Ange Liddicoat

Founder of ARC Fitness, Ange Liddicoat, goes by many titles: mother of four, business owner, musician, and singer, to name a few. Originally from Marlborough, New Zealand, Ange has now called the Territory home for 11 years and is loving life in Palmerston, NT.

“As a musician, music teacher, and gym owner, I feel as though the opportunities have been quite expansive, and I believe if you are considering bringing something to the NT, you most definitely should do so; there are lots of opportunities available here.”

Through her business ARC Fitness, Ange loves to give back to her community.

“ARC is very active within the sporting community, and we often have clubs attending ARC to carry out training sessions. We support our sporting clubs wherever we can. We also sponsor The Palmerston Raiders and Palmerston Crocs and have a close relationship with the clubs.”

Although she is thriving in the NT now, it was not a quick integration process for Ange.

“The weather was quite hard to adjust to in the beginning, and of course, being away from family is a hard transition. But we were really grateful that we have a community of people who are also without family and who are searching for that community, and I feel as though it makes our community very tight knit.”

Once finding her community and settling in, Ange now enjoys the relaxed way of life in the Territory and the opportunities it has offered her. “I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.”

“I believe that the opportunities available in the Territory are what has assisted me in being able to raise four children as a solo mum and open a business; these sorts of opportunities aren’t so prevalent in New Zealand.”

“The relaxed way of life is something I really enjoy; even city living feels very relaxed. There are lots of groups within the community that you can be involved with.”

To anyone considering making the move and living in the Territory, Ange says, “I feel like you need to give it at least 2 years before you pack up too quickly.” “I would suggest giving it a bit of time; I spent some time when I first arrived not enjoying my time here as it was a hard adjustment, but it didn’t take long before I valued what it has to offer.”