| Making tracks |
 Composer Tony Hatch may be most famous for writing Downtown, but his wandering soul has led him around the world to settle in MenorcaWorld-renowned TV and pop music producer and composer Tony Hatch has set up home in many places across the world, and he puts his wanderlust down to his star sign. “My birth sign is Cancer, so I am quite happy to live where ever life takes me,” he explains. Tony, who has penned many smash hits including Downtown for Petula Clark (recently re-recorded as a charity hit by Emma Bunton), Sugar and Spice for the Searchers and the theme tune to the TV show Neighbours, surrendered his UK residency in 1978, when he moved to the Irish Republic. “I was being offered a lot of work in the Republic of Ireland and I was attracted by the lifestyle there,” he says, “plus, being in the music business and reliant on royalties, it was a good time to get out of the UK for tax reasons.” After four enjoyable years in Ireland, Tony got itchy feet again and this time decided to move a lot further afield. “I moved to Australia in 1982 and I lived and worked there until 1995,” he explains. “It is still one of my favourite places in the whole world. I just love Sydney, but I eventually decided to move on because grandchildren were on the way in the UK, other family members were getting older and I wanted to be closer to everyone.” Tony had bought a holiday home in Menorca back in 1978 and he’d spent a lot of time there in the proceeding years, particularly during the Australian winters, and in 1995 he and his wife Maggie decided to make Menorca their permanent base. “I first came here on holiday in 1973 and I instantly liked the place. I’ve visited quite a lot of mainland Spain and the neighbouring islands of Ibiza and Mallorca, but once you get to know Menorca you find that it’s much quieter than elsewhere in the Balearics,” he says. “It is a really enchanting place and not full of high-rise hotels right on the beach. Although they encourage urbanisation and the hotel business here, they have very strict building controls to ensure that the island doesn’t lose its charm.” Tony and Maggie live in the neighbourhood of Cala Llonga, a short drive from the capital Mahon. “We’re in a lovely peaceful spot with wonderful views of the harbour,” he says. “We have a traditional Menorcan-style villa that’s about fifteen years old. We originally planned to only stay here for a short time while we looked for land to build our own place, but we’ve ended up staying longer that we expected.” The couple have made the house their own, converting a few of the rooms and turning the garage into an office and recording studio, as Tony still has no plans to retire. He is currently recording a new instrumental album and is also about to launch a one-man show, featuring his many well-loved songs and some new ones. “I am still working full-time,” he says. “Writing takes up a lot of my time and I also have to look after my catalogue of songs and administer the copyright. All this is very easy to do from anywhere in the world. With broadband, the Internet, computers all over the house and mobile phones, I can work from here no problem at all. No one knows where I am when I’m writing to them.” Although his work doesn’t require him to integrate with the local community, Tony and Maggie didn’t want to isolate themselves from their neighbours. “Many Brits who move to Spain only mix with English-speaking people, but I think it’s very important to try to become part of the community,” he says. “My wife speaks very good Spanish and I speak it sufficiently enough to get by. Whenever I’m out and about I attempt to speak in Spanish and I don’t have any problems communicating with anyone. We now have a few Spanish friends and we go to local concerts. Most people are very welcoming to expats, especially those from the UK. “Life here is very different to anywhere else I’ve lived. In Menorca the word mañana is not used loosely. Nothing here happens in a rush. It couldn’t be more different from Sydney, where everything is very up to the moment and contemporary.” Tony says anyone planning on moving to Menorca has to take it as they find it, and if you don’t accept the culture, you will be continually frustrated by it and never learn to relax and enjoy the new lifestyle. |
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