The NSW South Coast is a far cry from the heartland of England but that's exactly what rugby league legend Andy Lynch loves about it.
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Although he's resided at Vincentia on the shores of Jervis Bay for close to 18 months, most don't even know the start of what the 44-year-old achieved on the field - which is just fine to him.
"The whole time here has been brilliant," Lynch said.
"One of the main reasons we came to Australia, apart from my wife April being to be closer her sister Kirsti and mum Sue, was for the lifestyle our kids could enjoy growing up - from exploring, going to the beach, surfing and enjoying the warm weather.
"It's completely different to what we had back in England, as everyone is more relaxed and it's good to be able to fly under the radar a bit - I don't think we could ask for anymore.
"It would be remiss of me not to thank our friends Brett and Nat, who April has been friends with for 35 years, for helping us settle in and assist in buying our house."
The imposing prop started his rugby league journey at Kippax Welfare as an eight-year-old, where he and his mates were forced to play in the under 11s, as there was no side in his age group.
"It was a pretty daunting start, coming up against kids much older than us but I loved it right from the get-go," the Leeds product said.
"I enjoyed the physicality from the start and it's probably why I kept playing, along with all the friends you make.
"I also tried my hand a bit at soccer during school but didn't take to it like footy.
"It wasn't until I was 14 that it all sort of just clicked and I thought I'm going to try and have a really good go at this - which is about the time I started to get noticed as a young player."
His ascension was quick from here and by the age of 19, Lynch had made his debut with the Castleford Tigers in 1999.
"Still to this day, I have very fond memories of my debut," he said.
"It was a really special moment for myself, as well as my friends and family that had gotten me to that point.
"It definitely happened quicker than I thought but it's a testament to the club and coaching staff to have many young players, including myself come through the system and be up to the English Super League standard at such a young age.
"To share that moment with someone like Danny Orr, who was in the under 8s with me and am still good friends with to this day, was amazing."
This proved to be the first of 229 games he played for Castleford during two stints at Mend-A-Hose Jungle, from 1999-2004 and 2014-17.
During his time with the Tigers, Lynch was named Castleford's Player of the Year and in the Super League Dream Team, both in 2003 and won the League Leaders' Shield in his final season before hanging up the boots.
"When I left Castleford (after the club was relegated), I definitely didn't think I'd get the chance to go back," Lynch, who scored 66 tries in his career, said.
"To have the chance to go back to where it all started to end my career meant a lot to me.
"That second chance also allowed me to lay some foundations, in culture and discipline, at the club, which I'm proud to say are still evident to this day."
In between playing with his boyhood club, Lynch lined up for Bradford on 204 occasions, from 2005-11, and made 59 appearances for Hull in 2012 (both in which he has the honour of captaining) and 2013.
Highlights with the Bulls included winning club awards such ad Supporters' Player of the Year, Players' Player of the Year, BISA Player of the Year and Best Forward of the Year.
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These strong showings led to five English caps (2004-05), one for Great Britain (2007) and seven for England A (2002-03).
"Having the chance to represent my country on a number of occasions was extremely special and something that will always stay with me," he said.
"Aside from those, another career highlight is winning the World Club Challenge against the Wests Tigers in 2005 with Bradford.
"Although I lost on both occasions I played there, having the chance to take to the field at Wembley for the Challenge Cup final (in 2013 and 2014) is something any young English sportsperson dreams of."
All these experiences saw him finish his career with 502 games to his name - 452 of which were in the English Super League, which is just two shy of Kevin Sinfield's all-time record.
"Going into my final season, I definitely had my eyes on that record but because I most of the previous season with a broken ankle, I had too much ground to catch up," he said.
"If it wasn't for that record, I would have retired in 2016 but I pushed on, as I wanted to end it on my terms.
"Although I fell just short, I can't complain how many games I was able to play during my career - I proud to say I walked away fit, healthy and plenty of fond memories."
Apart from that ankle injury, Lynch was largely durable during his career - which he puts down to his interest in another sport.
"The key to my longevity over those 19 years, I believe, was the fact I played a lot of squash each week, which kept me quite fit," he said.
"Playing two or three times a week at the Pontefact Squash Club, saw me compete at a decent standard and have numerous games against former world number one Lee Beachill, who's a big footy fan too, and owner Mick Todd.
"Keeping sharp with a different type of fitness allowed me to stay in shape all year round and get the most out of my body during those 19 years."
Lynch was 38 when he finally retired, eight years later than he had originally planned with his Maroubra-born wife April (who originally came over visiting family) - who he'd met through former Cronulla-Sharks player Paul Mellor and partner and Ali in 2003.
The pair of them and their three children Tristen (14), Kye (13) and Corey nine) then moved to the land down under in 2019, seeing them reside in Sydney for one year.
His partner and children then moved to Vincentia in April 2020, with Lynch following after COVID-19 settled down, as he had a job lined up at New Image Kitchens - whose owners Paul and Sindy Smith have been an exceptional help to his transition to South Coast life.
"I was all set to move down to the South Coast with the family but was advised by my current employer to stay in Sydney until after COVID by-passes, which saw me move down permanently a couple of months later," he said.
"Once we finally settled here, we've all fallen in love with the South Coast lifestyle."
As well as that lifestyle and after a break from the sport, Lynch has gotten back involved with rugby league, with his son Kye (under 14s) playing for the St Georges Basin Dragons Junior Rugby League Club - with other sons Tristen and Corey playing football for St Georges Basin (under 16s) and Huskisson-Vincentia (under 10s) respectively.
"Shannon Swan (Dragons president) has made me feel extremely welcome and anything I've ask for, from balls to training equipment, to help the kids, she's provided me with," Lynch, who admits he's enjoyed watching two of his sons enjoy a sport that isn't rugby league, said.
"She's even gone and got me more players, I honestly don't think there's anymore she could have done for me.
"I appreciate the lengths she's gone to to get me back involved at an amateur level again, because that wasn't really part of the plan but I'm really loving being back involved, especially watching my son enjoy himself."
While his playing resume still flies under the radar of most at Francis Ryan Reserve, people are starting to realise Lynch's pedigree - which he hopes to pass onto the next generation of rugby league stars.
"I feel I've got a fair bit of experience I can pass onto the kids, while also showing them they don't have to be as erratic in their approach to the game as they have been in the past," he said.
"To the boys' credit, they've listened to everything I've said and are now playing with a lot more structure, which is great to see.
"I've never been one to blow my own trumpet and talk up my career but people at the club are starting to understand where I've come from and the level I've been at - but I don't want that to change their opinions of me, as I just want to help the best I can.
"After all, I came to Australia to get away from all that, so I just want to help kids enjoy rugby league as much as I did."
Lynch also has plans to do what he can to grow rugby league on the South Coast, including through a similar junior development program he started in England, alongside Phil Edgell.
"When I was 19, I took on under 13s side from my local club Kippax Welfare and helped coached," he said.
"Since then, we made a conserved effort to build team on teams each year, so now there is consistently sides from the under 5s all the way up to 16s each and every year - a task which took 19 years to achieve.
"There's now a massive base of young players coming through the club, which are transitioning into senior and making their first grade debuts - which is great to see.
"It's helped put our local club back on the map, with close to 150 juniors now, because there were years there where players would bypass the chance to join up - as there's so much work that goes on behind closed doors at that level that people don't see.
"I'd love to try and build that kind of junior base here not only at St Georges Basin but all up and down the South Coast.
"The more kids we can get down to the footy field and away from their television screens or phones, the better off clubs and those individuals will be.
"Once they do that, they'll have fun with their mates, create special memories and realise rugby league is the best game in the world."