By Jenel Hunt
You’d never guess it from the tinge of red in his hair, his name or the pronounced burr in his voice, but Kenny McMonigle is Australian.
Well, only just. He celebrated his Australian citizenship at a ceremony in Stanthorpe last week.
Having lived in Australia for nearly seven years, he chuckles when he looks back at his decision to move to Australia. He had met his Australian wife Opal when she was living in Scotland (her father was born in Scotland).
“We decided in about 15 minutes. It takes us longer to decide what we’re having for dinner these days,” Kenny said.
Their first stop was Gin Gin, Queensland. Then they went north to Gladstone but that was far too hot for Kenny.
“Where’s somewhere cooler?” he asked Opal.
Applethorpe and The Summit came up on a Google search as the coolest places in Queensland, so they set off for the little village of Applethorpe on the Granite Belt.
“Stanthorpe is a beautiful community. We were here during the fires and the drought and the start of Covid – it wasn’t an easy time – but I found that people welcomed me with open arms,” he said.
With a business that services the whole of the Southern Downs while still doing overseas work, he and Opal have finally settled in Warwick.
“Our company AWE Media started out in Scotland two decades ago but we’re now based in Warwick trading as Southern Downs Digital doing professional web design and digital marketing services,” Kenny said.
“I love the variety of small businesses here.”
One of Kenny’s passions is to help small businesses as much as he can.
“One of the things I have realised is the divide between regional areas and the cities in terms of support for businesses. I enjoy the opportunity to help by sharing any knowledge that I have. Sometimes people in the country don’t know about government support programs that might be available to them.
“I’m not really one for the big cities. I’ve lived in London and Dublin and all over the place, but this is definitely home. Life is a little slower, and people tend to be a bit nicer, I think.
“I still run my global business, but my heart is here now. I’ve always liked Aussies. I’d bump into them wherever I was during my travelling days. I’ve always thought that you know where you are with Australians. It’s refreshing that as a country, you’re not scared to speak out.”
Kenny and Opal say their children are the business and their fluffy cat Angus. A ginger, of course.
Kenny looks back at his time waiting to become an Australian citizen as a kind of limbo.
“I’ve been jumping through hoops for about six years,” he said.
It feels a bit like you’re a second-class citizen while you’re waiting, but you have to be patient and not lose faith. It’s hard to plan your life but you just do your best.
“In a way it’s a relief to finish the journey. Some people wait for 10 or 15 years.”
Opal’s mum and dad were at the ceremony to fly the family flag and support their son-in-law’s special moment. Her dad Joe Law – perhaps better known in Australia as Buddy Weston – was wearing his best Hawaiian-style shirt that on closer inspection turned out to be a very Australian shirt, featuring prawns at the barbie, kangaroos on the beach and other Aussie icons. The man who has had a country music career spanning decades and who also wrote songs for Slim Dusty and who penned “Thistle on the Hillside” which won a Golden Guitar at the Tamworth Country Music Awards in the Heritage Section, was happy to take a back seat and let his son-in-law have the spotlight. Except for the rather loud shirt, of course.
