Live Your List - Australian Paradise

With her mother enchanted by English and doing courses, Diana Paola McClelland was also charmed by the “pretty” language, especially through television shows like Friends. After many English courses and failures, Diana decided to study abroad for six months. She was tossing up between the United States or South Africa; however, her brother was in Australia and described it as “paradise.”

---

On 5 May 2009, Diana left Bogota as an engineering university graduate bound for Sydney for a six-month English study course.

“My study trip turned into a life decision - with Australian residency, husband, daughter and a career change. Although I miss parts of my Colombian life, I am happy to be here. What I like the most about Australia is I enjoy my life.”

Moving to Australia was never her plan. Even though on leaving, her father, through tears, warned, “you will never come back.”

“I was adamant that I would be returning home to Bogota (below). I had an engineering job, boyfriend and everything there – family, friends, volleyball and being a jet ski racing champion.”

Diana admits she did not know much about Australia, except it was the land of kangaroos, koalas, English and Bondi Rescue.

“As a family, we liked Australia because we loved tennis. My dad, brother and I would get up at 3am in the morning to watch the Australian Open.”

Like any change, living in Sydney was not easy. For the first three months, she lived with her brother, and they fought, worked as a cleaner and was despondent as she wanted to be an engineer.

Determined, pragmatic and optimistic, Diana moved into share accommodation, found a new job and started to settle into her new lifestyle.

“As a nanny, I was able to practise my English with the kids by talking with them. They showed me things and were patient with me.”

After finishing her English course, Diana studied a Diploma in Business Management and intended to go back to Bogota in April 2011.

However, fate had another idea, and she met Daniel McClelland in March. By June, Diana was moving to Newcastle and applying for her residency. From there, the couple married in 2016 and their daughter Georgia was born in 2018. After several career changes, Diana is building two businesses – Toco Yoga specialising in movement for people in over 55s villages and aged care, and Funwear - quirky animal raincoats for toddlers.

“I am very happy with my English, every day I learn more, and it is fun. I still make mistakes, but who cares.”

She has seen koalas and kangaroos and loved Bondi Beach, especially its proximity, as the seaside was an 18-hour drive from Bogota.

“I have been to the Australian Open three times. Each time was fantastic, the best thing ever.”

There have been return trips to Colombia to visit family, friends and for Daniel and Georgia to understand the country and its culture.

With her move to Australia, Diana accomplished several of her bucket list wishes - learn another language, move to another country and immerse herself into the culture. However, raising a daughter to be a good person to herself and others is Diana’s legacy and priority.

With this in mind, Diana and Daniel are converting a bus into a motorhome so that the family can travel around Australia over the Christmas holidays.

“What I have learnt in Australia is you can achieve anything you want. If you really want it, there is no limit. There is always something in you that says go there or there. You should not ever stop searching. If I had, I would be an engineer and not a yoga instructor, which I love! And especially the community and learning there is more out there than yourself.”