Listening to the radio a few days ago, I heard about an opportunity that Tourism Queensland is advertising as "The Best Job in the World". The organisation is offering one lucky person the post of Caretaker of the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef -- a new position, lasting for six months, that will involve living on and exploring a place called Hamilton Island. Whoever gets the job will be paid handsomely, get to enjoy the tropical paradise, and be required to report on his or her adventures by way of a blog, photo gallery and video diary.
My name is Ian Mantgani. I am 26 years old, I was born in Sligo, Ireland, and I have lived most of my life in Liverpool, England, where I am as I type this. We have a great city here, and we are on the coast... but of all that could be said to be inspiring about Britain, its grey, cold and rainy weather would not be on the list. The clarity, colour and sun of the Great Barrier Reef is over 8,000 miles away in distance, and a transcendent leap of imagination away in character.
I want this job. And that is what this blog will be about.
My life has been off the rails for the past decade; I went off-track at a stage of life that most people find crucial in testing their mettle, establishing their independence and getting on their defining paths. I have felt directionless and detached from my self, and I have felt the panic of trying to stop the bleeding of my strength and re-establish a plan for my life, and not being able to do it. These are strange feelings for someone who, as a kid, had an unreasonably strong sense of self and where I was going.
I'm not going to get into the drudgery of the details of my sob story right now, but I will cut to the chase and say that I need something to work towards. The narrative of my life is broken, and I need a vision to work at and a happening for a new narrative to pivot around. I was in Ireland last year visiting my grandmother, and out of the blue I got a text from my buddy Mike. It read, simply: "Get off your arse and do something with your life, like come to Australia for a year." And when I heard about this job, I remembered that message, and all thoughts of not having enough money, or a year in the wilderness disrupting my schedule, drifted away. The planets aligned, and I felt the hand of destiny. I want this. I need this. And I'm right for it.
The successful applicant will have certain tasks to perform: Feeding fish, cleaning the pool of the three-bedroom beach house that will serve as the caretaker's residence, collecting mail and flying with the local aerial postal service, and following a schedule of adventures around Hamilton Island. I'm a hard worker, and I can do those tasks. The successful applicant will also demonstrate a knowledge about the islands of the Great Barrier Reef, and will enjoy swimming, sailing, kayaking, snorkelling, diving, picnics, bushwalking, and... well, you get the idea.
Here's where I falter. I don't know much about Australian flora and fauna, and although I have been kayaking and love swimming (got a 5000 metre distance swimming badge when I was a kid, by the by...), I don't know anything about sailing, surfing or any of those kinds of high-demand watersports.
I have a fear that Tourism Queensland is going to appoint someone who fits the typical profile of a backpacker or a conservationist - a muscular surfer dude, a tanned adventurer, someone who already embodies the spirit of the land. Someone who deserves the job more, instead of being more right for it. But I hope they will have the courage and imagination to appoint someone who can embrace this type of adventure without already having lived it. I hope they will see my application and realise that I have the passion to learn, I have the courage to adventure, and I am competent at writing, speaking and communicating through photo and video, and if they appoint someone like me, for whom the islands will be a healing experience and an unprecedented adventure, they'll show the world that the land they're trying to advertise is an inspiration to everyone, not just an intimidatingly brilliant sector of beautiful people.
So that's why this blog is here. The application deadline is 30 days from now. The application comes in the form of a 60-second video explaining why the video-maker is right for the job. Over the next 30 days, I'm going to research the area, get in whatever aquatic adventures I can afford on my limited budget and find around Liverpool, and report back here will text, photos and video. This is my showcase to show I can do it.
And after that needlessly sombre introduction, let me just say thanks for stopping by, and I hope you'll stay with me through this journey. See you later... I'm going for a swim.
