 Ollie Berst is a relative newbie in the Territory: he moved to Darwin from Germany almost three years ago. Trained in e-commerce, Ollie is now busy in the tourism industry. He speaks to Ron Hughes about his love for his adopted country.
Ollie Berst was born in Germany and moved to Australia permanently in September 2006.
Before that he had spent some time in Perth, after deciding he wanted to join in the 2002 Gay Games.
“My employer at that time was very supportive and allowed me to study for 12 months in Perth,” Ollie says. “I was in Perth from June 2002 to July 2003 and in November 2002 I participated at the Gay Games. It was a fantastic event and great to see many others from Europe, too.”
It was during this time he fell in love with Australia and wanted to live here. He was fortunate to receive a job offer and sponsorship from a Darwin based IT company.
“When my sponsorship visa was approved I had a huge farewell party the day before I flew to Darwin,” Ollie recalls. “My party invitation used the slogan of the Northern Territory: The Territory. The difference is opportunity.
“Darwin being quite a small town, I think it is a little bit easier to get information and support from the government in setting up a business. All the requirements have to be fulfilled, but I assume compared to the other Australian capital cities Darwin has its own business flair: relaxed, friendly and very supportive.”
Ollie is now owner of Frangipani Holidays (a wholesaler for Bali holiday packages) and queerTravel.net which caters to all aspects of queer travel internationally.
Life wasn’t always so breezy for Ollie. He knew at 16 that he was gay, but coming out to his parents proved to be traumatic.
He lived with his parents in a small country town of about 3,000 inhabitants until the age of 19 when he moved into “a tiny place” in the same town. At 21 he placed a ‘Man seeking man’ ad in a newspaper and met his boyfriend, Michael. He came out to his sister first and then invited his parents around to break the news. It was November 1, 1990.
“I remember very well as it’s a public holiday in Germany,” Ollie says. “Michael was studying in Edinburgh at the time, but I wanted to tell my parents what was going on in my love life.
“Mum cried bitterly and my Dad was supremely disappointed. He stood up from the table and asked me to see a doctor.
“I would not be his son any further, he said. It was a horrible evening For the next five years, the contact between my Dad and myself was very restricted. We only met on family birthdays and Christmas.
“After five years, he suddenly invited my boyfriend to join us for Christmas. I don't know what happened, but since then my boyfriend has been accepted like a son.”
Ollie says gay life in Darwin is a bit limited because of the small population and he acknowledges community leaders like Peter Caust from Absolutely Books for organizing events.
Does Ollie think gay men at the Top End have a different identity from gays in larger towns like Sydney or Melbourne?
“I don’t think my identity would be different if I lived in Sydney or Melbourne.
“For sure, I would go out more often and enjoy a coffee or drink at a gay-owned restaurant or bar. I participated at the first AsiaPacific OutGames in Melbourne earlier this year. I very much enjoyed going out to see some gay exhibitions and theatre.
“But I love living here in the Top End. It's the people who make this place so beautiful, in addition to the great natural attractions.
“It's a very open-minded region and I feel very welcome."
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