Living in the City of Mount Isa

In 1974, I took up a contract to teach in the Queensland Education Department and was posted to Mount Isa after migrating from northern Minnesota in the USA. It was a move from the frigid winters with Artic winds to the dry semi-desert heat, and one that took a bit of adjusting to, at least physically.
 
However, as soon as I arrived here, the beat of the city was evident and the living was easy, friends were made in a short time and the vibrancy of the community was obvious, for everyone was working and fun money was in good supply.
 
My wife, whom I met here, had had enough of the coastal humidity and liked the climate as much as I did, for planning any activity was easy with the predictability of the weather. We have two daughters who are involved in so many activities that it didn't take long before we had to sit down and say to them that choices had to be made as they got more intense in the outside-of-school items. The reason that exists, for the unlimited choice, is that travel within the city is not a factor. In the big cities, the amount of time spent in cars getting to and from a place cuts down the options. Having kids in Mount Isa is a dream. They can experience a lot of things in the early years and then hone their choices and get to the ones that they like and are good at.
 
The State High School offers a very wide variety of subjects and also extra-curricular activities, and the staff has a mix of long term people who have settled here, as we did and budding youngsters just getting into the field, with some good ideas and a lot of energy.
 
I have played golf with professionals in the City of Mount Isa Open over the years and they have been unanimous in their approval of the condition of the course. In the 1980's, I played for and coached the Mount Isa Representative Men's Softball team to state titles and it was terrific beating Brisbane sides, for athletic talent in a city like this can be astronomical if properly developed and coached.
 
Mount Isa is a city where unemployment is very low. Opportunity abounds for people with the energy to make something of their lives. It has a wide range of nationalities so no one feels isolated or rejected.
 
Some people worry about the distance factor, but it can be looked at in another way. Being in an area that is remote, yet has the modern amenities and both cultural and sporting activities that are here, presents a feeling of independence and inner peace. It is the freedom aspect that is marvelous. It is the chance to reinvent oneself if need be, and to start over.
 
Mount Isa has it all. It is unique and unusual. But it is really special. I just received a letter from a couple who were here for nearly twenty years but had to relocate on the coast in Mackay. The lady spoke of the homesickness they feel for this great city and this is after a year and a half. She also mentioned several other people that she sees and had known who had lived here but moved away. They too feel this yearning for Mount Isa. It is a city of mystique and an unexplainable quality that grips residents and former residents forever. It may be a mystery to some, but the fact that so many people get involved in reunions in places far away is testimonial itself. Mount Isa is a place that you can never really leave.
 
Jim Pogorelc
Mount Isa
Oct 14, 1999

Lifestyle