Making It Work On The Coast | S1 E5 “Anton, Grace and the 10,000km journey”
Location: Sechelt
Outdoor: John Phare Lake (aka Wormy Lake)
Social Recco: Basted Baker
Anton and Grace’s romance began 10,000 kilometres away from their Sechelt home. The pair originally met in their native Philippines and have been on an intercontinental journey that’s only recently culminated on the Sunshine Coast.
In the early stages, Grace and Anton were juggling a long distance relationship between British Columbia and the Philippines. Grace had moved to BC and was working in Burnaby, while Anton remained in the Philippines.
It was a great job opportunity with Scotiabank that enticed Grace to move from her home in Burnaby to Sechelt. Around that time, Anton popped the question and plans were forming for him to join her in BC.
Anton remembers vividly the day he hopped off the plane and made his way to his very first home in Canada: the Sunshine Coast.
“The moment that we were driving down the highway, I said ‘yes!’. I instantly liked the place,” he explains. Having grown up in a remote community himself, Anton loves the small town feel of The Coast.
The couple now lives in a beautiful new 1,700 square foot home with an additional 500 square foot add-on rental suite, which is their mortgage helper. Grace is a BMO mortgage specialist and works out of the Gibsons and Sechelt branch, while Anton works as a Mobile Investment consultant at CIBC branch in Gibsons.
A self-professed city girl, Grace says she had initial concerns about her move from the big city. But, the birth of their little one, Eliana , has been a catalyst for her to become more embedded in the Sunshine Coast community. Between the prenatal classes and host of community programming for new moms and babies, Grace and her munchkin have found their tribe.
“It’s very homey. People are so nice. They’re very open. You have support,” she says.
Whereas she used to visit the city nearly every weekend, she now makes her way over around once per month and is able to stay in their Burnaby apartment, which they still own.
“I think [living here] keeps you young. It gives you a different feel and doesn’t stress you out too much,” Grace adds.
Now, Grace, Anton and Eliana spend their time exploring the coastal hikes and lakes in the area. Anton is a fishing fanatic and has quickly built community around his passion.
“Open yourself up. Get out there and meet the community and form relationships with your neighbours and explore. You have a beautiful backyard on The Coast. Mountains, waterfalls, inlets, wildlife. I say just explore as much as you can while forming good relationships with your neighbours.”
Are you interested in learning more about making the move to the Sunshine Coast? Contact me a for a consultation.
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Each year, the Sunshine Coast welcomes new year-round residents who have unearthed the secret of “going coastal”. In this Making It Work On The Coast blog series, we’ll get to know our new neighbours, who are fast becoming part of the fabric of our community. I’ll discover their inspirations for moving to the Sunshine Coast, and the homes, lifestyles, and careers they’ve built in our amazing neck of the woods.
