On the 20 February I published an article in the Journal under the heading 'The Best Job In The World'. The story concerned a job advertisement put out by The Queensland State Government, Australia, who were looking for a caretaker for the tropical island of Hamilton on the great barrier reef.I saw in yesterdays Daily Mail that the job has now been filled. The successful candidate was Ben Southall, from Hampshire, England. No less than 34,000 people, from 200 countries, applied for the job and these were whittled down to just 16 finalists, who then spent four days on the island competing in the final round, before the winner was selected. Ben, 34, will share his new lifestyle with his 21 year old Canadian girlfriend Breanna Watkins.
The job, which is for six months and pays £74,000, involves keeping a video diary of life on the island. The purpose of the job is to promote the islands of the Great Barrier Reef to attract tourism, by swimming, snorkeling and meeting some of the two million annual day trippers who visit the island from the mainland.
Ben, a charity worker, lives with his parents, father Duncan, 65, and mother Margaret, 62 and has a married sister Becky, 32.
