Bruce
Born in Australia in 1941, Bruce started his business career studying accountancy and working for chartered accountants in Sydney. Unhappy with life inside an office he eventually escaped in order to put his efforts into his main passion of offshore sailing and became a sailmaker and rigger. With outdoor sports dominating his life, Bruce acquired his private pilot's licence in 1966 and also became a qualified alpine ski instructor with an interest in bio-mechanics. As one of the founding members, Bruce was the National Secretary of the Australian Professional Ski Instructors for some years. During the sixties, still searching for challenges in sporting competition, he turned towards motor racing and drove an Austin Healey Sprite in hillclimbs and sprint races, and for a short time before the money ran out, found himself behind the wheel of a Lotus 20B.
Sailing and skiiing gave Bruce the opportunity to travel, work, and live in a number of countries around the world which opened up numerous possibilities. After having run his own businesses for some years in Australia including Mai Tai Yacht Covers and Blue Peter Sails (Melbourne) in the summer and The Victorian Alpine Accommodation & Information Centre in the winter. in 1989 Bruce moved to the U.S.A. and together with a partner, set up and ran Milano Yacht Brokerage on Alameda Island. in San Fransisco, acting as a licenced consultant and yacht surveyor. There he also resumed his studies at the University of California at Berkeley where he qualified as a teacher/trainer for TEFL.
At 65 years of age and having lived in the south of France for 15 years, Bruce now works with his wife Suzie as a real estate consultant in the Languedoc Roussillon area.. Still looking for a challenge, he has gone back to his old passion of motor racing and now finds himself most weekends in the "bucket" of a Swiss Hutless kart with a Parilla 125cc X-30 motor competing with some of France's top young drivers in the country's regional and inter-regional championships.
Susie
Susie grew up in Melbourne and after completing her Higher School Certificate in 1977 graduated with a Bachelor of Education in Art and Craft from Melbourne State College in 1981, majoring in Graphic Communication and Educational Psychology.
During her 10 years with the Victorian Education Department Susie worked for various schools teaching Graphics and Art to secondary students including 6 years at Frankston High School on the Mornington Peninsula. During this time she took a year out to travel the world and later spent 2 years travelling and working in the hospitality trade in the UK.
In 1991 Susie completed the RSA Cert. TEFLA ( Teaching English as a Foreign Language to Adults ) and spent the next two years living and woking in Japan with her husband Bruce.
Susie has lived in the Languedoc Roussillon area in the South of France for the last 15 years and for 10 of those ran intensive English Language courses in catering, tourism, business English and Englisih for Special Purposes at the Language Center for the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Carcassonne. She has also worked at various times for other language schools including the MJC and the Academie de Montpellier and has run her own evening classes in local villages. During this time she also completed the Trinity College Licenciate Diploma in TESOL( teaching English to Students of other languages ) by distance learining, undertaking her practical and theory exams in London.
Whilst still based in France Susie spent some time as a trainer for Siemen's Intensive English courses in Germany and just for something different spent a year as an illustrator for a French magazine. This led her to rediscover her love of art and she has had several successful exhibitions in and around the Carcassonne area. (Susie paints on hand made ceramic tiles and pottery ).
Susie lives with her husband and eight year old son in the Corbieres, the largest wine-growing region in France .She loves sport and the outdoor life and is a keen skier. She is currently completing her Diploma 4 in Real Estate by distance learning with TAFE in Australia, which will enable her to obtain her Australian Real Estate Licence.
As an essential member of the Downunder Racing team Susie's role involves organising the necessary administration and co-ordinating the various activites of the four member competition driving team which include her husband Bruce and eight year old son Lucas.
For the last 6 years Bruce and Susie have been jointly running their own successful Real Estate Consultancy and Renovating business, Languedoc Property Management..