Gary Goldberg remembers settling the family in their new home in the UK at the start of his time at the Group head office in London, before departing only a week later on a business trip to Brazil. “Are we going to be OK here with mom driving on the other side of the road?” the children asked cautiously as he was leaving. Gary also recognizes that in a career with Rio Tinto that to date has taken him from Salt Lake City to Colorado in the US, on to London, Australia and then back to the States, the relocation process has been made easier by the choice of countries, all English speaking.

At one point in his career, he rejected an opening in Papua New Guinea, as “too much of an adventure” for a young family. However with his eldest child in sight of university education, he, like Mike Jolley, can see a time in the future when he and his wife will be ready for a more challenging location.

For those without dependants, like Sinead Kaufman, the idea of an “adventure” is part of their careers. “Moving to Weipa seemed like a great opportunity to live differently in a frontier type of town,” she says. “It has changed our lives in a very positive way and has made us appreciate some of the things others might take for granted such as shopping or eating out at restaurants.

“Here the grocery store comes in on a boat and we get our fresh fruit and vegetables once a week on Thursdays. It has made good chefs of both of us.”

Once a move has been agreed, there are the practicalities to be sorted. Naturally, after an initial visit to get the lay of the land, there is full support provided by relocation experts, who help in the search for properties and schools, and generally to help individuals acclimatize.

Most of these Rio Tinto expats have shown great decisiveness in settling on a place to live in the new territory. Mike Jolley sums this up: “We got the chance to visit Jakarta before we made our final decision. Then, when we knew it was all happening, we spent one day getting a feel for the place and the second looking at properties. Two weeks later we were in our apartment. You need to work out what you want and get on with it, otherwise you can become stuck.”