Moving to the Huntsville area has given Andy Bartle a new perspective on life.

The production manager for the Muskoka Roastery Coffee Company came here from England five years ago with his wife Jodie Auckland and daughter Emilie.

“The pace of life there was frenetic,” he says. “It was becoming a rat race.”

Then, in 2001, Bartle was laid off after 27 years in the corporate world of the automotive aftermarket.

“We came to a crossroads,” he says. “And we decided, ‘If our life is going to change, why not make a big change? If we’re fed up with England, why don’t we do something about it?’”

The same day Bartle was laid off, his older daughter, Emma, phoned and told him about a seminar for people who were thinking of emigrating to the United States, Canada, Australia and South Africa. He and his wife drove 40 miles to attend.

“To be honest, we were planning to go to New England,” says Bartle, explaining that they had vacationed there several times. “But the seminar was run by a Canadian who asked us why we wanted to go to the States. She said Canada has all the same benefits but the people are nicer. So we said, ‘Let’s go for it.’”

They applied for a visa without ever having set foot in the country.

In February of 2003 the Bartles planned a two-week holiday in Ontario. Using a roadmap, they planned a driving trip that would show them as much of the province as possible.

When they passed through Huntsville, they thought it was the friendliest place they had been.

“Everyone was so welcoming and kind,” recalls Bartle. “We said to each other, ‘This looks like home.’ It had a real community feeling to it which we never had in England.”

Now, five years after moving to the area, Bartle says they haven’t been disappointed.

“Emilie, who was 15 at the time, started school at Huntsville High School in September of 2003. She slotted straight in. She has really blossomed since we got here. She’s now at the University of Western Ontario.”

Jodie, a teacher, actress, author and poet, took some time to focus on her writing and now teaches at Huntsville Public School. Emma had her own life in England and now works in Germany.

And Andy has found a job he loves. As production manager of the roastery, he oversees two staff members, roasts and packages coffee and processes orders. He also works hard to help develop new customers around the province.

“It’s a small family business with people who care and a great product,” he says. “Patricia and Doug Snell and I have become great friends.”

When asked what he likes best about the job, Bartle says, “I like being able to make a difference. I find that my skills are valued, and I give it total commitment.”

Bartle says that it’s almost impossible now to walk down the street without seeing someone he knows well enough to say hello to. “They may be strangers but you have a passing connection, like you see them at the bank, so you say hello. You just don’t get that in England.”

He and Jodie, who first met while doing a production of Kiss Me Kate in England, have also become part of the Muskoka theatre community. Most recently, Bartle was the stage manager of another Kiss Me Kate show, which was staged in Bracebridge at the end of February. He’s hoping to act in another comedy this year after enjoying co-starring with his wife in One for the Road last summer.

But the most important thing to Bartle is the opportunity to enjoy the 25 acres he and Jodie own near Bay Lake, between Novar and Emsdale.

“Being here I have the wonderful opportunity to indulge myself,” he says. “We have great fun in the yard doing lots of outdoor things. It’s just a whole different way of life. We can sit at home and enjoy the trees and the birds without distraction. There’s no traffic; the air is clear. We just love living here.”

Thanks to Patricia Snell for suggesting that Andy be profiled. If there is someone you’d like to see in this space, please call Paula at 789-5541 or e-mail  pboon@metrolandnorthmedia.com.