From one big T to another - Robinson family loving life in Gore

Believe it or not, but Gore’s famous Trout statue is somewhat responsible for one of Gore Health’s newest GPs.

Dr Brandon Robinson, his wife, and their three young boys moved to Gore from Austin, Texas in January and it may just have been a picture of Trevor the Trout that sealed the deal for the family.

“Everywhere looked pretty cool. But I love to fish, so when I saw the fish statue I thought this could be a place that I would like,” he says.

And it is.

“My wife and I had always actually talked about coming to New Zealand one day to work.”

Then, about a year ago, and after a hard day, Brandon saw an email he normally scrolled past - one from a New Zealand recruitment agency.

“And I was like, you know what? I’m just gonna send them an email back and just, you know, what the heck, you know, see what it's about.”

Getting used to a different system of referrals and specialists has been a learning curve, but 95 percent of the work is the same, he says. And rural is rural wherever you go - “just different boots”.

The family have slotted in well, with the kids enjoying school - a positive change, he says - and the welcoming and supportive environment at Gore Health have made the transition that much easier.

“It's a little bit different to a big city, it was rare that I'd run into my patients at the supermarket. Here, I see my patients all the time. So I'm getting used to that, but I don't mind it. Yeah, I really don't mind it.”