Machar was born in Rochdale and raised in Middleton, a town in Manchester in England and he identifies strongly as a Northerner. Community has been a source of comfort and identity for Machar throughout his life and it is fair to say that his stints living in London, both as a first-year university student and then some years later as a young graduate were not the happiest times of his life. Machar was born to parents of Scottish heritage and with a very common surname, his parents chose to give both their sons less-usual first names, Magnus being born two and a half years before his brother.

 Both parents modelled to their sons the virtue of working hard in paid employment, Machar’s father as a civil servant and his mother as manager in an aged care facility, although they also took on secondary employment roles to give the boys a private school education. It is only in retrospect that Machar has appreciated how hard his parents worked to provide for them and the sacrifices that they made, and that he has never directly expressed his gratitude for that. It is firmly at the top of the “to-do” list on his next visit back home to his parents, now in their 70s. This undoubtedly springs from the realisation that he didn’t make full use of the educational opportunities he was gifted. Machar recalls in fine detail the parent/teacher meeting when Mr Lapsley, his history teacher, told his parents he approached school “like a latter-day Beach Boy”. Machar admits that his prime interest in school was socialising.

According to Machar, his upbringing in Middleton was very traditional and seems to have changed only minimally with the passing generations. The Manchester area is known as the former engine house of the Industrial Revolution, based on textile fabrication in first wool and then later in cotton in the nineteenth century. However, during the 1950s and 60s, numerous textile facilities closed and the area fell into economic decline. Today it is not seen as a trendy place to live but to Machar it is central to his sense of identity.  He will barrack for the local football club until his dying breath and attending a match in person will ensure he encounters a solid percentage of his extended family, most of whom are also avid supporters. When Machar is away from his first hometown, he nevertheless carries with him the value system instilled in him by his parents, foremost the belief that he must make sure to help other people in the first instance and additionally to always live within his means. While still studying, Machar’s first paid employment was making the rounds delivering newspapers, a job opportunity for the young that has since vanished. 

Although his young life seemed to be bound in tradition and set expectations, Machar enjoyed some freedoms denied to today’s teens. His favourite childhood memory is of his first big live-music concert. In 1990 at the tender age of only 13, Machar and Magnus were driven to Birmingham, a distance of some 160 kilometres to see Metallica. Their poor Dad napped in the car during the performance before driving his sons home, a potent example of paternal dedication as Machar believes his father had to attend work the next day. The following year the boys attended a Guns N’Roses concert and were allowed to take the bus by themselves.

Machar was quick to embrace the opportunity to try his wings that was presented to him upon graduation from secondary school. He accepted a place to study History at university in London, revelling in the feeling that “the safety harness had gone” and he was now free to make his own decisions, and his own mistakes, as it turned out. Although the bright lights of the city had beckoned, the London life was found wanting and so Machar transferred his studies to Sheffield, much more comfortably closer to home, from his second year. Upon graduating from university with a BA (Hons) in Historical Studies, Machar still had no idea of what career he should follow. While still in school he had undertaken a work experience placement with the Greater Manchester Police, which he had enjoyed, so that option lingered at the back of his mind as he took casual work as a porter and barman in the hospitality industry. Machar was eventually approached and offered admission into the hotel chain’s graduate program where he spent a further two years learning about hotel operations, unfortunately for Machar, again based in London and only cementing his desire to be elsewhere. Machar then worked for five or six years in hospitality across several large hotel chains. Although the opportunity to work across all areas of hotel operations was both interesting and valuable experience, the hours were diabolical, with 60 hours’ work over four days before four rostered days off.

It was during this early stage of his life that Machar unintentionally signed on for one of the most challenging roles of his life: fatherhood. If he had the opportunity to give some sound advice to his teenage self, it would be to keep open eyes and an open mind, to not feel bound by tradition, but moreover, to take personal responsibility for contraception. Machar is a loving father to his daughter Lauren, now 25, though his relationship with her mother ended well before he was notified, via mail, of the pair’s impending parenthood, a responsibility Machar had not been expecting at the age of only 22. It is a measure of Machar’s character that he did not pressure his former partner to end the pregnancy, though he will admit that confessing the situation to his parents could have been better timed than on Christmas morning.

