Why I moved from Australia to support Luton Town
A man who moved to the UK from Australia to support Luton Town Football Club has said he has no regrets.
David Burton, born in Sydney, has supported the Hatters his whole life as his dad was originally from nearby Dunstable, Bedfordshire.
The Australian was in the crowd when they won promotion to the Premier League following a win against Coventry in the play-off final at Wembley last year.
He said: "I've paid my mortgage off so I own my place, I'm not married and I have a British passport, so I thought, let's go."
The 50-year-old traded Sutherland Shire, Sydney, for Leagrave in Luton to be closer to his childhood club.
He said: "I've loved every minute of it, I've met some great people, integrated into the community, everyone seems to get on."
Since then, he has been to about 15 Premier League games, thanks to other fans who have shared tickets with him when they could not attend.
Mr Burton said: "I've been fortunate in those regards, I can't thank a lot of people enough."
He admitted some people in the pub still found his dedication unusual: "They all think I'm a bit crazy, as you would," he said.
The lifelong Hatter became a fan of the club because his dad Edward, who immigrated to Australia in the late 60s, was also a fan.
He recalled: "He was a season ticket holder and went to the Wembley cup final where they lost against [Nottingham] Forest, so from a young age I was right into it.
Mr Burton first visited England to watch a Luton game when he was 12, where he attended several matches when the side played in Division One.
His mother and sister supported him in his move, telling him: "You only do things once, you've got to grasp it while it's hot."
He was emotional as he thought about his dad: "He'd be proud, there's now a little bit of a connection there," he said.
Mr Burton has tickets for the last game of the season, against Fulham, and then plans to return home for the Australian winter.
He said: "I've not been surfing for six months and it's killing me."
He has not yet decided if he will stay in England if Luton remain in the league but said it would be "magic" if they did.
"They put up that much of a fight this year and I'm proud to support them".
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