FROM Ireland to Australia, one former backpacker's "Irish dream" has resulted in a decades long career in SA horticulture and a wealth of experiences he'll never forget.
Armed with a plane ticket, limited money and a couple of mates, William "Woodie" Allen made the journey from to Dublin to Sydney more than 20 years ago for what he thought would just be a working holiday but what awaited him was so much more.
Arriving in Sydney, his plan was to meet an Irish builder to pick up some work while exploring the east coast.
"Where do you go to meet an Irish builder in Sydney? You go to an Irish pub," Woodie said.
"But we didn't meet any Irish builders and just ended up in too many pubs.
"It got to the stage where we needed money pretty badly and I found an ad for forklift drivers in Murray Bridge in our hostel, so I spent my last $250 on a bus ticket from Sydney to Murray Bridge and hoped for the best."
Woodie arrived at the bus stop in Murray Bridge on one of the hottest days of the year with another backpacker to wait for their new employer - nine hours later, they were still waiting.
"It was me and a Canadian girl and we just sat on the side of the road in the blistering heat waiting," he said.
"It was around 43 degrees and it was one of those days it was so hot no one was even in the main street. Our new boss eventually rocked up and off we went."
Promised jobs driving machinery, the backpackers were instead tasked with picking lettuce, but that did not deter them.
"It was a bit of false advertising to start off with, but it was great work," Woodie said.
"We originally were living in a hostel, but when that closed down, nine of us backpackers ended up living in rooms attached to the side of his house.
"We all had bunk beds and there was a kitchen and we'd just get up every day to pick lettuce.
"It doesn't sound like much, but it was up there with the best two months of my life."
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At the time, there were major labour shortages in Murray Bridge, with producers crying out for backpackers to work on their properties.
With this in mind, Woodie set off to the hostels in Adelaide to find more workers.
His employer then converted an old farmhouse on the property into a hostel and the property ended up being the largest employer of backpackers in SA at the time.
"I just fell in love with the work and the country," Woodie said.
"I wanted to stick around and I was lucky enough to have a great boss who sponsored my visa and promoted me to farm manager.
"The company progressed from there into a grower stand stall, then 10, then we got a wholesale store and we kept expanding.
"It was amazing for me to be part of that growth and although I had to leave after 10 years due to getting sick, jumping on that bus to Murray Bridge all those years prior was the best decision I've ever made."
An electrical engineer by trade, horticulture was never an industry Woodie thought he would forge his career in, but 21 years on, he says he can't picture himself doing anything else.
Now second-in-charge at AMJ Produce, his life has changed dramatically.
"It was a massive learning curve for me, but it's been worth every hurdle," he said.
"Now I've switched from the growing side of things to restaurants and trade, which is different again from what I started in.
"I've been really fortunate in that way to have the opportunities to build a real career in the industry and progress from picking lettuce to 2IC at AMJ."
Married with one child, Woodie said his life had been blessed beyond measure, but it was not without its struggles.
Losing his father while living in Australia was just one of the tough pills the Irishman had to swallow.
"It was hard going back for the funeral and seeing so many of my family members had left Ireland for 'greener pastures'," he said.
"Speaking to my family at the funeral, around 80 percent of my generation of siblings and cousins have left whether its to Australia or the United States or elsewhere in Europe.
"That's tough to see, but it's something we've seen in Ireland forever - we're all chasing the Irish dream.
"Being away from my family, especially my mother, has been tough, especially since COVID.
"That's probably something I've struggled with most, but I have a beautiful family here and a great career and I'm very grateful to be where I am."
With the SA government reinstating the "10 Pound Pom" scheme last month, Woodie encouraged anyone taking up the opportunity to consider working in the regions.
"There's only so many jobs in pubs and in Adelaide, but there's plenty out in the country if you give it a chance," he said.
"People might think it's not much just picking fruit and vegetables, but I'm proof it can grow into a whole lot more.
"And even if it doesn't, you'll be having the time of your life out there picking fruit, listening to music and spending time with great friends - you can't beat it."