Brand Tas

In 2018, When Sian Tiangco stepped off the plane and onto King Island for the first time, a vast expanse of flat farmland stretched out before him. He thought to himself, “What have I done?”

He was alone in a remote, unfamiliar land. But he’d worked hard to get here and was determined to make it work, so he persevered and caught a taxi from the airport. During the ride, the driver shared insights about King Island life. “Here in King Island, no one locks their door,” the driver explained. “Everyone is welcome everywhere.” For Sian, who was from the Philippines, this was a strikingly new concept.

As Sian’s taxi passed by the locals on his first day, he noticed something curious about the other cars: people were pointing at him from behind the wheel. In the Philippines pointing is considered rude, so, naturally, Sian wondered if he had done something wrong. Had he made a mistake in coming here? “It was such a challenge for me,” he says, “but exciting at the same time.” Exciting indeed, for on this first day, he couldn’t have guessed how King Island would nestle into his heart.

It was such a challenge for me, but exciting at the same time. Everyone was welcoming. Everyone was understanding where I came from.

A decade earlier, in 2009, Sian graduated from nursing school in the Philippines and began working at a local hospital. It was during those university years that he met his now-wife, Jo-Ann. In 2018, Sian made the life-altering decision to immigrate to Australia while Jo-Ann worked as a nurse in Dubai. He spent several months in Melbourne, tirelessly applying for jobs across the country, sending out around 50 applications per day.

He landed numerous interviews, including one with the King Island Hospital. “I was like, ‘Ah, where’s King Island?” Sian recalls. “I really thought it was part of Queensland, because King Island, Queensland. It made sense in my head.” After the interview, he did some research.

He found out King Island is a small island in the middle of Bass Strait, not far away from Melbourne or mainland Tasmania, with only a few thousand residents. Sian was particularly attracted to all the fishing and beef on the island. “An absolute tick for me,” he says. He decided to pack a bag and embrace the journey into the unknown.

This led to his first day on the island. Sian quickly learned that the locals weren’t pointing at him from their cars; it was simply the King Island one-finger wave—a friendly gesture to say “hi” while driving. Sian immediately began to feel a sense of belonging within the community.

He started his new role as a registered nurse at the King Island Hospital. Adjusting took some time, but he was made to feel like he belonged. “As English is not my first language, it took me a bit of time to adjust.” he says. “I was the only Asian working in the hospital. It was such a challenge for me, but exciting at the same time. Everyone was welcoming. Everyone was understanding where I came from.”

Sian rapidly fell in love with King Island. “There was just something about the place,” he says. After only three months, he knew this was where he wanted to raise a family. He reached out to Jo-Ann, suggesting she move to King Island so they could work and live together. It didn’t take much convincing.

“First thing she told me when she arrived was how green it is,” Sian says. Perhaps it was meant to be—Sian’s first day at the hospital was also Jo-Ann’s birthday, and Jo-Ann’s first day was Sian’s birthday. “It’s probably destiny that we’re here,” he says. “And yeah, we’ve been working here ever since.” And work they did, as nurses in all areas of the hospital from aged care to emergency.

Jo-Ann started work at the hospital in March 2020. Needless to say, this was a tumultuous time. “It was pretty bad during COVID,” Sian admits. “But fortunately, the management was amazing in supporting us as the nursing staff.” It was in the midst of the pandemic that Sian and Jo-Ann got to see the King Island community really come together. “Everyone was offering. People were giving away fish, vegetables, all of that. It was very scary at first because of how isolated we were, but with that sense of community, it quickly went away.”

“It’s a world within a world,” he says of King Island. “It’s that sense of community. Trying to help out each other.” Even during recent droughts, the islanders come together to support those in need. It’s a pattern that he sees again and again. “I think it has a lot to do with the elderly population here on the island as well,” he says. “They’re very appreciative, they’re very welcoming.”

In his work, Sian spends a lot of time with older patients, and they’re so friendly he often gets asked to dinner after they’ve been discharged from hospital. “A lot of people here on King Island have really good baking skills,” he says with a smile, “like making cakes, cupcakes, and dessert. I don’t know what it is.”

After several years on the island, Sian and Jo-Ann welcomed a new addition to their family—baby Sofia, born in August 2023. “It’s such a small community, everyone found out immediately,” Sian laughs. “We were greeted in town going to shops, everyone wishing us luck.” Following Sofia’s birth, they received an outpouring of support from the community. “It just shows you how King Island people are.”

Sian’s hunch that King Island would be a great place to start a family has proven true. “I think it's the perfect place to raise children,” he says. “Where else in the world can you have Sofia walking around in the garden and not be worried about it? Where else in the world can I let her experience this nature and have this opportunity to grow up in such a fantastic place?” He is aware that challenges will come when Sofia will want to go to college and university. “But for now,” he says, “we’re looking at staying longer on King Island.”

He is eager to see more nurses and health professionals follow in his footsteps. Recently, the hospital successfully recruited additional nurses, a huge win for the team. “Regarding accommodation,” he says, “the hospital has seven cabins offsite. It's a two-minute drive away from the hospital. And onsite, they have around seven one-bedroom apartments.” The aim is to find people who will love and thrive on King Island, people seeking a slower, quieter pace of life surrounded by nature rather than the hectic atmosphere of bigger cities.

Sian has developed new terms to describe his experiences, one being ‘island fever’. “Every three months, sometimes you’d just like to fly out of the island,” he explains. “Sometimes you just want to look at buildings.” Fortunately, King Island’s proximity to Melbourne and mainland Tasmania makes it easy to enjoy a change of scenery. Plus, there are incentives to do so. “That’s one of the things that Tasmania health service also offers. All permanent staff are provided three round trip fares every single year to have that time off.”

In 2023, Sian was offered the opportunity to become a clinical nurse educator, a role he gladly accepted. This position aims to support new staff, something Sian is deeply passionate about, and he is eager to welcome students to the island he holds dear to his heart. “I want this to be a teaching site,” he says. The hospital has been supporting students with the aim to be an attractive placement for those seeking rural experiences. “If I can make a small contribution to get the future nursing generation interested in rural district sites, that would be amazing,” he states. He wants to demonstrate that rural hospitals are not fading; they are vibrant, young, and full of opportunity.

After a long journey filled with ups and downs, Sian’s experience on King Island has been transformative. When he first moved here he was all alone, but now—with Jo-Ann and Sofia by his side—he is part of a tightknit community. He hopes others can come and find their own meaning.

“I still can’t believe I’m here,” he beams.