A CHILDHOOD dream to travel to Australia has been more than realised by Dave Le Ruez, who is celebrating 30 years of living in that country.

He is also enjoying a successful career in television and film production, including the launch, with his business partner, of a new television station in Canberra and, more recently, their founding of Australia’s fourth major film studio.

So enthusiastic are the New South Wales government about the studio that they intend to declare it ‘a site of state significance’ – an honour only held by sites of importance such as Sydney Opera House. It also means permission to build 70 new homes which has helped compensate for a legal wrangle with the local council which had been thwarting their progress.

For the last eight years, the two entrepreneurs have owned and run the NRS Group, having originally set it up with three others, as National Recording Studios, with a view to offering new and higher quality programming and advertising for customers.

It has been hugely successful, producing programmes and documentaries for companies worldwide, including Earth Walkers, currently a 117-episode series on backpacking, commissioned by the UK Travel Channel and currently on Sky Living; a 100 episode World History series in High Definition, seen from the Chinese perspective, produced in conjunction with professors from Beijing University and currently airing on CCTV6 in China to 600 million people; and several wildlife programmes for TV France.

There have been obstacles along the way, but Dave (51) certainly has no regrets about taking up the opportunity offered him at the age of 21 to move to the other side of the world. The only son of Mazel Le Ruez, of Trinity, and the late Leslie Le Ruez, he grew up with sisters Irene and Joan at the family home in St Mary.

He attended St Mary’s School and Hautlieu before he obtained a job at RCA at Rue des Prés, making cameras and video recording equipment. After seven years, during which time he went on two Overseas Aid trips, one to Kenya and the other to Israel, he took a year off work to go travelling in Europe.

Back in Jersey, soon after rejoining his old firm, the engineering boss of Australian television company Channel 7, who was on an equipment purchasing mission in Jersey, invited him there to train staff. ‘I’d always had an interest in Australia, from early childhood, I was interested in the kangaroos and such – and always had a dream to go to Australia – I never really knew why. It seemed a good place to go and I thought I would take this opportunity and eventually travel back here.

Two months later, at the age of 21, he was starting to live that dream and apart from missing his family – some of whom have now joined him in Canberra – he has never looked back. ‘Channel 7 were fantastic, the job was fantastic and the people so welcoming,’ he said. ‘From day 1 it was like joining a big family – and they were so interested in Jersey they wanted to learn about the Island – they knew about the cows and Bergerac was very big there as well.’

He met his future wife, Chris, at the tv station, where she worked as supervisor of the film department and make-up artist, and the couple have now been married for 26 years, and have twin daughters, Chelsea and Belinda, who are both in successful jobs.

Dave went on to become operational manager for the TV station, leaving to help found a new company, National Recording Studios. This led to the formation some years later of the NRS Group, now run by Dave and his business partner, producing commercials, programmes and documentaries which are sold worldwide.

The two men also built up an enormous library of pictures and videos – one of which, taken from the pier in Jersey with Elizabeth Castle as the backdrop, has been one of the most popular of all.

Six years ago, the business partners set up their own television station, Channel Vision, and more recently, they decided on their most ambitious project yet, the film studio. They bought a disused ‘Wool Scour’ – where wool was once cleaned ready for transport by rail – on 165 acres of land in Cowra, in central west New South Wales.

Their aim was to use 100 acres for developing accommodation for sale to investors to help finance the project and to convert three large sheds covering a total of 12,000 sq metres, including one complete with railway line, into film stages; and use the backlot of 45 acres down to a river for outside film scenes.

The film studio officially opened for business in January 2008 with the NRS Group in pre production with their first feature ‘Crucible Gold’ a 5 million dollar film about the gold rush period in Australia. The Chinese associates are producing ten films over the next two years and other client productions are on the horizon.

Although their plans for the original 21 homes accommodation were thwarted by the local authority, the support of the New South Wales government and a promise of ‘significant site’ status and permission to build 70 homes has been compensation.

‘They see the studio as of huge importance to the regional area of New South Wales and one which they want to be see actively supporting,’ said Dave. ‘Anyway, we have managed to survive and attract investment into the facility which is all good for the future and, of course, developers are interested in the 100 acres where under the NSW umbrella we can now build 70 homes.’

• Anyone wanting to find out more about the studio can do so at http://www.nrsgroup.com.au/