![Roma butcher Adam Burke celebrated ten years in town last month after moving from Ireland in 2012. Picture: Clare Adcock Roma butcher Adam Burke celebrated ten years in town last month after moving from Ireland in 2012. Picture: Clare Adcock](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/150747301/9f9a01ae-bb08-4923-9a2a-3ca2852456e3.JPG/r0_285_5568_3428_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
A decade ago butcher Adam Burke left the rolling green hills of Ireland for the dusty plains of south-west Queensland, and he hasn't looked back since.
Subscribe now for unlimited access to all our agricultural news
across the nation
or signup to continue reading
After trolling an online job site and discovering a gig at Queensland Country Meats butchery in Roma, Mr Burke decided he was ready for a tree change and jumped on a plane, before stepping out into the Aussie summer heat, which he said was quite a shock to the system.
"Just by chance I was having a look on these job websites and this ad for a butchering job in Australia came up," he said.
"I thought it was a bit unusual, so I checked it out and the next day Paul, my boss, set up a Skype interview.
"Anyway, he offered me the job and I was over here a few weeks later."
Originally from the city of Waterford, Mr Burke said he loved living in a rural area and enjoyed serving the familiar faces of Roma residents each day in the butcher shop.
"When I was talking to Paul on the Skype he was explaining to me about the place like it's a little town and I liked the idea of it because I've lived in cities all my life and I kind of had enough of that.
"I've slipped right into it here and I enjoy the country life, it's a bit more peaceful and calm."
Apart from slower pace of rural life, Mr Burke said he also enjoyed the tight-knit feeling of living in a smaller community.
"It's real close community here," he said,
"The business I'm in is good because it's a big thing here, cattle and livestock, so everyone loves talking to a butcher because majority of the people into farming.
"I've also made quite a lot of friends here and people know me, which is nice."
A Facebook post shared by Mr Burke's boss, congratulating him on a decade of service, was met with more than a hundred comments from locals thanking the retail manager for always going the extra mile and serving them with a smile.
Since moving to town, Mr Burke got married to his his wife Rene, a Roma local, bought a house and had two kids, two-and-a-half year old Paddy, and one year old Boycie.
Unsurprisingly, he said it was the best decision he could have made and that Roma was definitely home now.
Also read: Governess shortage in the north west region