How does one make the transition from Australia’s Gold Coast to the small town of Iola? It starts with friendship.
Steve and Di Bowman took the leap of faith in moving to southeast Kansas in September. The couple learned about this corner of the world through Max Grundy, himself a recent transplant from California.
“Max started posting pictures of Iola on Instagram,” Steve said. “It seemed like a nice little town.”
Max and Steve, both classic car fanatics, met at a car show in California through a mutual friend that was helping Max with one of his cars. The fact that Max had also attended car shows in Australia helped fast-track the friendship.
Steve has made a career out of auto mechanics and building cars, specifically custom cars and hotrods. Di is an academic with a master’s degree in health sciences and a background in botanical medicine.
In September 2023, Steve and Di came to the U.S. to drive Route 66 all the way to Iola. While here, they decided to check the town out for themselves. “We stayed for a while and decided we would like to make it our home, for at least part of the year,” said Steve.
In the short time they’ve been here, the Bowmans have bought a house and a building, home to a local business.
The couple own the building where the Pour Choices bar is located, just off the Iola square.
“We want to make it look more like a bar and less like a storage unit,” said Steve. “That is on the horizon. We want to make it look better on the outside. Right now, it just sort of looks like a shipping container.”
Di added they are going to have someone look at the brick behind the outer metal facade. “If it’s worthwhile reconstituting the brick, we’ll go that route,” she said. “If not, then we’ll give the front a face-lift.”
The Bowmans haven’t wasted any time getting involved in the Iola community. In Australia, the couple moonlighted as event organizers. Steve has been helping organize car and music events since the 1970s, and Di has since the 1980s. “We’ve been talking to some of the locals here about doing a car and music event in Iola at the end of September next year,” said Steve. “That’s one of the plans we have. It’s in the early stages. We’re also remodeling our house and hope to get that finished soon.”
“I’ve fallen in love with this little town,” said Di. “There isn’t any one particular thing I miss from Australia. It’s more my buddies or close friends and our little dog back home. He’s being minded by some great friends of ours.”
Most of their family — a daughter and two grandkids — are in Australia.
The Bowmans hail from the Gold Coast, a bustling metropolis that has developed into a “mini-Los Angeles,” said Steve.
“It’s busy — it’s got bad traffic,” he said. “It’s just very hectic. It’s been nice to get away from that.” The slower pace of Iola seems the perfect fit for the couple. “There’s a traffic jam here when there’s three cows in the road,” joked Steve.
