Happy family decide to make the tree change to Armidale after visiting the Country & Regional Living Expo

Gary and Jenny Bennett visited the Country and Regional Living Expo at Rose Hill,  Sydney, seven years ago. They had already decided they wanted to leave Sydney and the Expo is a great way to view the many regional communities that showcase themselves to Sydney residents. This way they could view the communities and look for a university town that was appealing to them and their family. They understood that leaving the city didn’t mean sacrificing education for their children; the eldest Rachel having just finished year 12 and second eldest Emma in year 10, both who had expressed interest in attending university after High School.

They had not considered Armidale before they attended the Expo; Armidale is 474.6 km from Sydney, making the driving journey approximately 5 hours long and perhaps a little too far away for the Bennett’s who had family in the Sydney and Central Coast regions. It wasn’t until the people at the Armidale exhibit grabbed their attention to talk about the university of New England (UNE) and how great Armidale is that they became interested in the town.

They made the move not long after and have never looked back. The two youngest children James and Sarah are at Armidale High School; Gary got work in his profession as an accountant; and Rachel and Emma attend the University of New England. The family are involved in their local church in Uralla and Jenny is volunteering at the nursing home in her spare time. They have a 10-acre hobby farm at Invergowrie; a small community 15 kilometres from Armidale and say they are very happy they made the move.