Mack Okine was born in Ghana and raised on cocoa farm. As a young man he studied chemical engineering, but on a whim applied for a dentistry scholarship to Australia. Expecting a city that looked like those he'd seen in the movies, Mack was instead greeted by Townsville in the seventies.
There were few education opportunities near the cocoa farm Mack's parents worked on. So when he was five Mack was sent to boarding school.
The school was strict and students were expected to obey the rules. But as a teenager Mack would sometimes put pillows in his bed to look like he was sleeping, and sneak out to go to the movies.
When Mack won a scholarship to travel to Australia to study dentistry, he imagined it would look like the cities he'd seen in the movies. At first Townsville was quite a shock.
It was more like a village!
During the year Mack spent studying in Townsville he experienced a cyclone that lifted the roof from his house.
We're all huddled in the hallway of the house, and a big mango tree fell on the kitchen and smashed it.
Mack made many friends and enjoyed a busy student life. But he also witnessed discrimination toward his fellow students from Ghana, and toward Indigenous Australians.
Missing home and family, Mack returned to Ghana when he finished studying. But once there he struggled with the conditions and missed the life he had built in Australia.
After a short time he returned to Australia to take job as a dentist. Mack continued to build community in his new home by exploring his interests and hobbies.
In My First Year on Aussie Soil, comedian Suraj Kolarkar delves into the stories of people who have found their feet in Australia, as they share their first impressions, and the highs and lows of life in a new country.
Follow My First Year on Aussie Soil in the SBS Radio app, Spotify, Apple podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts.
