site, I was really proud of the facility because everyone worked really well on the first real hot day that they’ve had.”
However the scathing temperatures haven’t seemed to deter the Englishman.
“It was just so busy and I think that’s probably the best thing, the locals were lovely and very friendly too. I’d love to come back and visit the people I’ve met - one of the ladies offered me some farm work! With Narrogin once you know one person you know half the village I guess!” Matt said.
It’s safe to say Narrogin can look forward to Matt returning one day soon.