Years later, circa 2009 and while working as a Human Resources Administrator in a temporary role, Machar did make application to the police force and passed the entrance exams but the start dates didn’t align with the end of his more lucrative temporary role, so Machar never joined the force and took a job in recruitment instead.

Across his work life, Machar has had several major career changes and now works in a regional procurement role for an IT hardware reseller. These employment roles have been across more than a few prominent, well-known companies. Yet perhaps the biggest change that Machar has made came when he and his second wife Kirsty embraced the opportunity to move to Thailand just a week into their married life together. As a man still in his 20s, Machar had married in haste the first time and then repented at leisure, the marriage lasting 4 years on paper but less in reality before he instigated the proceedings to dissolve it.

In Kirsty Machar found his match. She is a complementary force which brought balance and stability to Machar’s life and together they planned their dream wedding at Edinburgh Zoo in the full knowledge that his upcoming new job would see them moving to Thailand for a minimum of a year just days later. Some people like to manage change by taking it one at a time. Machar not so much. Machar and Kirsty arrived in Bangkok in September 2015 to start their Thai adventure and initially encountered Hua Hin on their first break from Bangkok in November, almost instantly aware of the different pace of life that Hua Hin offers. Yet it wasn’t until November 2019 that the couple were able to move from their smaller home, already filled with dogs and cats, in a Thai neighbourhood in Bangkok to their more spacious home in a mooban just west of Hua Hin centre. The one-year commitment has now extended to a decade, with no plans for a relocation any time in the foreseeable future. The couple now has deep roots in Hua Hin soil.

Machar likes the fact that although Hua Hin is officially a city, it still has a big town feel and he can be anywhere in just 15 minutes. He appreciates the good food scene as well. Both Machar and his wife came to Hua Hin eating a vegetarian diet however Machar has been exclusively vegan for the last two years so luckily, he has found places which cater to his needs as everyone enjoys eating out sometimes. The beach has been an additional bonus. The dogs love a long walk on the beach and Machar enjoys the couple time the pair can savour while exercising the dogs. If only all people who enjoy our beaches understood their obligation to take their rubbish home with them!

As well, the beach played a pivotal role in helping Machar “find his tribe” in Hua Hin. Established around 5 years ago now, the Hua Hin rugby club began with a few people who wanted a social touch rugby game on Hua Don beach, but over time has evolved and grown. The club now participates in tournaments in other parts of Thailand and has played against international teams, though they are still to win a tournament game. While winning isn’t everything, capturing the illusive victory is firmly on Machar’s bucket list, along with an already planned Australian holiday in 2027 for the Rugby World Cup. With the ongoing intention of continuing to learn, Machar is also keen for further travel, but for cultural immersion rather than sightseeing.

Machar cites his ongoing re-evaluation of himself as his greatest personal achievement. He aims to improve his natural impatience, having come to the realisation that he doesn’t have to continue being the person he’s always been. Machar is flicking the switch from a self-centred mindset to one of selflessness, with a desire to value-add to the world. A number of books in the self-improvement genre have helped shape Machar’s belief that he still has more to give, among them “How to stop breaking your own heart” by Meggan Roxanne. Machar is embracing his “new self” with thoughtfulness, meditation, ten-minute ice-baths and regular exercise. Building on his innate strengths of care and empathy for people and animals, Machar is addressing his resistance to change, (he has a family history) and his tendency to be a serial avoider. Machar is aware some people believe he gives himself too much of a hard time, but he is committed to becoming the best version of himself, inspired by people such as the recently departed Jane Goodall and also Keanu Reeves, authentic people of great compassion.

At the very core of the “new” Machar is his relationship with his wife. Tears threatened to well up as he recounted the best compliment he has ever received, a simple “You’re my pal” from Kirsty. It seems their deep connection and appreciation of each other requires but few, heartfelt words. Even though his life has followed a windy, international path which he could never have anticipated as a lad from Rochdale, it is certainly far from complete. Machar is intent on nailing his life-purpose, giving to others rather than merely doing stuff for himself, and regularly choosing to position himself outside of his comfort zone, to foster continual growth. With ongoing health and family support, Machar has a lot to be thankful for, and a lot of living still to do. Although the world outlook may appear bleak to some and he is a realist about the social, geo-political, environmental and economic challenges to be faced, Machar will always choose optimism in the face of difficulty.